Dear All
The following extract had been taken from
My Dad has had a saying by Peter Drucker taped to his computer monitor.
He has had it for years. The card it is on is old and yellow, I can even see where he messed up when he typed it and had to type over the mistake.
“You are efficient when you do things right. You are effective when you do the right thing.”
My Dad is one of the most efficient and effective workers I have ever known. I love this saying. I have started asking myself this question when I am working on a project.
Sometimes I’m efficient, sometimes I’m effective. And yes, sometimes, I’m neither. Which one are you? Are you efficient? Are you effective? Are you both? Is one of these things more important than the other?
I think it probably depends on what you are doing.
If you need to get a lot of things done it is probably more important to be efficient. If you have one or just a few very important things to get done, effectiveness is probably more important.
Take time and examine your tasks and decide which you need to be, do you need to be efficient or do you need to be effective?
Then structure your work or your day to meet your “eff” goal. A caveat here, it is possible to be efficient at the wrong things. So be careful.
A final point. It is sometimes okay to do things that are not efficient or effective.
Here’s an example: It is not very efficient to let your kids help you paint the living room. Its probably also not very effective to let them help... make sure they actually put the paint on the walls and not on each other!
I would argue, however, that letting them help will pay “eff” dividends down the road.
I titled this article Efficient vs. Effective, but I think it should probably read Efficient OR Effective.
It is a simple concept but so very powerful. So what do you want to be?
Efficient?
Effective?
Both?
Decide and go be!
Comments & further reading are appreciated from readers.
From India, Mumbai
165The following extract had been taken from
My Dad has had a saying by Peter Drucker taped to his computer monitor.
He has had it for years. The card it is on is old and yellow, I can even see where he messed up when he typed it and had to type over the mistake.
“You are efficient when you do things right. You are effective when you do the right thing.”
My Dad is one of the most efficient and effective workers I have ever known. I love this saying. I have started asking myself this question when I am working on a project.
Sometimes I’m efficient, sometimes I’m effective. And yes, sometimes, I’m neither. Which one are you? Are you efficient? Are you effective? Are you both? Is one of these things more important than the other?
I think it probably depends on what you are doing.
If you need to get a lot of things done it is probably more important to be efficient. If you have one or just a few very important things to get done, effectiveness is probably more important.
Take time and examine your tasks and decide which you need to be, do you need to be efficient or do you need to be effective?
Then structure your work or your day to meet your “eff” goal. A caveat here, it is possible to be efficient at the wrong things. So be careful.
A final point. It is sometimes okay to do things that are not efficient or effective.
Here’s an example: It is not very efficient to let your kids help you paint the living room. Its probably also not very effective to let them help... make sure they actually put the paint on the walls and not on each other!
I would argue, however, that letting them help will pay “eff” dividends down the road.
I titled this article Efficient vs. Effective, but I think it should probably read Efficient OR Effective.
It is a simple concept but so very powerful. So what do you want to be?
Efficient?
Effective?
Both?
Decide and go be!
Comments & further reading are appreciated from readers.
From India, Mumbai
Hi
Yes that is a very informative post. It is applicable in every sphere of management. From a time management point of view - it is important that we do the right things and do that right. The same holds true from the point of view of managerial skills including leadership - where the leader has to point out the right things to do and ensure that the task is done right. From the perspective of delegation too - it is important to realize what are those tasks that can be delegated - the sieving of the right job for the right individual and empowering them to do it.
On a personal note, you are welcome to visit my blogs listed below to view more such inspirational and motivational themes and my commentary on each.
Do keep posting such thought provoking information!!
Jacob
Personality Development, Corporate Training, Communication Skills - Website
Academy for Creative Training - Blog 1
Actspot's Blog - Blog 2
From India, Mumbai
Yes that is a very informative post. It is applicable in every sphere of management. From a time management point of view - it is important that we do the right things and do that right. The same holds true from the point of view of managerial skills including leadership - where the leader has to point out the right things to do and ensure that the task is done right. From the perspective of delegation too - it is important to realize what are those tasks that can be delegated - the sieving of the right job for the right individual and empowering them to do it.
