[Ailist] Devaluing by valuing Re: What is the Life Force (Vital energy/Prana) ofBusiness?

[Cheri Torres]

To voice the other side, putting a measurable value on that which is  
valuable enables an economic system to actually factor in its value  
into costs and pricing.  Money and measurement are not the enemy, they  
are simply tools.  I believe the fall of our current system is a  
result of our failing to realize that money (and measurement )are not  
the end goals but merely the means for helping us know if we are  
adding value and staying aligned with our broader purposeful goals,  
respectively.

When people have to pay a significant price to pollute (because we  
value clean air) they will seek ways to decrease that cost or  
eliminate it.  Seems to me that if we stop making people wrong and  
instead look at how the system encourages behavior we can then begin  
to change the system so that people naturally choose what is "right"  
and "good" (like not polluting).  There is so little purpose in  
judging and so much to be gained by pondering what kinds of  
regulations, costs, and measures might actually lead us to once again  
value "all our brothers and sisters in nature".

Cheri
Cheri B. Torres, Ph.D.

Collaborative by Design
135 Westwood Place
Asheville, NC 28806
828-225-5088




On Nov 9, 2009, at 6:48 PM, Lionel Boxer wrote:

> Exactly, but that is what happens.  Accountants create dollar values  
> for everything and now we have carbon trading.  Meaningless  
> measurement that results in something with a money value that will  
> become traded like shares.
>
> Lionel Boxer CD PhD MBA BTech(IndEng) - 0411267256
> Associate of RMIT University - lionel.boxer at rmit.edu.au
> Graduate School of Business
> my "Assessment of Quality Systems with Positioning Theory"
> now in a googe book - see link at http://intergon.net
>>>> "Roger Davies" <rdavies at rtpcompany.com> 10/11/09 10:12 AM >>>
>
> I'm also of a mind that in trying to quantify such things we actually
> devalue them. There will be indirect, measurable benefits just like  
> we can
> measure heart rate or blood pressure to tell us about our health.  
> Our health
> is much more than a bunch of measurements though. If you did a big  
> study and
> found that an Appreciative conversation contained x number of y  
> words would
> that mean that any conversation with that quota of those words would  
> be
> appreciative? I doubt it. Measurement, though valuable can also be
> deceiving, especially when one tries to apply it to dynamic systems.  
> In many
> , many businesses the output of everyone is reduced to a few  
> measurements
> and if you don't meet your target you aren't a good enough employee.  
> That's
> one way businesses unwittingly act to disengage their workforce.
>
> Roger
>
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