Mathilda's Benchmarking Talk 26/10/07

What is a benchmark?

This talk started with a brief revisit to the origins of the term benchmark – a mark on a work bench – and a return to dictionary definitions of benchmarks:

Function: noun
Date: circa 1842

1usually bench mark : a mark on a permanent object indicating elevation and serving as a reference in topographic surveys and tidal observations
2 a: a point of reference from which measurements may be made
b: something that serves as a standard by which others may be measured or judged
c: a standardized problem or test that serves as a basis for evaluation or comparison (as of computer system performance)
Merriam Webster

noun Ca level of quality which can be used as a standard when comparing other things: Her outstanding performances set a new benchmark for singers throughout the world

verb T to measure the quality of something by comparing it with something else of an accepted standard: His reports pointed out that we do not have reliability in the sense of all schools being benchmarked
against the best
Cambridge University Press

We asked ourselves: is the benchmark a watermark or a norm? i.e. would we want it to reflect ideal aspirations, exceptional standards (e.g. record levels), or means?

Lucky people qualifiers

I introduced the four analysis criteria that I have used to evaluate the workshops that formed part of my PhD thesis ‘Lucky People Forecast – a futures perspective on fashion and sustainability.’

The criteria are:

Brand/perception - measuring or qualifying attitude

To what extent has the modified version of trend-forecasting achieved a change in how the fashion industry at mass-market level perceives the compatibility of fashion and sustainability, on a continuum from dichotomy to opportunity?

Knowledge and awareness - measuring or qualifying knowing

To what extent has the modified version of trend-forecasting increased the level of knowledge and awareness of sustainability in the fashion industry at mass-market level, on a continuum from single issue focus to lifecycle perspective?

Relationships – measuring or qualifying empathy

To what extent has the modified version of trend-forecasting changed how the fashion industry at mass-market level locates itself in the area of sustainability and the intricate relationships that sustainability implies, on a continuum from partial to holistic understanding?

Action and activism - measuring or qualifying empowerment and commitment

To what extent has the modified version of trend-forecasting changed how the fashion industry at mass-market level perceives its power to act and affect change, on a continuum from passive reliance on other stakeholders to personal action and activism?

These criteria were introduced on a sprawling map – we can compare it to venturing out for a walk in a new neighbourhood and gradually growing accustomed with new areas, the intensity of our engagement with which depends on our individual disposition and interests.

The wide gaps between the markers on this map are important as they show how clumsy a tool all models by necessity will be. There are many blind spots, and a model is a crude net by which we try to catch some aspects of reality. An example of this is the IQ model and test.

When an individual or group’s responses to a workshop are indicated on the map of the four analysis criteria, it is possible to draw a line between the four nodes. The resulting shape is a blueprint of what we can draw out of this individual or group’s metaphorical walk around the particular territory. The shapes can be overlayed with other shapes and comparisons made. For example the shape of organisation B in the figure represents a company that has a well-developed attitude towards fashion and sustainability and fashion, and possesses a lot of knowledge, but actually does very little, and has little engagement with the complexity of systems. Organisation C, on the other hand, does a lot, does engage with systems, has a well formed perception of sustainability and fashion, but little knowledge to sustain the the three former field.

Towards benchmarking of synergies in metadesign

The above was offered as a discussion point to start us off on our process at finding benchmarks. The remainder of the talk made some suggestions for questions we might find helpful in the workshop process. These can be found in the notes on this page.