On a personal note, you are welcome to visit my blogs listed below to view more such inspirational and motivational themes and my commentary on each.
Do keep posting such thought provoking information!!
Jacob
Personality Development, Corporate Training, Communication Skills - Website
Academy for Creative Training - Blog 1
Actspot's Blog - Blog 2
From India, Mumbai
effectiveness is getting things right and efficiency is measure of effectiveness. hence both are required. if effectiveness is there, efficiency can be measured. efficiency would be zero when there is no effectiveness.
From India, Mumbai
From India, Mumbai
I have read in 7 habits about "effective with people and efficient with things". Can this funda fits into this termonology?
From India, Dehra Dun
From India, Dehra Dun
I feel both Efficient & Effective are co-related with each other. Explaining the same element is like Quantity & Quality. Both elements are integral factors for the development strategy of any process or product.
According to the oxford synonyms dictionary Effective means- Successful, Helpful, Valuable. Whereas Efficient means- Wel- organized, Competent, Proficient.
From India, Mumbai
According to the oxford synonyms dictionary Effective means- Successful, Helpful, Valuable. Whereas Efficient means- Wel- organized, Competent, Proficient.
From India, Mumbai
dear simmy,
let me to tell you that the first requirement is to be effective and the second thing is efficiency it is good if you will design efficiency with effectiveness in your work but at the last first thing is effectiveness.
From India, Dehra Dun
let me to tell you that the first requirement is to be effective and the second thing is efficiency it is good if you will design efficiency with effectiveness in your work but at the last first thing is effectiveness.
From India, Dehra Dun
Dear Simmy;
We have habit of throwing big words for small things and that creates confusion. We say," I love my motorcycle or diamond set or so and so book" Instead of "Like" we use "Love", without understanding the meaning of "Love" and nobody objects, as it is a trend and many people use the same way. But over a period of time the word "Love" looses its original meaning and becomes a substitute word of "Like". Remember the word has no meaning. The meaning is poured by us.
To my knowledge "Efficiency" and “Effectiveness” has no connection with doing right or wrong. It has connection with doing only. To my understanding efficiency is capability + willingness to do. Whereas effectiveness is simply result oriented. A person may not be efficient, but effective enough. Let us understand by an example. "When a major of the army orders 'Fire" and the soldiers immediately fire, without any thinking or analysis. They simply obey the order of a major. The words of major enforce the act and that is effective. Thus the words or act which enforces the act or result is effective. The major may not be efficient to fire himself, if he is heavily injured, but he is effective irrespective of his efficiency. Secondly I understand that it is required to be present with totality whenever you want to be effective in words or act. There is a simple law of effectiveness, “Presence in the moment and effectiveness ratio goes to gather”. Means, if our presence is 50% then the effectiveness will also be 50%, if our presence is 100% the effectiveness is also 100%.
Thus in management, efficiency is required for the workers and lower staff, who really execute the work. But the team leader or commander should be effective enough along with other leadership quality. If one wants to recruit lower cadre staff, he/she will look for efficient people, but managerial cadre effective people will be more preferable. Remember, there is nothing right or wrong in this world. Only the result says, it was right, if it is in favor and if the results are in disfavor, we say it was wrong. In Gujarati, there is a proverb, “ Fayo Gadhedo Dahyo”, means “He is praised, who wins”
His Blessings;
Sharad
From India, Ahmadabad
We have habit of throwing big words for small things and that creates confusion. We say," I love my motorcycle or diamond set or so and so book" Instead of "Like" we use "Love", without understanding the meaning of "Love" and nobody objects, as it is a trend and many people use the same way. But over a period of time the word "Love" looses its original meaning and becomes a substitute word of "Like". Remember the word has no meaning. The meaning is poured by us.
To my knowledge "Efficiency" and “Effectiveness” has no connection with doing right or wrong. It has connection with doing only. To my understanding efficiency is capability + willingness to do. Whereas effectiveness is simply result oriented. A person may not be efficient, but effective enough. Let us understand by an example. "When a major of the army orders 'Fire" and the soldiers immediately fire, without any thinking or analysis. They simply obey the order of a major. The words of major enforce the act and that is effective. Thus the words or act which enforces the act or result is effective. The major may not be efficient to fire himself, if he is heavily injured, but he is effective irrespective of his efficiency. Secondly I understand that it is required to be present with totality whenever you want to be effective in words or act. There is a simple law of effectiveness, “Presence in the moment and effectiveness ratio goes to gather”. Means, if our presence is 50% then the effectiveness will also be 50%, if our presence is 100% the effectiveness is also 100%.
