Another
problem with our focus on external testing is that our leaders focus on
management rather than leadership.
Noted academic John Ralston Saul has written negatively about this effect in his book
“Voltaire's Bastards”. Saul contrasts leadership with management - Leadership is about inspiring people, management is about people as objects of input-output processes.
Some
have called it “the
curse of managerialism.”
It may be why Prof Richard Boyatzis has found 50% of Leaders do not add
any value!!
Other researchers, notably University of Chicago economist Steven Levitt, in his book “Freakonomics”, have discovered widespread cheating by teachers on these external tests.
Levitt has found significant evidence that Teachers adjust
student answers on external tests to ensure all students in their class
get good scores.
Prof Robert Sapolski gives a funny and short (20 sec) talk on where all this accountability and testing is heading.