Efficiency Bias

The cognitive bias where one assumes that their preferred measures of efficiency are simply "efficiency"—neutral, objective, universal—while dismissing other measures as irrelevant or biased. Efficiency Bias is what makes businesspeople assume that profit measures efficiency, that what's good for the bottom line is what works. It's what makes policymakers assume that cost-benefit analysis captures all relevant values. Efficiency Bias treats one construction of efficiency as the construction, one perspective as the perspective. It's the favorite bias of those who benefit from current definitions of efficiency, who don't want to ask "efficient for whom?"

Example: "He presented the profit numbers as proof of efficiency. Efficiency Bias meant he never had to consider environmental costs, worker well-being, community impact. His measure was the measure; everything else was secondary. When she pointed out what was excluded, he dismissed her concerns as 'not relevant to efficiency.' The bias was invisible to him, which is how it worked."

by Abzugal February 21, 2026

Efficiency Perspectivism

The application of perspectivism to efficiency—the view that efficiency is always seen from a perspective, never from nowhere. Efficiency Perspectivism argues that there is no view-from-nowhere efficiency, no neutral measure that captures how well things work for everyone. Every efficiency claim comes from somewhere, serves some interests, reflects some values. The task is not to find the one true efficiency but to understand different perspectives, to see how efficiency looks from different positions. Efficiency Perspectivism is the philosophy of pluralism in evaluation, of the recognition that how well something works depends on who's asking.

Example: "He'd thought there was one way to measure efficiency—the right way. Efficiency Perspectivism showed him otherwise: efficiency looked different from different perspectives. From management, it was about output; from labor, about working conditions; from community, about local impact. None was the truth; all were true from somewhere. He stopped looking for the one measure and started learning to see from many angles."

by Abzugal February 21, 2026

Efficiency Contextualism

The application of contextualism to efficiency—the view that what counts as efficient varies with context, that there is no context-independent standard of efficiency. Efficiency Contextualism argues that a practice efficient in one context may be inefficient in another, that measures that work in some situations fail in others. Efficiency is always efficiency-in-context, never efficiency-in-itself. The theory calls for attending to context, for asking not just "is this efficient?" but "efficient in what context, for what purpose, under what conditions?"

Example: "The management technique had worked brilliantly in the tech startup. When applied to the hospital, it was a disaster. Efficiency Contextualism explained why: context mattered. What was efficient in one setting was destructive in another. He stopped importing solutions without asking whether the context fit."

by Abzugal February 21, 2026

Efficiency

You are not more efficient than anybody you can't even play the right song half the time.

Hym "Pffft! Hahahaha! You are not acting on the basis of ✌️✊️✌️efficiency✌️✊️✌️ Give me a break! Ahahahahaha!"

by Hym Iam January 21, 2025

Effetticism

A pleonastic tiwitticism uttered by Lateritium; lateritticism

-Egads! My spastic basketcase just pontificated with recondite logodaedaly.

-Are you sure it wasn't just Ergo spouting recherché effetticisms?

by Milt Swigger February 7, 2025

Efficiency Bot

Someone who whines about efficiency and/or metrics all the time but barely does anything to actually fix it.

Vacation bot: “We call them Efficiency Bot but their full name is Corporate Efficiency Blockchain Database Metrics Champion Bot. What’s efficient about that?”

Or

Person A: “The metrics just keep getting worse!”
Person B: “Dude you’re such an Efficiency Bot. If you want the metrics to improve then start working instead of whining all day.”

by Olivesandolives June 19, 2025

Efficient Dong

When a male’s unit is not severely above average, but is preferred because it is still useful and actually less annoying to manage

I may not have the largest dong but it gets the job done with minimal hassle and is a quite efficient dong.

by Rock T June 19, 2025