Maximising efficiency can bring benefits to organisations, such as cost savings and

increased productivity. However, it can also come with potential risks, as highlighted in the
Martin (2019) article and the videos "The Story of Stuff," "Fordism and Taylorism," "Scientific
Management," and "CBC Marketplace: Here’s where your Amazon returns go." The benefits
are, cost savings, increased productivity, greater profitability, and improved customer
satisfaction. By optimising processes and reducing waste, organisations can save money on
materials, labour, and other resources. Streamlining operations and eliminating bottlenecks
can result in faster production and increased output. By reducing costs and increasing
productivity, organisations can improve their bottom line and increase profits. Efficient
operations can lead to faster delivery times, higher quality products, and better customer
service, all of which can improve customer satisfaction. Some potential risks include:
negative impact on employee well-being, quality and safety issues, negative impact on the
environment and limited innovation and creativity. Maximising efficiency often means
focusing on speed and output at the expense of employee well-being. This can lead to
increased stress, burnout, and turnover. A focus on efficiency may lead to shortcuts in
quality control and safety protocols, which can result in defective or unsafe products and
potential harm to consumers. Maximising efficiency often means using resources more
intensively, which can lead to increased pollution and other environmental problems. A focus
on efficiency can stifle innovation and creativity as employees may feel pressured to
prioritise speed and output over experimentation and exploration. Overall, while maximising
efficiency can bring significant benefits to organisations, it is important to balance this with
considerations of employee well-being, product quality and safety, environmental impact,
and innovation.