The military equivalent of the business world’s incessant focus on metrics and measurable markers of performance has further contributed to this often near-mindless collection of statistics from every level, even in the combat zones – even though Wong and Gerras note that few collectors of the information at higher headquarters actually believe in the data they are collecting.
My Mom works in human resources for a massive pharmaceutical company, so I've talked with her a lot about this hyperinflation of metrics that ultimately serves no purpose. It's very easy to get wrapped up in the numbers because the numbers are usually trustworthy. What's interesting to me here is that Wong and Gerras note that "few collectors... believe in the data they are collecting". It's gotten to the point where they are apparently just going through the motions and having enough data to check off their own boxes.<br> It seems to me that these requirements of soldiers in the field have gotten so burdensome that it may be becoming a tactical disadvantage. Instead of spending countless hours generating reports and checking in, those soldiers could be training for the next mission or preparing for contingencies. Statistics and data can be invaluable in certain circumstances, but the inflation of bureaucracy at all levels seems to always have a tendency to produce requirements that, in the end, have little to no benefit.