Effectiveness and Efficiency

Though Similar in Looks, They Are Different

A good number of people, at times, feel confused between the exact difference between the two terms "effectiveness" and "efficiency".
Everyone wants to achieve success (and thus happiness) by accomplishing one's goals in a short period of time with minimum resources and therefore, he must know exactly what effectiveness means and what efficiency means.
One must do both- effectiveness as well as efficiency. Yet, effectiveness comes first, always.

Compare the Two

In organizational terms, minimization of extent of expenditure of resources (including money, time and information) in a process to get an output (result) in called "efficiency". "Effectiveness" is how well the process achieves its desired output and the desired output is what its user or customer requires- are the chosen output and process the right ones?
So how fast I did a job is "efficiency" using the given process (selection of process or the job itself may be a question mark- either one of them or even both may be non-value adding). But when I carry out a job that is value adding and when I select a better process, that is "effectiveness".
In every day language, thus, efficiency is doing things right whereas effectiveness is doing right things.
Effectiveness is answer to "what" and efficiency is answer to "how well".
"Effectiveness" is all about finding the right destination and right direction and right path to reach the chosen destination. "Efficiency" is reaching the destination on this chosen path with the usage of optimized resources. For example, how soon will I cross mile stones after mile stones and how fast will I reach the destination and so how fast can I walk?
So do effectiveness first and then efficiency.
If you do efficiency first, you may start walking fast on any path, in any direction, in the over zealousness of walking faster (efficiency) but with this higher speed of walking, you may end up proceeding in wrong direction, on wrong path and away from the desired destination, faster. What's the use? It's waste of resources though you have been efficient in walking.

First Decide The Goal, Your Product/Output and Process

Very first thing, decide what is your product/services? Are they the ones that your customers need? There is no point in making the mechanical watches when the customers want quartz technology watches. Applying greater efficiency in making mechanical watches is being utterly ineffective.
Then choose the right processes: management, business and technical processes.
Processes consist of both, value adding activities and non-value adding activities.
There is no point in automating a process having too many non-value adding activities by using any technology. Automation is like having greater efficiency. All you will end up doing is: doing the non-value adding activities of the process faster, which is no improvement. Rather, it will be detrimental to the organization.
Therefore, think of the processes without any non-value adding activities before automating them by using technologies or by employing efficiency.
This would necessitate giving a fresh look to how you design your processes (management technical, business and technical processes etc) and substituting the exiting processes (non-effective process) with brand new effective processes.

Measurement Units

Effectiveness can be measured in terms of how well the products or services meet customers' requirements. Are my chosen destinations/goals correct ones?
Efficiency can be measured in terms of ratio of output to inputs, utilization percentage of various resources, unit cost of product, cycle time or lead time, extent of wastage etc

For More Guidance, Assistance, Training and Consultation

Contact: prodcons@prodcons.com

Also refer: (Prodcons Group) http://prodcons-group.blogspot.com/, (Training Programs by Prodcons Group) http://training-development-function.blogspot.com/, (Productivity Consultants) http://productivity-consultants.blogspot.com/

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