The Clear Definition, Yet Elusive Meaning of Efficiency
Image by qimono (Pixabay) The worst enemy of life, freedom and the common decencies is total anarchy; Their second worst enemy is total efficiency. —Aldous Huxley The Illusion of Clarity Efficiency is one of those golden buzzwords that seem to have universal appeal because, of course, everyone wants to be efficient . And yes, the word is today even more popular under the current political and economic conditions; such is the case, for example, for the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in the United States. Examples of the aim for efficiency are numerous: businesses strive for operational efficiency, developers aim for efficient code, manufacturers boast about lean production, and even the average person wants to manage their time efficiently. The term is so embedded in our daily language that today we rarely stop to ask ourselves, What does efficiency mean? For starters, most dictionaries will define efficiency as, for exampl...