Gabazira's blog

The Effectiveness-Lab


About the blog & the Effectiveness-Lab

Effectiveness cannot be looked at in isolation. It is a system of ‘things’ that ends in a state of efficacy.  However, effectiveness only results in efficacy and S.M.A.R.T outcomes, when a significant level of its twin efficiency is attained.  Effectiveness is therefore, systemic.

The above is the discourse that the Effectiveness lab brings to you from both the individual and organisational perspectives.  We ask what makes individuals effective or ineffective; when juxtaposed in the context of either individual culture, personality, genes, and the environment we live in – factors that affect the effectiveness or not of individuals become a complex matter.

The discourse on effectiveness and the modern organisation focuses on three types of entity: Civil Society, Private and Quasi-private sector.

image

This blog, designated the Effectiveness-lab, works on the assumption that: to achieve S.M.A.R.T outcomes, the variables below among many others, need manipulating:

  1. Leadership
  2. Strategy
  3. Design
  4. People

All the four variables need various levels of orchestration, moreover from a common pedestal, for them to support attainment of the ideal state of effectiveness. That orchestration is equivalent to sustained change management.  The four are critical enabling factors.

According to the Effectiveness-lab, change management at organisations or in individuals cannot be episodic. Change management is a continuous process, that lives with us 24/7, and constantly manipulates the four enablers above.

The Effectiveness-lab applies the above systemic view to three organisational typologies:

  1. Civil society organisation – a darling that has provided bread and butter to some at the Effectiveness lab, but one whose efficacy has always fascinated us
  2. Private sector organisation – another interest that comes with our interest in what makes organisations effective or even not.  The challenges micro-enterprises face in rural Africa are of particular interest. This is all augmented by our past as consultants for various private sector companies.
  3. The quasi-private sector organisation – We like to indulge in value chains of social-development organisations, that combine entrepreneurial and social-development thinking. What makes them, and concurrently at that, successful charities and businesses?

If effectiveness is the ‘capability to produce the desired result’; and efficacy the ‘extent to which the desired effect is achieved’, effectiveness and efficacy, unlike efficiency, are about ‘achievement’ and not the ‘resources spent on achieving effectiveness’.

Therefore, you may be effective but not efficient – a bit confusing is it not?

Well, welcome to the Effectiveness-lab, together, we shall get to the bottom of everything effective.

42 responses to “About the blog & the Effectiveness-Lab”

    1. Lillian Ssengooba Avatar
      Lillian Ssengooba

      Powerful reflection. Thanks Apollo.
      Indeed organizations require a blend of leadership, strategy, design and people. It is also interested to note that of the people cannot appreciate the leadership, strategy and design then effective, efficiency and efficacy remains a fairytale. Alignment of the four element is critical.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thanks Ssengooba and welcome back

        Like

  1. […] at the Effectiveness lab, we observe instances, and many at that, where individuals get too focused on the nuts and bolts of […]

    Like

  2. […] the Effectiveness Lab, we present our thoughts via the effectiveness/efficiency lens. We are efficacy-junkies and […]

    Like

  3. […] a matter of policy failure at the nation-state level, we won’t discuss that on this blog, as the Effectiveness lab is apolitical. Let the political type amongst you deal with that on other […]

    Like

  4. […] hodgepodge – the mix of both conservative and liberal values. We actually believe at the Effectiveness lab that there are less and less pure conservative or liberal cultures. There is an obvious shift to […]

    Like

  5. […] week, we continue the Effectiveness lab’s COVID-19 […]

    Like

  6. […] at the Effectiveness lab opine that despite all the doom and gloom in the world, including in the pearl-of-Africa, Uganda, […]

    Like

  7. […] The economic-giants in the Pearl of Africa, at least those that are ‘authentically’ giant, do certain right things about time management – suffice it said that the authentically rich, literate or illiterate, don’t waste time. Go observe them and report back to us at the Effectiveness lab […]

    Like

  8. […] solutions to the above – the best the Effectiveness lab can do is to outline, moreover using robust research and evidence, some of the manifestations of […]

    Like

  9. […] at the Effectiveness lab opine that every organization that succeeds has to attribute such success to its people – and […]

    Like

  10. […] are some of the fixes that the Effectiveness lab advises companies to […]

    Like

  11. […] the Effectiveness lab, we believe that to change the paradigm on time-management, for societies that aren’t great […]

    Like

  12. […] – in this series two, the Effectiveness lab addresses the questions: how do leaders, managers, and organizations achieve sustainable […]

    Like

  13. […] the Effectiveness-lab, we have for a good number of years been advocates of organizations focusing on elements in their […]

    Like

  14. […] the Effectiveness lab, we profess that the appropriate daily maximum strategic-decision-load for a CEO is three to four […]

    Like

  15. […] the Effectiveness lab, we are acutely aware that organizational architecture (read: structure) impacts the efficiency, […]

    Like

  16. […] animals know that. We also can’t dispose of the need for human social interaction – or we […]

    Like

  17. Awesome!!!! Is it possible to effective beyond self (civil ,cooperate) when one is a fail privately?

    Like

    1. Hello Moses – Oliiyo? The answer is YES and we recently blogged on this subject – case in point, Sir Winston Churchill – good reading Sebbo: https://gabazira.com/2016/03/06/employee-performance-optimisation-series-2/

      Like

  18. Revocatus Vedasto Avatar
    Revocatus Vedasto

    Gabazira, I have come to visit your blog. As one of the Tanzanian worked under your supervision just for few months, I’m so excited to see your contribution beyond your daily office work that is so demanding but yet you can think sharing your thoughts in this developing world. I hope this blog will provide actors in developing world context with some facts from the ground that will contribute toward re designing or reshaping the intervention towards poverty eradication.

    Like

    1. Dear Revo – thanks for visiting the blog and taking time to read content there of.

      Yes, we all have a duty as development practitioners to keep asking questions of ourselves and ensuring continuous improvement

      Welcome to read all future blogs!

      Like

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s

About Me

Apollo B. Gabazira is an Ugandan OD. junkie fascinated by matters that render organisations/individuals effective or not. He blogs on effective leadership and management. He is a devoted green-farmer and breeds the Ayrshire cow at Nakabugu, Luuka district, Uganda. Apollo is quite effective at what he chooses to do.

Newsletter

%d bloggers like this: