Achieving a synergistic effect. Synergy and emergence - what is it in economics

The development of any sphere of life, and above all the business sphere, depends on the effect that the correct combination of several ideas focused on one goal will give. Simply put, several projects that complement each other will produce results that exceed the results of development of a single idea. Business synergy is a determining factor in the stability and development of small companies.

What is synergy?

In scientific terms, synergy is the need for the cooperation of two or more forces (things, matter, etc.) in an effort to achieve a certain mutually beneficial effect for all. We can endlessly list the essence and reflection of this term, but, putting all the examples into one definition, we will say that synergy is effective interaction several forces to create one more stable and powerful flow. There is a synergy effect in almost everything that surrounds us:

• hand movement is the joint work of a whole group of muscles;
• the functionality of a mechanical apparatus depends on the coordinated work of several (all parts);
• an alloy of several metals produces one material that meets certain requirements.

What is the synergy effect?

The synergistic effect is determined by what exactly will be obtained as a result of the connection and interaction of several components. In the definition, it is important to take into account the fact that such terminology is applicable not only if there is a positive end result. A negative result will also be the result that is achieved when using the interaction scheme. The synergistic effect can be traced in more detail and in detail in the field of management.

Synergy in management

The growth and development of the company depends not only on the financing of the project itself, important factor Quality management of internal processes that form the basis of this matter is also important. In management, the positive effect of synergy is achieved by the fact that a certain set of combinatorial actions aimed in one direction allows:

• increase income;
• reduce costs;
• minimize the need for additional investment from outside as much as possible.

This effect can only be achieved if all areas of business work towards achieving one common goal. The quality of work of each link will ensure the effectiveness of the functionality of the entire organism as a whole. Only the unification of common efforts can provide a complete final result.

Law of synergy in management

The business sphere has its own laws and its own characteristics. In management, the principle of synergy is focused only on achieving a positive result. Thus, company managers with extensive experience in different areas one activity, are able to achieve a better final result only by interacting with each other and accepting general solutions. Each sphere serves as a complement to the union of other spheres, providing them with support for further movement in one direction.

What is synergy in economics?

The merger of two or more companies, or the absorption of smaller analogues by a large corporation leads to the fact that the giant increases its strength, feeding on new investments, and small businesses get the opportunity to continue to function without the risk of losing their competitiveness and relevance in the market. The effect of financial synergy is achieved if several small companies united into one large corporation and operate not in competition mode, but in interaction mode with the aim of further development.

Synergy and emergence

To define the term emergence, let us again turn to the corresponding example. Thus, functioning separately, a thread, a needle and a fabric cannot provide any final result, regardless of the fact that they are initially full-fledged elements. If these things are connected by a common process, where each component still plays its role, but no longer as a separate element, but as part of a general mechanism, the output will be a new product.

Synergy in the economy is determined by the same principle: the unification of several directions independent of each other in one union will ultimately present a more powerful, more functional and more stable economic product. And this product will be called emergence.

To summarize, we can say that the combination of several companies of the same direction and one field of activity into a common corporation creates the effect of financial synergy, and the combination of several streams of synergy ultimately creates emergence - a higher level of development of enterprises.

• Synergy in problem solving
• Synergy effect in business
• Synergy in creativity

The term synergy is very popular among marketers, managers, economists and trainers specializing in personal growth. This word is also actively used as the name of a wide variety of organizations and companies. At the same time, few people think about what is synergy In fact. But in reality, understanding this can be of considerable benefit if you carefully understand what is hidden under this popular term.

The concept of synergy came to us from Greek language. It consists of two components- “syn”, which means “together”, and “ergeia”, understood as “work”. This word denotes a special effect that is achieved through the interaction of a group of factors. Moreover, this effect is much stronger than the sum of the effects caused by each of the factors separately. The synergy effect can be represented as the formula “1+1=3”. For example, an orchestra is able to play a piece that each individual musician is unable to perform.

