Those who know me know I listen religiously to Rabbi Daniel Lapin on KSFO 560AM every Sunday from 1-4 pm.
He's one of the most astute observers of human behavior, and even though I'm not Jewish, as he says, no matter what your faith "Everyone needs a rabbi, and for those who have no faith, you definitely need a rabbi."
He's written a fantastic book, Thou Shall Prosper, which I reviewed here.
Every Thursday, Rabbi Lapin sends out his Thought Tools, a short story that deals with various issues we face in our life, to which I highly recommend you subscribe.
His September 23rd, 2009 Thought Tool is particularly interesting, titled "Retreat to Advance."
I'm constantly involved in intensive debate with professionals on the issue of efficiency vs. effectiveness.
I argue that knowledge workers work with their minds, which is an iterative process, not subject to the rhythms and cadences of an assembly line.
For this reason, the "efficiency" metrics that are used in most PKFs--such as output per hour, realization, utilization, etc.--are a complete joke.
Knowledge workers aren't machines.
Rabbi Lapin, I believe, would agree, given what he wrote in this thought-provoking Thought Tool:
Like all of us, I spend my day tackling challenges. Sometimes there's a problem baffling me. Then I put it out of mind and retire for the night. Often in the early pre-dawn hours I will awaken and am instantly aware that I have had a creative thought breakthrough. Grabbing the pen and pad I always keep alongside my bed, and which I recommend as a vital business tool, I can hurriedly scrawl down the answer to the daunting problem from the day before.
Every time this happens I am amazed, yet it shouldn't astound me. After all, this is one of those timeless truths of ancient Jewish wisdom. Human creativity thrives in an environment of thrust, retreat, and then thrust again. Work the problem, back off, and then return to the problem. It will yield more rapidly than it would in one long protracted push.
This is a physical parallel to a spiritual reality. Just as our bodies require sleep, so do our minds and souls. Creativity and productivity are enhanced by regular periods of withdrawal.
But where do I log this withdrawal on my timesheet? If I'm measured by output per hour I'll feel like crap if I do this (and used to when I billed by the hour).
Isn't it obvious that knowledge workers are different? They simply can't run at 100% efficiency, day in and day out.
I'm completely baffled why this is so hard for some innovative leaders to understand.
I'd be grateful for your thoughts and input.
- 1012 reads
Effectiveness over Efficiency
Great post. I agree with the point about taking breaks to 'walk away' from something and come back to it; and that, when done appropriately (and not overdone), can result in higher level effectivenes, although it may give the perception of negatively impacting short-term efficiency.
I also agree that some people, perhaps particularly those who harbor a strict billable hour mentality, don't always see the benefits of that strategy.
For example, I remember someone some years ago who criticized the fact that people would leave their workstations/offices to get a cup of coffee, with the message being that was a waste of company time. In reality, I know at least when I get coffee, the act of walking away from my desk, potentially seeing a coworker I don't normally deal directly with and getting into a brief conversation with them, vs. continuing to stare at the same document or computer screen, can provide benefits; i.e., thinking cold about something on the way to/from getting coffee can sometimes prompt clearer thinking and/or a creative answer that wasn't apparent back at the desk.
In the field of accounting in particular, which I believe has righfully moved from a profession in which 'trusting the client' was the primary pressure, to one in which the role of skepticism is more highly valued than in earlier days, opportunties to think of things in new and different ways are key. A failed audit, done in record time, is not worth more than an effective audit; granted, things are not that black and white, and there should always be a search to maximize effectiveness and efficiency, but both should be considered over a relatively long term horizon, vs. strictly short term, and from a qualitative standpoint, as well as quantitative.