What you are measuring is having an impact, do you know what it is?

Using metrics to shape team culture and drive behaviors is an approach that, when executed effectively, can significantly enhance both individual and team performance. Metrics give us an insight into what our team and organisation values, what is important and can influence actions and decisions at all levels.

Metrics do come with a caution sticker, and that is to choose carefully.  Metrics can support you to create a positive team culture and balance individual and team performance.  However they can also subconsciously influence our decision making, leading us to prioritise short term wins over long term gains.

When performance is closely tied to specific metrics, there's a natural tendency to prioritise activities that directly influence these outcomes. This focus might place less value on important but less quantifiable aspects of work, such as creativity, innovation, and team morale.

Team versus Individual

The balance between measuring individual and team performance is also important. 

“If you only measure individual metrics, you can talk all you want about team, but the metric will win out every time.”

Focusing solely on individual metrics can undermine team cohesion, leading to competition over cooperation. It may encourage team members to focus on their personal targets at the expense of the team's shared success. On the flip side, concentrating on team metrics can  obscure individual contributions, potentially demotivating high performers and allowing underperformance to go unaddressed.

How do metrics influence our behaviours?

In all sorts of ways, without us even knowing it.  It's crucial to be mindful of how metrics can subconsciously influence what we prioritise. Metrics, while valuable for providing insights and guiding strategy, can sometimes lead to unintended consequences if not carefully selected and monitored.

Metrics are a way of telling us what we need to do to look good, and who doesn’t want that?

“If you are a leader and you are keeping score, it doesn’t matter how many times you might tell your team it’s not important, you can be guaranteed its impacting behaviours, you may just not be seeing it.”

So How Do You Navigate Subconscious Influences

To ensure what you are measuring is driving the intended behaviours, consider the following strategies:

• Use a balanced set of metrics that capture a broad range of performance aspects and focus’ on what’s really important to your team and reflects how they want to operate on a day to day basis. This ensures team buy in to what is being measured.
• Include qualitative metrics. Sometimes what really matters can be hard to measure, having a benchmark for observable behaviours and gaining feedback from different sources can help.
• Regularly review and adjust metrics to ensure they remain aligned with strategic goals and values. This helps prevent goal displacement and keeps the focus on what truly matters.
• Cultivate a culture where questioning and critically evaluating metrics and the decisions they inform is encouraged. This can help combat confirmation bias and ensure decisions are well-rounded.
• Make room for reflection in decision-making processes. Leaders should consider not only what the metrics are saying but also what they might be missing or misrepresenting.

Being aware of how metrics influence decision-making, consciously and subconsciously, can help you make more informed, balanced decisions that support your team's and organisation's long-term success.

Is what you are measuring now driving the right behaviours?