Contributional, rather than the actional economy
In the world filled with action, it is the contribution that matters.
An economic system is a powerful filter.
It feels nearly impossible to comprehend anything that does not align or falls outside the lines.
Too often, we measure the activity. Often we even express the effort in the hours spent.
And for some activities the contribution is just that — showing up, being available, having a pulse.
But for many others, the actions are hardly relevant. The outcome is.
Of course, work has to be done in a safe manner, producing the least negative externalities possible. But all other things being equal, faster is usually better.
The thing is, by paying for each hour, we actively break the alignment of the incentives and the results being sought.
Why do we do that?
Because it is easy. It allows us to count the irrelevant but easily countable time and substitute it for important, but harder to measure value.
Why does this matter?
Because while the actional economy, where a person’s actions are rewarded in non-zero sum way as opposed to transactionally, is superior to a transactional economy, the natural tendency will still be to fall in the trap of rewarding actions, when what really matters is the contribution.
It is like the straw that breaks the camel’s back — in weight, it is not superior to the rest of the straw on the back of that camel, but with the ability to recognize and adjust the value of transporting that straw exponentially, the camel could have lived.
What are the points of leverage in your life? What will allow you to go beyond doing things and onto really making a difference? It is the ability to recognize the cup that is almost full and then adding a drop that creates the tipping point of opportunity.
This means, in practice, that all get a pay off only if enough contribute. And that means a necessity of scale — making it hard to launch.
But that is the beauty of non-zero-sum economics. The value can be recognized retroactively once the impact is reached.
