# Measuring Concepts By:: [[Ross Jackson]] 2023-11-17 In dealing with strategy, starting with a statement of the desired end state is often beneficial. Knowing what one wants to accomplish is useful. As a starting point, one can define it as poetically as one wants. In the beginning, one’s strategy can be inspiring and likely, in some ways, vague. However, after this initial phase, some important and somewhat challenging work must be done. The next phase is to turn this aspirational goal into something that can be measured. This is difficult for a variety of reasons. First, measuring a concept is impossible. So, one will have to find a way to partition the concept into aspects amenable to being measured. Second, people invested in the desired end state will likely interject as the poetic, inspirational goal becomes operationalized. The mechanics of transforming something inspiring into something one can measure is often a rather ugly process. This doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be done. Instead, it means that those doing it should know that the process can be unpleasant for those who love the rhetoric. Measuring concepts requires that they be transformed into something more concrete. Words are flexible. They can be used in a variety of ways. They can contain contradictions and paradoxes. When reduced to something measurable, some of the magic is gone. Moving into the realm of analysis entails costs. Some of the cost is becoming familiar with statistical techniques and data management. Some of the cost is to appreciate that as the ability to operationalize a concept increases, its rhetorical power is diminished. There are always tradeoffs. If one wants the idea to inspire, it should be vague. One should make performance as specific as possible to measure performance towards attaining the goal. Organizations that try to have it both ways end up with neither. #### Related Items [[Measurement]] [[Ideas]] [[Operations]] [[Conceptualization]] [[Performance]] [[Inspiring]] [[Goals]]