How Good Do We Have To Be?
 

THE DEFENCE VISION

Defending the UK and its interests strengthening international peace and stability 'A force for good in the world'.

THE NEW CAPABILITY PLANNING PROCESS

Examination of the new ways of working exposes the following:
Principle : “If you can’t measure it you will never know if you have it”
Principle : “If you don’t know what you have you can’t know what’s missing”

THE ISSUE

Please can someone tell me:

How do I measure goodness to check I am delivering the correct amount of goodness?

How much goodness do we need?

Apart from the fact nobody probably knows what you are on about I would like to examine the principles that you have mentioned.

Principle : “If you can’t measure it you will never know if you have it”.
True but, measurement and use of goodness is not expected Forces wide until the well defined and particularly quantitatively controlled levels have been defined.

Principle : “If you don’t know what you have you can’t know what’s missing”
Well, the performed informally level focuses on whether an organisation perform a process that incorporates the base practices.

What you should be concentrating on is a culture of continuous improvement that requires a foundation of sound management practice, defined processes and achievable goals.

OK:ok:

Are we to assume we are talking about braw Jock McBrown and his leaning towards a "force for good"?

As regards "measurement", I recall that it was Lord Kelvin who said; “I often say that when you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it; but when you cannot measure it, when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meagre and unsatisfactory kind; it may be the beginning of knowledge, but you have scarcely in your thoughts advanced to the state of Science, whatever the matter may be.”

.. are you absolutely sure of that :O

Does Donald Rumsfeld now work for UK Defence PLC? :O

Samuraimatt,

'Apart from the fact nobody probably knows what you are on about I would like to examine the principles that you have mentioned'

I am quoting from words pushed out by MoD.

Lets hope they understand.

Dave Angle,

There are known knowns. These are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don't know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don't know we don't know.

In other words it is unknown.

I still haven't a scooby what you are on about but perhaps Bhumibol Adulyadej can help you when he says

"A good person can make another person good; it means that goodness will elicit goodness in the society; other persons will also be good."

And not forgetting

"Goodness is something that makes us serene and content; it is magnificent. Those who are not good are evil."

There, any closer to finding your answer?

...and if you can keep your head in the midst of all this confusion, then you simply do not know what's going on.