1 Introduction

One of the great gurus of management theory, Peter Drucker, used to say that the only thing that differentiates one business from another is the quality of its management. And the only way to measure that quality is through a measurement of productivity that shows how well resources are utilised and how much they yield. (Peter F Drucker, The Practice of Management. ^[1])

Managers need to have many qualities, including: industry, honesty, self-confidence, a sense of fairness, moral courage, consistency, audacity. Commendable as these attributes are, they are very difficult to measure, and they don't necessarily lead to good results for the organization. Efficiency (or productivity), on the other hand, can usually be calculated, and the efficient manager is recognized as a successful manager.

Taking another view, the work managers do can be said to consist of:

• achieving desired results by giving direction to others

• balancing efficiency and effectiveness

• getting the most from limited resources.

The last two of these are the subjects of this workbook.

This session aims to help you get a good understanding of efficiency and effectiveness at work.