Efficient vs. Effective

The late Peter Drucker was quoted as saying, “There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.”  In many safety efforts we strive for greater efficiency without asking ourselves if the thing we are doing is effective.  A lot of effort goes into safety activities that do not produce results.  This wasted effort results from three major causes:

1. Heritage programs – a lot of safety programs are perpetuated solely because, ”… we have always done those things this way.”  Humans are creatures of habit and certain activities get comfortable even after they quit working. 
2. Lack of Strategy – sadly, many organizations have no safety strategy.  They simply strive to fail a little less each year by trying harder or adding a new program to the list of initiatives.  Programs are added to create more activity rather than better fit and add value.
3. No regular program evaluation – safety programs are perpetual and adjustments are made when they are perceived to be slipping.  There are no real KPIs to determine effectiveness and no strategy against which to evaluate their fit or contribution. 

Efficient is doing things right; effective is doing the right things.  Evaluating both is crucial to achieving excellence in safety culture and performance.

-Terry L. Mathis

Terry L. Mathis is the founder and CEO of ProAct Safety, an international safety and performance excellence firm. He is known for his dynamic presentations in the fields of behavioral and cultural safety, leadership, and operational performance, and is a regular speaker at ASSE, NSC, and numerous company and industry conferences. EHS Today listed Terry as a Safety Guru in ‘The 50 People Who Most Influenced EHS in 2010, 2011 and 2012-2013. He has been a frequent contributor to industry magazines for over 15 years and is the coauthor of STEPS to Safety Culture Excellence, 2013, WILEY.