Claims of inefficiency are meaningless without naming the comparison standard used.

Evidence

In any case, calling a lock-in “inefficient” always implies a base of reference—a comparison with another standard. The base of reference can differ; it is not a fact but, rather, depends on the perspective taken (focusing on a group, a department, the whole organization, the field). By implication, discussing the inefficiency of an organizational path always requires the exposure of the base of reference applied. — Jörg Sydow, Georg Schreyögg, and Jochen Koch, Organizational Path Dependence, 53

Categorization

• DEFINE: Clarifies that ‘inefficiency’ is relational, not intrinsic, and requires an explicit base of reference.
• DEEPTHINKING: A quietly radical epistemic point: dysfunction is never measured against nothing—whoever names the benchmark defines the verdict.