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Drucker was a fierce critic of mindless efficiency. He famously stated, 'There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all. ' He taught that we must first determine effectiveness (is this the right task? ) before we worry about efficiency (how do we do it fast? ). He challenges us to stop optimizing processes that don't contribute to results.
"Few companies that installed computers to reduce the employment of clerks have realized their expectations; most computer users have found that they now need more, and more expensive clerks, even though they call them "operators" or "programmers. Drucker cited in: William White (1981) Library journal. Volume 106, Nr 1-12. p. 1048"
"A tool is not necessarily better because it is bigger. A tool is best if it does the job required with a minimum of effort, with a minimum of complexity, and with a minimum of power. p. 224"
"The rule should be to minimize the need for people to get together to accomplish anything. p. 548"
"Wherever an impact can be eliminated by dropping the activity that causes it, this is therefore the best-indeed the only truly good-solution. p. 333"
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