Quantification, in the form of accountability measures, organizational rankings, and personal metrics, plays an increasingly prominent role in modern society. While past research tends to depict quantification primarily as either an external intervention or a tool that can be employed by organizations, we propose that conceptualizing quantification as a logic provides a more complete understanding of its influence and the profound transformations it can generate. Drawing on a 14-month ethnographic study of Korean higher education and 100 in-depth interviews with key actors in this field, this study demonstrates four pathways through which the logic of quantification is embedded into organizations. Specifically, we show how this new logic reshaped organizational structure, practices, power, and culture—changes that in turn buttress and reproduce the logic. Theoretically, this study provides a new perspective on the deep institutionalization of quantification: why quantification is often intractable and “de-quantification” so rare. In addition, this work contributes to the organizational literature on institutional logics by demonstrating how prevailing logics build defenses to resist challengers and thus maintain their influence. Most generally, we consider how the self-reinforcing nature of this logic contributes to the intensification of rationalization in contemporary society.

量化，以问责措施、组织排名和个人指标的形式，在现代社会中发挥着越来越突出的作用。虽然过去的研究倾向于将量化主要描述为一种外部干预或组织可以采用的工具，但我们建议将量化概念化为一种逻辑，可以更全面地理解其影响和它可以产生的深刻转变。本研究利用对韩国高等教育的 14 个月民族志研究和对该领域主要参与者的 100 次深入访谈，展示了量化逻辑嵌入组织的四种途径。具体来说，我们展示了这种新逻辑如何重塑组织结构、实践、权力、和文化——这些变化反过来支持和复制逻辑。从理论上讲，这项研究为量化的深度制度化提供了一个新的视角：为什么量化往往难以处理，而“去量化”如此罕见。此外，这项工作通过展示流行逻辑如何建立防御以抵抗挑战者并从而保持其影响力，为关于制度逻辑的组织文献做出了贡献。最普遍的是，我们考虑这种逻辑的自我强化性质如何促进当代社会理性化的加剧。这项工作通过展示流行的逻辑如何建立防御以抵抗挑战者并从而保持其影响力，为关于制度逻辑的组织文献做出了贡献。最普遍的是，我们考虑这种逻辑的自我强化性质如何促进当代社会理性化的加剧。这项工作通过展示流行的逻辑如何建立防御以抵抗挑战者并从而保持其影响力，为关于制度逻辑的组织文献做出了贡献。最普遍的是，我们考虑这种逻辑的自我强化性质如何促进当代社会理性化的加剧。