UNDERSTAND MODR · INTRODUCTION

MODR, step by step.

Think of a service you received. What did you expect? How did you perceive what was delivered?

By the end of this reading: you will be able to identify who evaluates a relationship, distinguish expected from perceived values, and understand what relational distance describes.

1 / WHO EVALUATES

The recipient evaluates the relationship.

Service source · A→Customer recipient · B

In the direction A → B, the customer forms both judgments about the service. Reversing the direction gives us another relationship and another point of view, which require their own observation.

MODR calls each participant in this configuration a pole. A pole may be a person, a team, an organization, or a non-human entity when evaluations can be associated with its relationships.

Expected is the expectation actually formed about that relationship. Perceived is the assessment of what was received or experienced. Both must address the same referent under compatible conditions.

Expecting something is different from wishing for an ideal. Evaluating a relationship is different from giving a general score to a person or an organization.

2 / EXPLORE AN EXAMPLE

What the values let us observe.

Move the sliders or choose an example. The values are fictional and normalized from 0 to 1. This explorer illustrates MODR's operators.

SERVICE → CUSTOMER

One experience,
from the customer's perspective.

What the customer expected to receive in this relationship.

How the customer perceived what was received.

Compare illustrative configurations

WHAT THESE VALUES SHOW

Distance · Δ0.30|P − E| · magnitude of the gap
Coherence · C0.701 − Δ · agreement between values
Perceived quality · Q0.50P · perceived level
How to read the direction of the difference

P − E shows whether the perceived value is below or above the expected value. In this example: −0.30. This descriptive information is retained with the components.

Perceived value is 0.30 below expected value. Distance is 0.30 and perceived level is 0.50. Interpretation depends on the relationship context.

Coherence reexpresses the same distance: C = 1 − Δ. Reading it with perceived quality distinguishes agreement from perceived level. High coherence can coexist with a low perceived value. The examples E = P = 0.20 and E = P = 0.90 both have zero distance, yet very different perceived levels. No result alone determines a priority or decision.

3 / SITUATE THE EXPERIENCE

One relationship, distinct observations.

A relationship may have successive records. A period or event defines the experience assessed in each observation.

BY PERIOD

Service over a month.

A customer assesses the relationship with an administrative office during September. A later observation may refer to October, provided the conditions for comparison are stated.

Septemberobservation 1Octoberobservation 2
BY EVENT

Service for one request.

The assessment refers to an identified request. Another request creates another observation even if the poles of the relationship are unchanged.

Request 01one eventRequest 02another event

Two records of the same relationship are two observations. They do not automatically become two distinct relationships in an aggregation.

4 / INTERPRET WITH CARE

What the numbers cannot decide alone.

Does MODR measure satisfaction?

Its object is the state of a directed relationship, represented by expectation, perception, and derived quantities. Satisfaction has its own concepts and instruments; relational distance is not a synonym for it.

Does a larger distance mean a larger problem?

Distance describes the magnitude of a gap. Its significance depends on the relationship, expected and perceived levels, purpose, and organizational context.

Does an average tell the whole story?

The same average may summarize very different relationships. MODR pairs average position with heterogeneity while retaining the relationships from which the aggregate came.

Is a value above expectations always better?

The direction of the difference is descriptive. Interpretation requires understanding what was expected, what was perceived, and what the delivery means in context.

Why use a network in the visual identity?

The model admits multiple poles and directed relationships. The network represents that multiplicity; each relationship retains its identity, components, and evaluative point of view.

END OF THIS READING

You have completed the introduction.

The central idea is to observe a relationship and keep the judgments describing its experience together.

  • The recipient forms expected and perceived values about the same relationship and referent.
  • Distance, coherence, and perceived quality describe aspects of the configuration; context supports interpretation.
  • Periods and events situate observations that may recur over a relationship's lifetime.

References for this page: OTH7600, sections 7.1–7.9. All papers appear under Published Papers in the main menu.

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