Abstract
Organizations, from the smallest clubs to federal agencies, often fail to accomplish their mission. This failure may occasion a sense of shame, but it should not, because it implies that the institution aimed high. As Robert Browning said: “Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp. Or what’s a heaven for?” Failure can help us grow wiser if we learn from it. Rather than causing shame, falling short of goals should promote reflection and renewal. An agency that fails to help people find jobs might redefine success by the number of clients it advises. A church that fails to offer its members a rewarding spiritual experience might claim success based on the growth of its budget. In this manner, organizations frequently engage in what sociologists call “displacement of goals” in order to deny failure.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alperovitz, G., Howard, T., Scharf, A., & Williamson, T. (1995). Index of environmental trends. Washington, DC: National Center for Economic Alternatives.
Cobb, C., Halstead, T., & Rowe, J. (1995). The genuine progress indicator: Summary of data and methodology. San Francisco: Redefining Progress.
Daly, H., & Cobb, J. B., Jr. (1992). For the common good. Boston: Beacon Press.
Desai, M. (1994). Greening of the HDI. Remarks made at seminar, Accounting for Change, Toynbee Hall, London, England.
Ekins, P., & Max-Neef, M. (1992). Real-life economics: Understanding wealth creation. New York: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
Gross, B. (1966). The state of the nation: Social systems accounting. In R. Bauer (Ed.), Social indicators (p. 228). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Harrington, M. (1984). The new American poverty. New York: Penguin Books.
Lamale, H. (1958). Changes in concepts of income adequacy over the last century. American Economic Review, 48, 291–299.
Meadows, D. H., Meadows, D. L., Randers, J., & Behrens, W. W, III. (1972). The limits to growth. New York: Universe Books.
Mihalec, J. (1984). Hair on the president’s chest. Wall Street Journal, May 11, 1984, p. 30.
Miringoff, M. (1995). Index of social health. Tarrytown, NY: Fordham Institute for Innovation in Social Policy.
Morris, M. D. (1979). Measuring the condition of the world’s poor: The Physical Quality of Life Index. New York: Pergamon Press for the Overseas Development Council.
National Center for Education Statistics. (1989/1990). Digest of education statistics. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.
Repetto, R., Beer, C., Magrath, W, Rossini, F., & Wells, M. (1989). Wasting assets: Natural resources in the National Income Accounts. Washington, DC: World Resources Institute.
Ruggles, R. (1983). The United States National Income Accounts, 1947–1977: Their conceptual basis and evolution. In M. F. Foss (Ed.), The U.S. National Income and Product Accounts (p. 32). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
United Nations Development Program. (1993). Human development report (pp. 133–135). New York: Oxford University Press.
U.S. Bureau of the Census. (1981). Social indicators III. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. (1982). Measuring nonmarket economic activity (BEA Working Paper No. 2). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Commerce.
U.S. Office of Management and Budget. (1973). Social indicators I. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
U.S. Office of Management and Budget. (1976). Social indicators II. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Wolfson, M.C. (1996). Health-adjusted life expectancy. Health Reports, 8 (1), 41–46.
Zolotas, X. (1981). Economic growth and declining social welfare. New York: New York University Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2002 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Cobb, C.W. (2002). Measuring Failure to Find Success. In: Flynn, P., Hodgkinson, V.A. (eds) Measuring the Impact of the Nonprofit Sector. Nonprofit and Civil Society Studies. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-0533-4_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-0533-4_2
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-0-306-46548-2
Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-0533-4
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive