Despite using many efficiency tools scarcity of time is still a fundamental problem for most of us. Technology is supposed to restore time to us, but often we’re left wondering, “Where has all my time gone?” It’s wasted by being ineffective, even efficiently ineffective! This is why we often feel that we’ve been busy yet nothing has been achieved.
Which is more important to first get right: Effectiveness or efficiency? Intuitively many choose first to be effective: Just get it done, worry about doing it properly later. This approach may produce short term gain but it is disastrous in the long run. Even though some things may get done, doing them inefficiently takes away from the enjoyment of our work, depletes our energy and momentum, and causes ineffectiveness; this is true for individuals as well as teams.
Efficiency and effectiveness
Yet our role as managers—shareholder proxies—is to ensure the long term sustainability of the businesses entrusted to our care. We give ourselves every chance of success when we focus on efficiency first, and then effectiveness. Form before function. Quality before quantity. How before what. Efficiency, or the ratio of output to input, results from following the correct form. Effectiveness is the power to produce an intended result.
This introduces the other dilemma many of us face: What is the intended result—the function or purpose—of our efforts? It’s not enough to be effective; we must be functional, or purposeful, in what we do. In applying our efforts efficiently we need to strive for the vision we are intended to serve. Self-service may be effective but it is rarely functional to the organisation.
In getting to grips with your purpose you should analyse your answer to this question, “For whom or for what am I here?” It may be interesting to hear your team respond to this as a gauge of how plugged in they are to the corporate and product vision. And keeping this vision front of mind in turn helps guide you and your team towards the correct form.
Why is it important to master these fundamentals? Because you can waste a lot of time by being effective but not efficient—getting there at any cost; by being efficient but not effective—efficiently doing the wrong thing; and, by being effective but not functional—a bad attitude that affects everyone around you.
Adding value is about being efficient and functionally effective. As an agile manager you need to drive from vision to form to function to fulfilment, both for you and the people you oversee. You’ll save a lot of time and regain the enjoyment and satisfaction you get from working as hard as you do.
What tasks are you doing efficiently but which are functionally ineffective?