It is very important not to confuse the two concepts – synergy and synthesis. The second denotes the connection of several elements in common system. The synthesis effect is significantly different from the synergistic effect. Synthesis implies integrity, which is its main thing end result. At the same time, synergy is the right combination of elements that leads to additional quality.

This effect can be observed in the example of hands. A person can do little with one hand, while using both of them greatly expands his capabilities. Obviously, in this situation the sum of the units is not equal to two. The joint work of two hands leads to a completely new quality.

A musician playing a guitar can either pluck the strings or press chords with one hand. Music can be produced from the instrument only with two hands. This also applies to simpler procedures, such as driving a nail into a wall. What can we say about the joint functioning of our senses? Each of them, working separately, provides only a small amount of information. At the same time, their joint functioning opens up a broader picture of the world for a person. When the brain is connected to the process, awareness also comes.

The law of synergy can be exemplified everywhere in nature, no matter how magical and unusual it may seem. This effect can be seen during the interaction of muscles, genes, quarks in the process of complex actions. In pharmaceuticals, a process is often observed when one drug, in addition to its main effect, enhances the effect of another drug. For example, enhancing the pain-relieving effect of codeine can be achieved by taking ibuprofen.

The synergy effect can be observed everywhere where there is any interaction. This can be any field, be it business, art, etc.

Synergy in problem solving

The law of synergy says: “The whole is greater than the sum of its individual parts.” It is obvious that the experience, effort and knowledge of two people when working together can expand the capabilities of this team many times over. People, interacting with each other, create a certain system in which individual participants reinforce each other.

Brainstorming and the synectics method clearly illustrate this effect. When employees come up with a solution to a specific problem individually, it is likely that the manager will receive only a few lists of ideas that are not suitable for full implementation. At the same time, a collaborative creative process, in which each person on the team generates ideas and everyone else hears them, can have a much better effect. The fact is that one idea put forward by one of the team members is instantly picked up by others, developed and supplemented. As a result, there appear interesting ideas, which are being finalized and implemented.

Amazon.com has created an innovative business model that is based on offering customers a synergistic combination of specific consumer goods. If we take all the elements of this business model separately, none of them will create a clear competitive advantage. The purely synergistic interaction of these elements creates customer value, which entails an advantage in the market.

Synergy effect in business

Business is a set of functions of management, finance, production, marketing, consulting and other elements. Any enterprise can be compared to the human body. If a company concentrates on producing a product but ignores the need for market research, this can be compared to the separation of hearing from speech. If senior management does not communicate with low-level employees, a situation will arise that can be compared to the separation of the senses from the brain. Separating finance from corporate strategy is like not having muscles. In order for an enterprise to prosper, the synergistic interaction of all its elements is very important.

It is very popular among managers and people involved in market research. Understanding its concepts enables them to benefit greatly from the interaction process. An example of the law of synergy is the use of several channels for promoting a product instead of using one. This strategy can be successful because each communication channel reinforces the effects of the others. The same process can be observed when a media editorial covers a specific event or issue. different ways, be it an online broadcast, articles, photographs or video report.

The synergy effect is well illustrated in a popular story about the owner of a practically unprofitable shoe store. The woman, having learned that two additional shoe stores would open next to her shop, was upset and thought about closing her business. However, two of her competitors increased the flow of customers so much that her store began to flourish.

We all know that a drunk person is often unable to walk a few meters on his own, while two such people, supporting each other, can take a long walk. Thus, synergy is a process in which the merging of two efforts results in additional benefits for both.

The modern concept of marketing 3.0 says that competitors do not exist. All enterprises are only potential partners for market expansion. Building an enterprise development strategy based on this principle can lead to unexpected results. For example, the market may actually begin to expand, despite the assurances of marketers that it is oversaturated. Understanding this easily explains why competitors form associations. Such an organization helps solve problems that arise in a particular industry quickly and efficiently. In addition, the association is able to lobby the interests of entrepreneurs in the process of passing laws, which is also very important.

