On Indexes and Standards
An index is a communication meeting point, a way to describe something constantly changing and agree on a temporary pause, an evolutionary truce. If we allow indexes to be written freely and not stand stale on shelves, they are a useful tool.
There are 2 main pitfalls:
If an index becomes a communication product, it will economically resist change. If a business is built on a qualification system, it will be costly to adjust the qualification’s operating system, even if the benefits are clear on a level of one.
When an index becomes a standard, it ceases to be a bridge between rich practices and becomes a common denominator, creating a pseudo-ceiling for thinking.