The Institutional Compass: Method, Use and Scope

This open-access book introduces an institutional compass, a new decision-aid tool that combines hard data with a choice of quality dimensions (harmony, discipline, and excitement) to assess the quality-direction of institutions, regions, systems, or organizations. The compass is intuitive, inclusive, and adaptable, making it useful for communicating and justifying policy decisions, evaluating products, and incorporating different perspectives and values. It includes case studies from the World Health Organization, product labeling, and regional planning. The book emphasizes objectivity in decision-making and offers refreshing ideas and a thorough treatment of the subject.

Format: Hardback
Length: 202 pages
Publication date: 09 July 2022
Publisher: Springer International Publishing AG

This open-access book presents a novel multi-criteria, multi-stakeholder, decision-aid called an institutional compass. Based on hard data, the compass provides insights into the quality-direction we are heading in as institutions, regions, systems, or organizations. Unlike traditional scalar qualities such as good, neutral, and bad, the quality chosen for the compass is between harmony, discipline, and excitement. None of these qualities is inherently good on its own; we need a combination of each.

The compass represents a significant advancement in four key aspects. Firstly, the representation of data is intuitive and straightforward, making it accessible for communication and justifying policy decisions. Secondly, the compass is inclusive, allowing the inclusion of any data, regardless of exclusions. This adaptability enables the compass to be tailored to specific situations, voices, and contexts. Thirdly, the data encompasses various time horizons and types of value, including monetary, use, social, sentimental, religious, intrinsic, and existential. This comprehensive coverage ensures a holistic evaluation of factors influencing quality-direction. Lastly, the process of constructing the compass can be inclusive at multiple junctions. The compass can be extended to evaluate products, add normativity to systems analysis, reflect world-views such as ecological economics, and function as an accounting system for managing scarce resources.

The book is organized into four parts. The first part introduces the general ideas behind the compass, providing a foundation for understanding its principles and methodology. The second part details the method for constructing the compass, including data collection, data analysis, and a mathematical formula to aggregate the data into a single holistic reading. In the third part, the methodology is further extended by incorporating it into systems science, adding a normative and quality-direction dimension. Additionally, the compass is used as a non-linear accounting method and is thoroughly aligned with the philosophy of ec.

Overall, this institutional compass offers a valuable tool for decision-makers, policymakers, and stakeholders seeking to navigate complex challenges and make informed choices that promote harmony, discipline, and excitement in various contexts. Its innovative approach to data representation, inclusivity, and holistic evaluation provides a new perspective on understanding and improving the quality-direction of institutions, regions, systems, and organizations.

Weight: 506g
Dimension: 235 x 155 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783031054525
Edition number: 1st ed. 2022