If you want to achieve success by taking advantage of synergies to your advantage, then start teaming up with direct and indirect competitors, making joint efforts to create new markets.

Synergy in creativity

There is a stereotype that a creative person is alone in his creativity. But no one thinks that a magnificent cinematic masterpiece is a synergistic interaction of talented actors, cameraman, director and producer. All these people couldn't take it off good film separately. It is far from uncommon for the joint work of several creative people to lead to the creation of true masterpieces. An example is the creative humorous tandem of Ilf and Petrov.

We need to accept the fact that there is enough inspiration for everyone. It often happens that ideas that are developed through joint efforts have a greater chance of success than those that a person came to on his own. Moreover, together it is always easier to realize any idea.

In order to observe a synergistic effect, it is often enough collaboration two people who can enhance or complement each other's personal qualities. An excellent example would be the story of the knife thrower and the loser who wants to commit suicide in the film “The Girl on the Bridge.” When a creative tandem blossoms, a former loser becomes a real star, and her influence on the circus performer returns his accuracy. At the same time, the heroes of Patrice Leconte’s painting are not capable of anything individually.

Synergy in changing yourself and the world

The manifestation of synergy can be observed in the physical and spiritual spheres. Important role this concept plays into Orthodox religion. Synergy is understood as the joint path of man and God to spiritual perfection. Thus, human soul develops not only through the efforts of a specific individual, but also with the help of divine forces.

It is also worth remembering that it is much easier to change the world through joint efforts. If an idea captures the minds of hundreds and thousands of people, then a huge number of people begin to think in one direction. As a result, the total energy can be directed towards achieving certain goals.

Now you know, what is synergy and how to use the synergistic effect to your advantage. By understanding the benefits of joint efforts, you can easily achieve success in your chosen field.

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The term “synergy” is very popular today in modern world. It is used by marketers, managers, economists, coaches and others who specialize in personal growth. However, many people don’t even think about it what is synergy? But understanding the concept of synergy is of significant benefit.

Synergy is the effect of the summative interaction of several factors, which are characterized by a superior effect over a single component in the form of a sum.

Synergy effect much stronger than the sum of the individual effects. In mathematical language, the synergy effect can be represented as a numerical expression 1+1=3. For example, let's take the capabilities of hands. Imagine what you can do with one hand. At the same time, the use of two hands increases human capabilities. And it is obvious that the expression 1+1=3 is most appropriate. Using both hands together improves the quality of everything I do with them.

Guitarist, can you play the guitar well with one hand? I think no. He can either play chords or pluck strings. That is, the music will only sound when two hands are used. Well, there’s no need to talk about the functioning of human senses. An individual organ does not provide much information, but the totality of the functioning of organs reveals much more to a person, and together with the work of the brain, awareness of what is happening occurs.

The law of synergy can be traced everywhere. You can see it in the example of the work of human muscles, in genetics, in physics, in pharmaceuticals.

Law of Synergy works wherever there is even the slightest interaction, in any field: be it business or art, etc.

The law of synergy teaches us that the whole is always greater than the sum of its parts. As a rule, the professionalism of two people in teamwork increases the ability to get the job done by an order of magnitude. Teamwork allows its participants to enhance each other's capabilities. This can be seen in the example of brainstorming or the synectics method. Where all participants, in the presence of each other, express their own generated ideas, which are picked up and supplemented. As a result, collegial ideas are born that are viable.

Synergy is clearly visible in creativity (theater, cinema), where the synergetic interactions of actors, directors, cameramen, and producers create magnificent masterpieces in theater and cinema. Individually, each of these people could not have created a remarkable theatrical production or an exciting adventure film.

It is obvious that joint ideas have a much greater chance of recognition, and therefore success; in addition, any joint idea is much easier to implement collectively.

