Information Efficiency or Effectiveness?

Is the question between success and delivery a valid one?

What is more business critical? Efficiency or effectiveness and is i4cu best at increasing efficiency or effectiveness?

Despite the temptation to sit on the fence or say that it depends or try to please everybody, I will take the option of being direct: effectiveness is critical for relevance, efficiency is important for resource management. Let’s unpack this statement a bit and challenge how effectiveness is linked to relevance as well as how efficiency is linked to resource management.

1.       Effectiveness and relevance.

Relevance connects. It can connect different thoughts, objects, processes, methods, markets, persons, destinations – anything with everything that holds to us or a group of ‘us’, a meaningful, relevant connection. So, a professional person is effective when his/her actions are relevant to the specific task. Ditto for a company – it is effective only if it is relevant to a market.

Effectiveness therefore is the key, fundamental ingredient for success.

A point of great confusion that we need to clear: a non-argument usually is this: I have seen many professional people and products being very relevant to a market and yet, they failed. So, how is effectiveness key to success? The answer is simple. Effectiveness is not just the capability to address a market need. It includes timing, cost, communications, awareness, customer management etc. The same is true for people offering services – not just organisations.

2.       Efficiency and resource management.

Resource management does 2 things: minimises waste (always a very good thing!) and makes sure that capacity is available when needed. Both are very important in any activity of any size/volume. Who would choose to spend 5 hours doing something that can be done in a hour? Who would store goods if Just in Time can be used? Who would not standardise proven processes so they can be repeatable, trustworthy, low risk and measurable?

Efficiency is the key to delivery.

I4cu gives you a space to work on and manage your Information Assets so you can increase your market relevance (effectiveness) by uniting your data and information as well as a process to increase your operational efficiency by building a full picture of your activities and your lines of business. The result is powerful: crystal clear focus on what matters and a complete picture of your lines of business with no gaps.