Peter Burgess Dialog
Jeff Pulver

Innovation ... and disruption in the area of accounting and socio-economic metrics

Burgess COMMENTARY

Peter Burgess

Message to Jeff Pulver ... April 16, 2013

Innovation ... and disruption in the area of accounting and socio-economic metrics

Dear Jeff

I have been around technology and management information systems for far too long ... going back to the early days of mainframes. What we are now able to do to optimize for the maximization of profit in the corporate organization is pretty amazing ... but in the process almost everything that matters in society and the environment is ignored ... the externalities don't matter.

But the externalities do matter. It is high time we did some disrupting of the systems of metrics that dominate society ... the terrible trio of (1) money profit accounting in business; (2) stock prices in capital markets for investors; and (3) GDP growth for politicians and pundits.

We need to have reporting of metrics about impact on people and planet that are as ubiquitous as money profit based reporting. This is possible ... the technology is perfectly capable. However, so far, I have not found a metrics initiative that is getting close to breaking through.

From my perspective, this is because the initiatives are more economics than accountancy ... more about questionaires than data compilation ... not enough about quantification ... too much about transactions and not enough about state, and changes in state.

But it can come together ... and it will come together. And my hope is pretty soon.

These are very interesting times. Are you doing anything in this space?

Peter Burgess