What Gets Measured, Gets Done

The maxim “what gets measured, gets done” has become a guiding principle across business, public policy, and technology. This chapter critically examines the expanding role of metrics and indicators in shaping collective action and decision-making. Rather than primarily serving objectivity, measurements function as coordination devices that make agreement and action easier by translating complex realities into numerical targets. Drawing on examples from climate policy, software development, healthcare, and organisational management, the chapter shows how poorly chosen or overused metrics can distort behaviour. While rejecting the idea that societies should abandon measurement altogether, the chapter argues for a more reflective and democratic approach to metrics—one that treats them as evolving supports for shared vision rather than as definitive representations of reality.