Empowerment in the Workplace: Does Your Company Truly Embrace It? Let's Discuss Pros and Cons

I was searching this site for something related to empowerment. It's strange... I got nothing.

Well, this is what I know about empowerment.

Empowerment is a process of removing the hindrances from the path of the employees that prevent them from making the right decision on their own. That was the textbook definition.

What it means in simple words is to give your employees the power and authority to make decisions, even sensitive decisions regarding finance. GE is known for this. I read that it has only 3 levels in their organization, which according to me is pretty amazing.

The point of starting this discussion - Is it followed in your organization?

Any comments on the advantages and disadvantages?

Hmm, the advantages must be:

1. Employee feels important
2. Motivation
3. Higher productivity
4. Loyalty
And some others that I can't think of right now.

Disadvantages could be:

1. Risk
2. The amount of power

What are your views on empowerment?

"Absolute power corrupts absolutely," but when it comes to HRM, I guess power is absolutely essential.

Hi Sunayna,

Empowerment can be synonymous with the delegation of power. Empowering the employees has advantages for both the company and the employee.

From the employee's point of view, the advantages could be:

1. Motivation
2. Increased sense of belongingness towards the company
3. Feeling more responsible
4. Sincerity towards decision-making
5. Enhanced leadership qualities
6. Career development
7. Personal development

Advantages from the company's point of view:

1. Increased performance leading to an increase in productivity
2. Lesser employee turnover
3. Better views on strategic decisions
4. Increased control
5. Better representation of organizational culture
6. Motivated employees
7. Employee satisfaction

Additionally, some disadvantages could include:

1. Risk of undue use of powers
2. Employees may feel jealous of others

These are the points I can recall at the moment. I will provide more as soon as I can.

Regarding my organization, it does provide some level of empowerment to its employees.

Dips

Namaskar Sunayna,

I was searching this site for something related to empowerment. It's strange... I got nothing. Well, this is what I know about empowerment:

Empowerment is a process of removing the hindrances from the path of the employees that prevent them from making the right decisions on their own. That was the textbook definition. What it means in simple words is to give your employees the power and authority to make decisions, even sensitive decisions regarding finance. GE is known for this. I read that it has only 3 levels in their organization, which according to me is pretty amazing.

The point of starting this discussion - Is it followed in your organization? Any comments on the advantages and disadvantages?

Hmm, the advantages must be:
1. Employee feels important
2. Motivation
3. Higher productivity
4. Loyalty
and some others that I can't think of right now.

Disadvantages could be:
1. Risk
2. The amount of power

What are your views on empowerment? Absolute power corrupts absolutely, but when it comes to HRM, I guess power is absolutely essential.

This is again a very interesting topic. In another thread, I had mentioned that I am running a course on "stress, healthy coping and constructive empowerment." Maybe you have forgotten. Do you not find it necessary to differentiate constructive empowerment from empowerment? Of course, when you are saying empowerment, I think in the back of your mind the idea is constructive empowerment.

Regards

Empowerment is a by-product of job enrichment. Empowering means passing on authority and responsibility. Empowerment occurs when power goes to employees who, then experience a sense of ownership and control over their jobs. Job enrichment demands delegation of accountability and hence the need for Empowerment.

Empowerment is what young job aspirants are looking for in organizations. More than monetary rewards, it is the feeling that employee ‘owns' the job that motivates him.

Empowerment may be understood as –

“a process of enhancing feelings of self-efficacy among organizational members through the identification of conditions that foster powerlessness and through their removal by both formal organizational practices and informal techniques of providing efficacy information.”

Empowerment consists of 5 stages –

1)Identifying the conditions in the organization that leads to a feeling of powerlessness amongst employees.

2)Diagnosis – by introducing empowerment strategies and techniques. Use of participative management and job enrichment techniques are examples.

3)Remove the feeling of powerlessness and provide self-efficacy information. Self efficacy describes a belief in one's effectiveness. Individuals with high self-efficacy tend to be confident, self assured and likely to be more successful in the activities they undertake.

4)Feeling of empowerment is generated among employees. Increasing self-efficacy increases effort and thereby performance.

5)This increased self-efficacy thereby includes increased activity directed towards task accomplishment. Therefore empowerment results in performance.



