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S y n e r g y
Synergy or synergism, most often refers to the phenomenon of two or more discrete influences or
agents acting in common to create an effect which is greater than the sum of the effects each is able
to create independently.
Synergy has origins as a theological term describing the cooperation of human effort with divine will.
But since the 1990s it has become a common business buzzword. In the workplace, it has a negative
connotation. See also gestalt.
Synergy has also been described as:

The whole is greater than the sum of the parts, or more colloquially, 2+2 > 4

The difference between the combined effect and the sum of individual effects resulting from
the interaction of a group of humans, agents or forces.

"Synergy means behavior of whole systems unpredicted by the behavior of their parts taken
separately" as given in Buckminster Fuller's book "Synergetic".
Examples
Drug Synergism
If more than one depressant drug is used (e.g. alcohol and Valium), the combination can cause a
much greater reaction than simply the sum of the effects of each drug. In this particular case, the
most serious consequence of drug synergy is the exaggerated respiratory depression that is fatal
when left untreated.
Combined Effects of Pests
In a biological host organism population, the introduction of parasite A may cause 10% fatalities of
the individuals, and parasite B may also cause 10% loss. When both parasites are present, the losses
are observed to be significantly greater than the expected 20%, and it is said that the parasites in
combination have a synergistic effect. An example is beekeeping in North America where three
foreign parasites of the honeybee, ocarina mite, tracheal mite and the small hive beetle, all were
introduced within a short period of time.
Health Effects of Pesticides
During the registration of pesticides in the US exhaustive tests are performed to discern health
effects on humans at various levels. A regulatory upper limit of presence in foods is then placed on
this pesticide. As long as residues in the food stay below this regulatory level, health effects are
indiscernible and the food is considered safe to consume.
However in normal agricultural practice it is rare to use only a single pesticide. During the production
of a crop five or six different materials may be used. Each of them has had determined a regulatory
level at which they would be considered individually safe.
Yet, since they have not ever been tested in combination, no data has ever been produced to show
whether there is or is not a synergistic effect of the various combinations that humans consume.
Some groups think that the rising rates of cancer, asthma and other health problems may be caused
by this; others have other explanations. This question will likely be answered only after years of
exposure by the population in general.
Interacting Humans
Person A alone is too short to reach an apple on a tree and person B is too short as well. Once
person B sits on the shoulders of person A, they are more than tall enough to reach the apple. In this
example, the synergy would be one apple.
Another case would be two politicians. If each is able to gather one million votes on their own, but
together they were able to appeal to 2.5 million voters, their synergy would have produced 500,000
votes.
X-efficiency
In economics, x-efficiency is the effectiveness with which a given set of inputs are used to produce
outputs. If a firm is producing the maximum output it can given the resources it employs, such as
men and machinery, and the best technology available, it is said to be x-efficient. x-inefficiency
occurs when x-efficiency is not achieved.
In a market with perfect competition, there will in general be no x-inefficiency because if any firm is
less efficient than the others it will not make sufficient profits to stay in business in the long term.
However, with other market forms such as monopoly it may be possible for x-inefficiency to persist,
because the lack of competition makes it possible to use inefficient production techniques and still
stay in business.
X-inefficiency is not the only type of inefficiency in economics. X inefficiency only looks at the outputs
that are produced with given inputs. It doesn't take account of whether the inputs are the best ones
to be using, or whether the outputs are the best ones to be producing, which is referred to as
allocate efficiency. For example, a firm that employs brain surgeons to dig ditches might still be xefficient, even though reallocating the brain surgeons to curing the sick would be more efficient for
society overall.