Synergy effect can be observed in the example of two people who, while working together, complement and enhance each other’s personal qualities. The story of a knife thrower and a loser girl who wants to end her life by suicide from the film “The Girl on the Bridge” is appropriate here. As the creative duo blossoms, the misfit girl becomes a star, and her influence on the knife thrower returns the latter's accuracy. While these people individually cannot achieve anything.

The synergy effect is often used by managers and marketers who research the market. Studying market concepts provides insight into the interaction process. Synergy effect It works well in the process of product promotion when several promotion programs are used instead of a single one. This tactic turns out to be the most successful, because each program enhances the effect of the others.

This can be seen even when illuminated bright event different ways: TV reports, articles in the press, through Internet sites and forums, etc.

Remember, changing the world is much easier through joint action. If an exciting idea strikes the minds of thousands of people, all these people begin to think in the same direction. As a result, their common (total) energy is directed towards overcoming all difficulties in achieving the desired goals.

Use synergy effect for your own good. Remember the benefits of joint efforts, and you will easily achieve success in any desired field.

Law of synergy in an organization
Synergy, synergy - this is a joint, friendly, interdependent action of two or more forces, agents, factors in any one direction. Synergetics studies the special state of complex systems in the field of unstable equilibrium, or more precisely the dynamics of their self-organization.

In economics the words "synergy" And " cooperation" are often used as synonyms. It should be noted that the “newly discovered” synergy was deeply analyzed by Karl Marx in Capital as new strength, “which arises from the fusion of many forces into one common one.”

In relation to the study of the behavior of socio-economic systems, it would be more reasonable to leave the term “cooperation” rather than replacing it with synergy, especially since synergetics as a concept was originally introduced by Haken in relation to the behavior of thermodynamic systems in physics.

The health and performance of any organization is influenced by many internal and external factors. According to the property of emergence, the combined effect of several factors almost always differs from the sum of the individual effects. It is this difference that is usually calledsynergy effect , interaction factor or cooperative effect, is a quantitative expression of synergy.

Synergy plays a very important role in living systems of all types and levels of organization. For a long time it did not receive a decent assessment, because it often exists in a hidden form. Biologists of different directions have considered and designated such phenomena as symbiosis, mutualism, coevolution, but the basis of all these manifestations is a joint action, synergy.

The synergy paradigm is based on the recognition of the fact that in the process of development, the beneficial results obtained by the integrity of the organization are responsible for the well-being of its parts, members. In essence, the doctrine of synergy is an “economic” theory of complexity.

In organization theory, synergy is given important. The law of synergy is based on the principle of emergence of complex systems:the combined effect of several factors always or almost always differs from the sum of the individual effects.

Law of Synergy:any complex dynamic system strives to obtain maximum effect due to its integrity; strives to make maximum use of cooperation opportunities to achieve effects.

For any system (technical, biological or social) there is a set of resources in whichits potential will always be either significantly greater than the simple sum of the potentials of the resources included in it (technology, personnel, computers, etc.), or significantly less.

But not only and not so much combinations of potentials are important, but theircoordinated behavior And mutually supportive connections .

Even with a clear division of labor and good specialization, it often happens that some part of the individual task of one specialist can be performed more professionally by another specialist. A coordinated exchange of such parts of the overall work can eliminate the mutual “creep” of potentials, provide positive synergy and increase overall efficiency. Therefore, an increase in the overall potential of an organization is equivalent to the acquisition of a new resource, and a decrease in the overall potential is equivalent to the actual loss by the organization of part of the previous resource.

Thus, the synergy effect is not only a favorable combination of resources, but alsocoordinated behavior, connections, relationships ; in a word, the entire set of parameters characterizing a complex developing system.

From the perspective of organization theory, this law could be calledlaw of cooperation ; cooperation is the organization of forces, processes, agents, resources and other things to jointly accomplish a common cause.

Synergy is ability to evaluate joint effects related to a new product or market. Functional structure any effective organization determines the interaction of its members and potentials of different quality, which maximizes the positive combined (synergistic) effects and eliminates the negative effects of interaction. In order to use joint synergistic effects, it is necessary to know the synergistic characteristics of the company and build a development strategy using the synergistic potential. Some joint synergistic effects can be imagined as follows.