Thus in management, efficiency is required for the workers and lower staff, who really execute the work. But the team leader or commander should be effective enough along with other leadership quality. If one wants to recruit lower cadre staff, he/she will look for efficient people, but managerial cadre effective people will be more preferable. Remember, there is nothing right or wrong in this world. Only the result says, it was right, if it is in favor and if the results are in disfavor, we say it was wrong. In Gujarati, there is a proverb, “ Fayo Gadhedo Dahyo”, means “He is praised, who wins”
His Blessings;
Sharad
From India, Ahmadabad
here is a story, not actually story, but an incidence happened in my life. it happened about 30 years back.
we studying in preuniversity and we were three in the same room. id don't know know how we wwere put together. one is brilliant, always reading loudly and concentrating the studies. the other is average person ie about 40% always outdoor man, never saw him studing. . me neither intelligent nor dull. about first class, if things go according to my way otherwise 55% At that time this was mr ethan sufficient.
.
but when the results came, as known the first student got highest marks, me as usual at 60%, but surprisingly, SURPRISINGLY, the other person also got 60%. we were all shcoked . how this average student got 60%. we thought he had bribed the teacher, or his parents might have influenced etc ( all these thoughts will come at that age)
But we could not contain our surprie, anger etc. so we went to him and accousted him to know the reson how he got that much marks. His answer was of greater surprise - WHY I SHOULD STUDY, DO YOU THING I WAS SLEEPING. THE INTELLIGENT STUDENT WAS LOUDLY READING, SO I JUST CONCENTRATED WHAT HE WAS STUDING. I JUST THE EXAM AND GOT THE MARKS.
tHE FIRST ONE WAS efficient, but the other one was effective.
nagaraj
From India, Bangalore
we studying in preuniversity and we were three in the same room. id don't know know how we wwere put together. one is brilliant, always reading loudly and concentrating the studies. the other is average person ie about 40% always outdoor man, never saw him studing. . me neither intelligent nor dull. about first class, if things go according to my way otherwise 55% At that time this was mr ethan sufficient.
.
but when the results came, as known the first student got highest marks, me as usual at 60%, but surprisingly, SURPRISINGLY, the other person also got 60%. we were all shcoked . how this average student got 60%. we thought he had bribed the teacher, or his parents might have influenced etc ( all these thoughts will come at that age)
But we could not contain our surprie, anger etc. so we went to him and accousted him to know the reson how he got that much marks. His answer was of greater surprise - WHY I SHOULD STUDY, DO YOU THING I WAS SLEEPING. THE INTELLIGENT STUDENT WAS LOUDLY READING, SO I JUST CONCENTRATED WHAT HE WAS STUDING. I JUST THE EXAM AND GOT THE MARKS.
tHE FIRST ONE WAS efficient, but the other one was effective.
nagaraj
From India, Bangalore
Efficient - Productive or capable person with minimum waste / efforts Effective - Producing the intended results or impressive
From India, Mumbai
From India, Mumbai
Friends, the question asked isn't a rocket science!
If you're not effective you just can't be efficient. When one is efficient, the effectiveness is given.
Referring to Steven Covey, if you climb up the ladder but the ladder is on the wrong wall then that climbing up has no meaning.
Effectiveness is achieving the ends and efficiency is doing the same with the least amount of resources of all kinds--tangible i.e. HR, finances, equipment etc and intangible too.
From India, Warangal
If you're not effective you just can't be efficient. When one is efficient, the effectiveness is given.
Referring to Steven Covey, if you climb up the ladder but the ladder is on the wrong wall then that climbing up has no meaning.
Effectiveness is achieving the ends and efficiency is doing the same with the least amount of resources of all kinds--tangible i.e. HR, finances, equipment etc and intangible too.
From India, Warangal
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