Efficiency Vs. Effectiveness

Efficiency or effectiveness is thing my two friends have been arguing for these past years. "Come on, do it efficiently" yelled one of my friend. "What is the point of doing it efficiently if you are not doing it effectively?" is a common echoing back from one of my other friend.

The Concise English Dictionary defines the word "Efficiently" as having achieved results without waste of time or effort. It gives the word for "Effectively" as having accomplished a specified right result.

Well, which is more important in term of working and accomplishing a task? Should we do it efficiently as my first friend (A) suggests or do it effectively as my other friend (B) insists?

Let us presume that (A) has an assignment to organize a company year end tour to the Great Rock. He did it very efficiently. It took him only one week to prepare all necessary work from booking the tour coach, snacks for the trip, entertainments, songs, accommodation, etc. This could actually take other person a full month work to accomplish the same task. When the big day came, everyone was so excited and got up early for the tour. After a few hours ride, they eventually arrived at the Grand Rock. Every one was quite exhausted now but there were no accommodation. They came to a wrong place.

Now, let us look at my other friend. It took him more than a month to prepare for the same year end company tour. During the process, he made so many mistakes that the tour was almost at the verge of being called off. Anyhow, here came the same big day, and less than half of the employees turned up for the trip. All arrived safely at the Great Rock after a few hours ride.

Efficiently vs. effectively, which is more important in term of accomplishing a job? May be we have started with a wrong question. We should not compare efficiently and invectively in term of importance. Their relationship is more of a priority than quality. Effectiveness is more of a goal setting and efficiency is more of a process of attaining the goal.

If the goal is to go to the Great Rock, it is certainly useless if we arrive at the Grand Rock. It does not matter how efficient we have done to prepare for the trip. All efforts are futile.

In the other hand, if we are right at the goal but with out efficiency. We may also lose the battle. What good is it to organize a company tour with only a fraction of the employees attended?

The right approach is, therefore, not to compare the two in term of value but in priority. Value wise, both are important and we should treat them equally so. But in term of sequences, we must put the two in the right order. Effectiveness should come first and to follow by efficiency.