Empowered employees know that their jobs belong to them. As they are given a say on how things can be done, they feel responsible, they show more initiative in their work, get more done and at the same time enjoy their work.

Empowerment is supported by a combination of factors including values, leadership, job structure and rewards. Empowerment demands team formation.

The following tips may be useful in empowering employees –

1)Delegate responsibility and alongwith it – authority.

2)Replace the role of managerial ‘parent' role with that of ‘partner' role.

3)Have tolerance for mistakes committed by subordinates. Demonstrate this tolerance through deeds and words.

4)Share information with subordinates. Empowered employees need sufficient information to get full perspective.

5)Allow teams to form. Teams are the best vehicles to empowerment.

6)Performance feedback is always important. Feedback enhances learning and can provide needed assurance that the job is being mastered.

However, empowerment needs to be implemented with caution. Some employees feel that they can only be led and they cannot lead, empowerment has therefore no appeal to such employees. Also, where employees suffer from inflated egos and are highly self-centered, empowerment does not work. In instances where an employee looks for a secured and a not-so-challenging job, empowerment fails.

Despite these shortcomings, employee empowerment is indeed highly effective as it enhances employee morale thereby yielding better productivity. In India, empowerment is catching on among Indian Managers.

Regards,

Raksha

Hi Sunayna,

On the most heard and widely misused word 'empowerment'...

We hear the buzzwords, "Empowering Employees" yet do we really know how to do that. Is it pointing them to resources and letting them go? In some cases, it is. Each case is unique. The truth is that there is a wide spectrum, and we need to know our employees, ourselves, and the project well enough to know where on the spectrum is appropriate.

Let's test management skills in a quick quiz? You are the manager of a new project leader. He has been a data analyst for 4 years. He will be overseeing the work of 2 people on his team, and 5 contributors from other departments.

In which scenario do you think the new project manager will be more successful?

A.) You give him clear instructions, with a follow-up email documenting the work to complete and the deadline. You allow him the freedom to handle it and check back with him in two weeks when it is due.

B.) You give him instructions, and check with him every morning and afternoon. You talk to his staff and the other contributors to make sure they received the appropriate instructions. You stay late several nights to help oversee the project, even when your new manager cannot.

Did you select A? B?

Both are incorrect. In scenario A, you are not involved at all. You are not communicating, measuring, or anything to be sure this very green project leader is on track. If he fails, you are to blame for providing no guidance.

In scenario B, you are not demonstrating confidence in your new project leader. You are undermining his authority by checking up on his staff and others involved. He may have become frustrated by your lack of trust. Maybe that is why he is not staying late to manage the overtime staff. You are also not holding him accountable. You are stepping in to do the work, instead of providing guidance. He is new and may not feel confident. This treatment probably compounded those feelings.

For your employee to be successful, you must empower him. Here comes the word again - empower.

Confidence

Before you place the employee in the position, be sure you have confidence that he has the right skills, knowledge, and resources to do the job. Make sure you have expressed that to the employee.

Clear Expectations

Set clear expectations so the employee knows exactly what to do and what the department goals are. Delegate authority so the employee can make decisions within that authority.

Communication

Ongoing communication is vital so you and the employee are always in sync. Communicate work goals and department process. Share awareness of problems or changes. Alert each other of company and industry news that affects the department and upcoming projects or potential sales.

Commitment and Support

You are committed to the employee's success, and everyone knows it. You guide the employee without micromanaging or doing the job for him. Do not check up on the employee by interviewing their staff or taking their complaints as valid. Just as you want your employees to work through proper channels and not go over your head, it goes the same way in the other direction.

Measuring

You establish metrics in advance, so it is clear what the department and company standards are. It is easy to objectively determine if goals are met.

Accountability

You hold the employee accountable. If the target is not met or work is not satisfactory, he is responsible. You are there for advice, perspective, and guidance, but the employee manages the solution. You do not step in and clean it up. If he is accountable for the solution process, he learns from the problem or error.

The degree of communication and hands-on support will vary depending on the employee's position, skills, experience level, and tenure. However, the principles of empowerment are the same at all levels. As the employee develops and achieves successes, you can give the employee a little more freedom to soar. Because you are communicating and measuring against standards, you'll know if you need to get more involved.

