Effectiveness
Effectiveness (from the Latin effectivus, effecting ') is a measure of effectiveness that describes the ratio of the achieved target to a defined target. It tells you how close an obtained result has come to the desired result. This is in contrast to the efficiency ( as a measure of profitability ) regardless of the expense; only the extent and quality can be achieved in the intended effects of the target, set the criteria for the existence of effectiveness dar.
The difference between effectiveness and efficiency
Working Effectively means to work so that a desired result is achieved. Working efficiently means to work so that, results achieved and resources used are in an optimum cost-benefit ratio and the benefit of this is greater than the cost ( economic principle ). Where the costs are not exclusively related to monetary resources, but on all the negative consequences of the action.
- Effectiveness describes the degree of achievement of objectives ( effectiveness, quality of goal achievement ).
- Efficiency is a measure of the efficiency (cost -effectiveness ). [Note ]
Examples illustrate the difference
- To avoid a fire, a fire with water or champagne can be deleted. Both lead to the target and is therefore effective. However, to extinguish the fire with champagne is more expensive and therefore not efficient. However, would not spill water or other more appropriate means available, it may also be effective to extinguish the fire with champagne, if the benefit is greater than the cost of the champagne.
- In another illustrative example, the goal is to cut down as many trees. The trees can be cut down with a chain saw or a file. Use the chain can be per unit of time more than felling trees with a file. Therefore, the degree of goal achievement at the chainsaw is higher. The chainsaw is therefore more effective. If one takes as a cost of the wage Baumfällers, the chainsaw is also more efficient because "Number felled trees / reward" at the chainsaw will be higher than in the file. However, the chain saw gasoline consumed while the file works without energy consumption. When considering the cost of energy, therefore, the file is effective.
- In a mathematical example can be used as an estimate for the fraction, which reflects accurate to 7 decimal places. In a formula, the insertion of the pre-calculated result of " 3.14159265358979323846 " boosts both efficiency, since the fracture does not need to be calculated, as well as the effectiveness, because the result will be more accurate than the estimate. A complex formula for the calculation of several hundred decimal places accuracy increases the effectiveness of another time, as you so the aim of the exact result comes closer again, but reduces the efficiency because the calculation by the increased effort causes more costs (eg computation time in the computer ). A 100 % effectiveness is numerically not accessible, because it can not be represented by a finite number of decimal places. However, only a certain number of decimal places to be processed by technical limitations, the maximum efficiency is reached as soon as this number is calculated correctly by decimal places.
The distinction between effectiveness and efficiency by Peter Ferdinand Drucker
A common, especially in the English-speaking management literature distinction between Effectiveness ( "effectiveness" ) and efficiency ( " efficiency " ) goes back to Peter Drucker, who wrote the following to an article in the Harvard Business Review:
"It is Fundamentally the confusion in between effectiveness and efficiency did stands in between doing the right things and doing things right. There is surely nothing quite so useless as doing with great efficiency what should not be done at all "
This is often translated as follows in German:
- Effectiveness: " Do the right things. "
- Efficiency: " Doing things right. "
In his book The Effective Executive printer later wrote:
" [ ... ] The executive is, first of all, expected to get the right things done. And this is simply saying did he is expected to be effective [ ... ] For manual work, we need only efficiency; did is, the ability to do things right rather than the ability to get the right things done. The manual worker can always Be Judged in terms of the quantity and quality of a definable and discrete output, examined as a pair of shoes. "
However, in this context, printer wanted to represent the difference between the tasks of management and those of the employees so that they would rather translate the word Efficiency here with performance.