Difference between Efficacy and Efficiency
Generally, there are people who tend to confuse effectiveness with efficiency or vice versa. Therefore, they are often used as if they mean the same thing. However, there are notable differences between these two concepts.
Definition of efficacy
Efficiency is a very common term in the business sector, it is also widely used in economics. Likewise, effectiveness can be defined as the achievement of a goal or an objective . In other words, effectiveness refers to the ability to achieve a goal that has been set.
For example, if an employer orders two workers to perform the same task and one of them completes it and the other fails to complete it, the first will have been effective and the second will not.
Definition of efficiency
Efficiency can be said to be achieving a goal or objective using the least amount of resources possible . In other words, efficiency is based on using fewer resources to achieve the same goal. It is also interpreted as efficient, when more objectives are met with the same or fewer resources.
For example, an operator in a vehicle tire factory, on a normal work day, manages to produce 10 tires in 8 hours of work. This operator will be efficient if he manages to produce the same 10 tires in less than 8 hours of work, in another normal work day. Also, it will be efficient if, in the same 8 hours of work, it manages to produce 12 rubbers.
Differences between efficacy and efficiency .
Effectiveness differs from efficiency in the sense that efficiency refers to the use of resources. While effectiveness refers to the ability to achieve an action that has been proposed.
Therefore, it is possible that to be effective we do not necessarily have to be efficient and to be efficient we do not have to be effective. Obviously, the ideal is to be effective and efficient.
| Effectiveness | Efficiency |
| It is the ability to execute an action. | It is the relationship between executing an action and the resources used for it. |
| Their focus is on the ability to perform a requirement. | Their focus is on how that requirement is fulfilled. (find the correct form) |
| It is applied at a certain moment (the purpose was achieved or not achieved) | It can be applied constantly. (But it must be measured) |
There is a relevant difference between these two concepts and it is that in order to say that something is efficient, a measurement must be made , for which a history or record of the requirements made is often kept. In a way, we can also say that, according to what cannot be measured, cannot be improved, it has to do with efficiency. Consequently, it is necessary to have a point of reference to be able to make a comparison and thus know, in a concrete way, if a requirement has been efficient or not.
From the above, we can say that there is a notable difference between what is effectiveness and what is efficiency, so thanks to these definitions and differences between them we can understand these two concepts more clearly. In this way, we will make good use of these terms.