Synergy of "scale"

As the organization becomes more complex, the role of cooperation and synergy will increase. The more diverse the system, the greater the potential for synergy. The effect of scale is thatlarge production has lower unit production costs than several small ones having the same sales volume in total . For the same amount of investment, a firm producing the entire set of goods may have lower costs than several individual competing companies. A firm that optimizes this effect carefully selects products and markets, wins a large market share thanks to low prices and again attracts investors.

Combination of labor as the unification of heterogeneous efforts

The economic and production principle of the division of labor from the point of view of the law of synergy looks, rather, not as division, but asUnion(for example, a conveyor).

Sales synergies

Sellers unite and use the same distribution channels, warehouses, transport, and personnel to sell various goods.

Operational synergy

Allows more efficient use of fixed assets and personnel: joint training, large purchases of equipment and transportation from abroad, distribution of overhead costs, etc.

Investment synergies

It manifests itself through the joint use of short-term and long-term loans, production space, research and development, a common technological base, etc.

The "common goods" model

In economics, common goods are produced through interdependent cooperative efforts. Modern forms organizations, such as the Japanese keiretsu, allow one to achieve highest quality and win competition in the global market.

Creating a collaborative enabling environment

In nature, every living organism, in the course of its life activity, inevitably “spoils” something in its environment. Plants deplete the soil, sucking moisture and nutrients from it, and leaving behind dried stems and leaves. Animals eat plants and other animals and pollute the earth with their waste and remains. Imagine what would have happened on Earth over millions of years if there were no “cleaners.” In fact, there is practically no garbage in nature. Various organisms- bacteria, fungi, worms, insect larvae, various saprophages together with plants and animals - form complex cooperative networks food and processing of various organic waste in earth, water and air, jointly creating and regulating a favorable composition environment. This is why we need biological diversity.

The diversity of different industrial productions in a single compact territory allows the use of the effects of cooperation and synergy, when waste from one production can serve as raw materials for another, increasing the closeness of material cycles in industrial units.

In this regard, it is useful to recall that, unlike the economics of nature, the economics of the human economy demonstrates a significant openness of the technogenic cycle.

Management synergy

Growing companies tend to lack competent senior management. Any improvement in leadership creates significant synergies. This effect increases if the company's management has already encountered similar problems and has experience in solving them. If the problems are new and unknown, and the manager has no experience in resolving them, then there is a threat of a negative effect from the decisions of incompetent management. Thus, management synergy, like other types of synergy, can be both positive and negative. A competent manager, having systemic knowledge of the organization, can significantly improve its performance indicators; an illiterate one, on the contrary. Whether the firm's potential synergies become actual depends on how production is managed.

In short, the firm seeks combinations in which the sum effect is greater than the sum of the effects of the parts. All target synergistic effects can be described by three variables:

Synergetics (from the Greek synergeia - cooperation, assistance, participation) is an interdisciplinary direction scientific research, within the framework of which the general laws of the processes of transition from chaos to order and back (processes of self-organization and spontaneous disorganization) in open nonlinear systems of physical, chemical, biological, ecological, social and other nature are studied. The term synergetics was introduced in 1969. G. Haken. Synergetics as a scientific direction is close to a number of other areas, such as nonlinear dynamics, the theory of complex adaptive systems, etc.

The essence of the synergetics approach is that complex systems consisting of large quantity elements that are in complex interactions with each other and have a huge number of degrees of freedom can be described by a small number of significant types of movement (order parameters), and all other types of movement turn out to be “subordinate” (subordination principle) and can be quite accurately expressed through parameters order. Therefore, the complex behavior of systems can be described using a hierarchy of simplified models that include a small number of the most significant degrees of freedom.

