Synergía

Synergía is a term used to denote the phenomenon by which the combined effect of two or more elements is greater than the sum of their individual effects. In Spanish, the standard form is sinergia, while synergía appears as a stylistic variant or in branding. The concept derives from the Greek synergía, “working together,” and has been adopted across disciplines to describe cooperative action and integrative outcomes.

In science and medicine, synergy describes interactions where substances or processes amplify each other’s impact. Examples include pharmacological synergy, where drug combinations produce greater therapeutic effects or reduced toxicity, and physiological or ecological synergy, where multiple biological or environmental processes support a more robust response than any alone.

In business and management, synergía refers to the value expected from combining assets, products, or capabilities—such as cost reductions, revenue enhancements, or market reach that cannot be achieved separately. Synergy assessment often involves modeling, projection of financial effects, and consideration of integration costs.

Measuring synergy is context dependent. In pharmacology, models such as Loewe additivity or Bliss independence are used; in corporate settings, synergy is an estimate that must be validated during integration and execution.

Critics argue that claimed synergies can be overstated or misestimated, especially if implementation, cultural fit, or resource allocation is inadequate. Realizing synergía requires disciplined planning, governance, and change management.