Efficiency and effectiveness: which is more important?

Being effective is good yeah?

    And being efficient is good too isn’t it?

    But have you a clear view of the difference between them?

    They’re sometimes used interchangeably.

    But they are different. 

    If you google that difference, you’ll see many efforts to capture the distinction clearly.  But you won’t go wrong if you look at what Peter Drucker said.

    I first came across him in college – back in 1983 – in a subject titled: “The Engineer in Society”.  Drucker said that “efficiency is doing things right, effectiveness is doing the right thing”.

    A good analogy is the ladder – leaning against a wall.

    Imagine you’re a project manager.  Your job is to get a lot of people and equipment up the ladder fast, within budget, in the optimal order, and with no injuries or damages.  That’s efficiency.

    And effectiveness?  That’s ensuring that the ladder is leaning against the right wall.

    But it’s not enough to do the right things if you’re doing them at too slow a pace.  Or by blowing your budget or schedule.  Or with low quality.

    So you need both – effectiveness and efficiency.

    If you could do with being more efficient and/or effective, email me and tell me a little about what you’re dealing with.  I may be able to help.

  PS: This is my last blog of 2022.  I’d like to wish you & yours a happy and healthy Christmas – and best wishes too for 2023.