“Effy – The living efficiency” is based on a bold assumption: organizations and leaders value efficiency as an objective worth fighting for. “Firing Effy” questions this assumption, in light of leadership reasonable inefficiency aiming at self-preservation.

 

Efficiency is a fundamental and universal objective

This message is spread all over, erected as a basic irrefutable dogma. It can be seen in advertisements & corporate slogans (the less is more campaign is a blatant example), pop culture (real tv show such as the weakest link), economic & philosophical theories (notions of development and progress), and so it goes. The world is constantly telling us that efficiency is better and that organizations are helping it to get there.

A few exceptions challenging the common understanding of efficiency can be seen. However, these are exceptions that prove the rule, and they seldom make a frontal rhetorical attack on the core precept that “more efficiency is better”. Slow food (article from Slow Food) or slow fashion (article from Sloww) for example challenge the need for speed and cost efficiency, but not for efficiency overall, they only question the factors we use to assess efficiency (a topic covered in Meeting Effy & Humanitis).

 

Inefficiency as a leadership reality

So logic would point that organizations and their leaderships align actions with their words. So what to make of the slow energy transition? And why is there so many legal and financial hurdles built against high-potential new technologies? Crypto-currency, 5G, dna modification, facial recognition, deep-learning, and so on, just to name a few… And what about lavish spending for inconsequential meetings? Some example were outrageously polemic, because risks and morals must be taken away to stick on efficiency assessment alone. And from that efficiency standpoint, these examples are all consequences of decisions made against the pursuit of a universal efficiency.

Reality is that universal efficiency seldom is an objective; for good or bad. Decades of observations and experiences help build a pattern. That is that most decisions for or against efficiency (including my own) were taken with one concern over any other: self-preservation of leadership. And so carbon based energy organizations slow down the transition. And so countries and banks rule against crypto-currency up until they can make their own. And so divisions always make sure to use up all their budgets so that it can be renewed yearly. And it goes…

In fine, what leadership value above all (efficiency, moral or reason), is stability… their own even more so!

 

Firing Effy: Leadership as universal efficiency’s ultimate nemesis

This phenomenon does not limit itself to world changing decisions, these were examples to illustrate the point. On daily basis and at all level, personal interests, ego position and politics often impact leaders’ decisions far more than the universal efficiency they vouch to fight for (which was also the subject of The Reflecting Vixen and Bored Meeting). This is not a moral judgement. This is more a factual appraisal that people should not forget when dealing with leadership (as subordinate or leader).

This week’s episode displayed just that. An employee forgetting this real life fact, while his leader valued self conservation more than its group’s efficiency, thus “firing” Effy.

 

G.M.