Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are causing significant harm to the moral compass of society, according to a growing body of thought. The obsession with quantifiable targets and outcomes has led to a decline in ethical standards, with individuals and organisations increasingly willing to compromise values to meet these targets. This problem is particularly prevalent in the banking sector, where the recent Royal Commission has exposed a culture of greed, driven by KPIs and bonuses.
A similar issue is evident in the education sector, where standardised testing has led to a narrow focus on measurable outcomes, often at the expense of broader educational objectives. In healthcare, too, the drive to meet KPIs has seen patient care suffer, with staff often too busy meeting targets to provide holistic care.
The solution, some suggest, is to move away from the strict KPI model and towards a more holistic approach that values qualitative outcomes just as highly as quantitative ones. This would involve a shift in focus from the ‘what’ to the ‘how’, encouraging individuals and organisations to consider the broader implications of their actions, rather than simply striving to meet numerical targets.
Go to source article: https://www.smh.com.au/business/workplace/losing-our-way-how-the-cult-of-the-kpi-has-damaged-our-moral-compass-20180612-p4zl29.html