For many years, efficiency within companies was treated almost exclusively as a synonym for cost cutting. This logic no longer holds true. With high interest rates, more expensive credit, and inflationary pressure, efficiency has once again become one of the most valued, and also one of the scarcest, assets in the corporate market. Growing efficiently takes work, but it doesn't require immediate disruptions. In many cases, it's possible to start by modernizing what generates the greatest impact with the least effort. The moment demands strategic depth, not just speed.
The data reinforces this shift. The UK Productivity Review, from the Productivity Institute, shows that companies that reorganize their operations based on data and automation grow up to 40% faster than those that try to expand by simply increasing their headcount. This confirms what is observed in practice: efficiency is not a trend, it's a condition for survival. Old processes impose invisible costs that erode results. Robert Half consultancy points out that the complete cycle of replacing a professional can take up to six months, a period during which the company loses speed, culture, and productivity.
The same logic applies to automation. The Harvard Business Review indicates that approximately 40% of working time is consumed by automatable tasks. Meanwhile, Accenture shows that digitally mature companies have 28% less operational expenses and grow twice as fast. Even so, many organizations continue to adopt technology superficially, without integrating systems, qualifying data, or redesigning processes. The result is an environment that is only digitalized in appearance, but still full of waste.
By 2026, the inevitable movement will be to reorganize, simplify, integrate, and automate. This involves restructuring processes with artificial intelligence, eliminating repetitive and low-value tasks, rethinking the office's role as a physical and digital productivity platform, and investing in team reskilling. Firing and hiring remains the most expensive and least efficient model.
In practice, efficiency means mapping out wasted human effort, identifying functions that can be assisted or replaced by AI agents, reviewing the actual use of existing platforms, updating old processes, training a relevant part of the workforce, and establishing clear executive governance for the productivity agenda. It also requires consistently measuring the gains generated by automation and engagement with available tools.
Results appear when transformation is done methodically. I have seen cases of companies that resolved 80% of their defaults with intelligent financial agents, reduced the cost per ticket from 12 reais to 3, increased the volume of qualified meetings by 1.6 times, and grew 40% in sales. There was also an average reduction of 35% to 40% in operational headcount, without loss of performance. All of this with more clarity, speed, and less waste.
Going into 2026, winning won't be about being bigger or having more capital, but about operating with intelligence, integration, and a real focus on efficiency. The market logic has shifted: thriving isn't about having more resources, but about using them better. Efficiency has ceased to be an option and has become the decisive competitive differentiator.
By Mateus Magno, CEO of Magnotech.