Synergism is a term that has become Lately popular, used today both in marketing and in other sciences and in relation to the complex marketing communications means, as already noted, the effect of interaction between various communication tools that arises when they are used together. While maintaining a single positioning within each target segment, communication tools reinforce each other, creating a synergistic effect. The synergistic effect is thus a consequence of the implementation of a centralized, clearly formulated and consistently implemented marketing communications integration strategy.

At the same time, there is no doubt that the role of communication impact is actualized only if there is a high-quality, affordable product that meets the needs of the target audience. In other words, decisions in the field of promotion acquire their significance only when coordinated with decisions relating to other components of the marketing mix (product policy, pricing and distribution policies). Without exception, all means of marketing are conductors of the communication policy of the enterprise.

Thus, two areas of integration are updated: integration of the components of the promotion complex and integration of the promotion complex with other components of the marketing complex that perform communication functions. The trend towards integrating marketing communications increases the importance of the promotion complex - more stringent requirements are applied to its components, since it is the means that form the main elements of the promotion complex that achieve the desired direction of the communication impact of other components of the marketing complex. Therefore, when considering external (impacting on external audiences) marketing communications, you should pay attention to the fact that it is the promotion complex that is the means of achieving the goals of communication policy. Through the elements that make up this complex, the communication functions of the remaining elements of the marketing complex are carried out (for example, appearance goods, their packaging as communication tools are implemented in accordance with decisions made regarding the promotion complex or its individual elements).

There are three levels of manifestation and enhancement of the synergistic effect of marketing communications.

At the first level, a synergistic effect occurs when the structural elements of one communication message interact, affecting different channels of human perception (vision, hearing, smell, touch). Thus, TV advertising can be more effective than radio advertising due to the impact on the audience, both through images and sound. Moreover, the magnitude and direction of the effect directly depends on the stereotypes that the target of influence has, as well as the degree of their expression.

At the second level, the synergistic effect manifests itself from integrated use elements of the promotion complex. Thus, advertising and sales promotion activities provide a greater effect from joint use than the use of advertising and sales promotion separately, due to the occurrence of the “ratchet effect”, which is a manifestation of the synergistic effect.

At the third level, the synergistic effect is enhanced when the communication resources of all elements of the marketing mix are involved in promotion.

Thus, in general view a synergistic effect occurs when the elements of the marketing message conveyed are successfully combined by various means communication impact. The prerequisites for the emergence of a synergistic effect of marketing communications are associated not only and not so much with the possible increase in the frequency of messages and an increase in the reach of the target audience when integrating means of communication, but with the presence various types thinking, perception and processing of information inherent in a person, as well as the difference in his stereotypes.

At each of its levels, the synergy of marketing communications depends on how fully the enterprise uses its communication potential. Subject to the full use of the potential of marketing tools, the classification of elements of which is given in this article, an enterprise can maximize the synergistic effect of marketing communications. At the same time, the issue of assessing and predicting this effect becomes relevant.

However, the formalization of the synergistic effect is associated with certain difficulties regarding its assessment. The joint use of several communication means causes a certain synergistic effect, the quantitative assessment of which poses a certain problem due to the difficulty of assessing the multidirectional action of factors that determine the magnitude and direction of the synergistic effect of communications. 7.

In each specific case, these factors may have different meaning and when predicting a synergistic effect, for example, based on expert assessments, they can be ranked and linked to certain quantitative coefficients (weights).

The synergistic effect directly depends on the combination of specific means of communication influence, which is determined by the goals of communication, that is, at what stage of decision-making the objects of influence are located, and accordingly what communication effects need to be achieved. At the same time, the main principle when deciding to use several means of communication is the choice of one means of communication as the main one and several (or one) auxiliary ones. The main means of communication must be capable of independently and most effectively achieving all the effects of communication. Auxiliary tools are designed to fill possible gaps in reaching the target audience, or they can achieve individual communication goals at the lowest cost, or provide additional benefits in terms of impact on the consumer at the point of sale or consumption of the product. In any case, when using several means of communication, there is a potential for the formation of a synergistic effect.