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Working effectively is NOT 'doing the right things'. It is producing good results. Effectiveness is about results.
Efficiency is about cost. Basically, it is the result divided by the cost.
Example. It's 9am. A manager needs 90 copies of a complex document by 11am. There are 3 photocoping clerks in the office, and 3 identical photocopiers. The manager decides to ask each clerk for 30 copies.
Clerk A immediately starts work at a frantic pace and produces 30 perfect copies by 11am ... along with 58 assorted partial or faulty copies: the photocopy area looks like it's been hit by a bomb. The next person to use the copier has to make requisition orders for paper and toner.
Clerk B has a think before working, and by 11am produces 2 prototypes and 30 perfect copies. The area looks like it's been used by a professional photocoping area tidying team who are filming an advert for their business.
By 11 am Clerk C produces 17 perfect copies and 11 copies with page 86 upside down. Nobody cares about the photocopying area because the task has not been completed, and the manager looks like a fool because there aren't enough copies.
Clerk C is not effective, so nobody cares about efficiency.
Both Clerk A and Clerk B are effective, but obviously only Clerk B is also efficient.
When you work effectively you are accomplishing the intended purpose or you are producing the expected results but when you work efficiently you are performing in the best possible manner without wasting effort or time. Working effectively is doing it right and working efficiently is doing the right thing.
Great answers already given by experts hereon., especially a detailed one with example by Mr. Duncan Robertson. Nothing much left to add anything. Thanks.
Working Effectively - Doing right things? It's a more of result oriented. This is a kind of Validation i.e. dynamic or actual tasks
Working Efficiently - Doing things right? It's a more of process oriented. This is a kind of Verification i.e. static or virtual tasks
Doing the things right is efficiently and doing the things right is to work effectively. Guess so :D
working effectively is to do things right, but working efficiently is to do the right things, for example: if manager (1) has to organize a conference and the conference goals are (create an awareness, create a wow effect, gather 1000 interested contract) in order for this manager to achieve 90% of these goals, he requested to dedicate 50 employees, allocate 100000 US$, and estimated a duration for preparation of 6 months, and manager (2) requested for the same goals only 30 dedicated employees, 50000 US$ and estimated a time of 5 months,
then manager (1) is working effectively and manager (2) is working efficiently
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