Recycled Bullsh-IT

The Tempest

I was trying to think of good examples to talk about for Efficiency and Effectiveness, so the UK government’s early handling of the pandemic struck me as a great example of their antitheses, along with an exemplar – the vaccination programme. So, how do you ensure your attempts at E&E are a success rather than a Test & Trace fiasco?

 As you Like It

I’ve talked before about leaders doing the right thing (Effectiveness) and managers doing things right (Efficiency). Many people get confused about whether they should focus on effectiveness or efficiency, and what the difference is. Of course, none of you, my readers, would have this problem, but for the sake of our less enlightened colleagues, here’s a quick and relatively dirty guide to doing stuff better.

 The Comedy of Errors

I’m sure we all have a rosy memory of when we had time to plan things properly and business moved to regular and comfortable rhythms. But as I described in The Real-Time Business we are now working at pace and are having to make decisions and implement solutions at shorter intervals with little notice. This means we have Panic, Confusion and Delegation rather than Planning, Clarity and Duty driving our behaviours and ultimately our results.

 All’s Well That Ends Well

So how do we stay (or in many cases become) Effective? Under stress many people lose control and become:

• Protective – drawbridge comes up and everyone else is on their own
• Defective – unable to deliver as their mental health deteriorates
• Invective – shouting and swearing at subordinates rather than listening and encouraging (see here for some good and bad behaviours)

Given that Effectiveness is all about outcomes, we should instead try being:

• Selective – with too many things to do we need to work with our stakeholders and delivery partners to prioritise our tasks
• Reflective – There’s no point in killing ourselves to try to achieve the impossible so take time out with our team to ensure everyone is heard and supported
• Collective – We all need to pull together in chaotic and challenging times, so focus on communication and assistance, not silence and blame

 Measure for Measure

Efficiency is normally one of the first victims in times of crisis, as money is thrown and quality sacrificed to meet scary time constraints. Also, many organisations have been subjected to some form of lean management, leaving them incapable of reacting quickly as there is no slack left. Ironically, some of the more bloated companies have survived by reallocating their non-productive assets to fix things. Or just sacked staff to save money (this will become apparent when furlough finally unwinds). 

Even in these anarchic times, efficiency can be achieved. How? Focus on:

• Sufficiency: Do enough but no more than you need. Get to MVP (Minimum Viable Product) first, bells and whistles later
• Proficiency: Right skills on the right problem at the right time to streamline the key processes you need to deliver service. Sometimes these skills are in the wrong place so transfer your best staff to the key challenges
• Deficiency: Identify what is stopping you succeeding and enhance delivery capability.  Improve support/training/resources, and/or fire the culprits – mainly the underachieving managers and directors responsible.

 Much Ado About Nothing

So, my cheat’s guide to making an eff-ing difference boils down to this: 

• To be Effective, focus on the outcomes (what is needed when, by whom)
• To be Efficient, focus on the process (who does what, when and why)

 So, more eff-ing and less effing please.

 John ‘Upstart Crow’ Moe