Effectiveness

Effectiveness is the ability for a process or activity to achieve the expected or intended result. Effective is a qualitative concept that evaluates degrees of good or bad, whereas efficient is a quantitative concept that evaluates the magnitude of something.

How effective something is, is often expressed as a percentage. For example, we might say, 100% inspection – that is, visually inspecting all product for quality defects – is only 80% effective. This 20% gap in expected results can then be dissected into root causes. Less than 100% effective could be for things like human, equipment or process errors.

Within the context of operational excellence, it is important to consider specific organizational effectiveness approaches and techniques for employee engagement and change management.

Peter Drucker, the famed management thinker said: Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things.”