Does it help?????

To empower is a verb. If you see it that way, the answer will be evident, devoid of any mist! Basically, empowerment is enabling! The tools to empower are "delegation", "assignments", "officiating", etc.

The process of empowerment (enabling) starts with "TRAINING" to enhance the capability or competence of an employee in line with employee growth plans and in tune with organizational needs. Training can use many routes/methods.

To empower, therefore, is to enable before bestowing "accountability" for any specific results.

Samvedan

Hi Reinhard,

Thanks for the inputs. I agree that it is the leader who has to empower. He has to have confidence and trust in his people. I would love to read the book you suggested.

Thanks,
Bala

[quote=samvedan]To empower is a verb. If you see it that way, the answer will be evident devoid of any mist! Basically, empowerment is enabling! The tools to empower are "delegation", "assignments", "officiating", etc. The process of empowerment (enabling) starts with "training" to enhance capability or competence of an employee in line with employee growth plans and in tune with organizational needs. Training can use many routes/methods. To empower, therefore, is to enable before bestowing "accountability" for any specific results. - samvedan

I am really very happy to see so many posts. In fact, I have already said that this is a great topic. So let us handle it with care at various levels of connotation: 1. Power, 2. Empower, 3. Empowerment, and 4. Constructive empowerment. And we must arrive at feasible practical application of the conclusions. Regards.

Sorry for the late acknowledgements... got busy with college and tests. I am really glad to read so much... some of it is not even mentioned in our text. This was very insightful.

Now, my questions (well... questions prove that I have read :P)

Dr. JM, what's the difference between constructive employment and empowerment? And wouldn't everyone agree that empowerment - if I have to put it in a word... would be "trust," and don't you think that takes a lot of time in building? Just something I thought about... there are some employees who don't like being the leader and taking initiatives... they like to be told... and guided... what about such employees?

Hi Raksha, do you have any more info or some statistics supporting "empowerment is catching on among Indian Managers"?

Hi Reinhard, hope I get time to read this book. Could I get some case studies regarding empowerment?

Empowerment does tie into trust. When you give someone a task, you need to give them a certain amount of responsibility and authority to do what you are requesting. This way, you do not need to "micromanage." This requires trust in the person you gave instructions to.

I agree some employees would rather just come to work, be told what to do, and then go home. They do not want any leadership aspect in their job. Reasons: they do not want the responsibility that comes with it. But whether they realize it or not, when they are asked to give someone else instructions, they are taking on a leadership role.

Hope this helps.
From: Reinhard

Namaskar Sunayna. Happy to meet you after a long time. I think tomorrow I can post the reply to the content. Regards

Empowerment vs. Constructive empowerment

Let us start from power, Formally power means authority do some thing. President of India has the power to give assent to a bill passed by the parliament and for that he is empowered. When we speak “empowered”, impliedly it appears that the power comes from outside. Formally you and me are empowered to certain jobs. Then are we not empowered? Yes. Then where is the scope of discussion? Discharging the duty or exercising the power depends upon competency, devotion and activation level of a person.

The activation level. Let me elaborate it. Our brain always emits electrical waves called brain waves. The brain waves are measured by EEG. Normally the frequency of brain waves vary from near zero to 30 cycles per second. Up to 4 cycles per second are called delta waves. These are low voltage, high amplitude and synchronized waves. Such brain waves are emitted when we are in deep sleep.

Four to 8 cycles per second brain waves are called theta waves. These are low voltage, high or low amplitude, desynchronized brain waves. Such brain waves are emitted during dreaming and also during day dreaming.

Eight to 13 cycles per second brain waves are called alpha waves. These are medium amplitude, low voltage, synchronized brain waves. Such brain waves are emitted at the time of relaxation.

Thirteen to 30 cycles of brain waves are called beta waves. These are high voltage, low amplitude, desynchronized brain waves. Low beta state is associated with anxieties, worries and confusion and the like. As beta frequencies become higher we take the grip of our assignments.

Beyond 30 cycles per second brain waves are called gamma waves. Every one is not fortunate to have such brain waves. Such brain waves are emitted in highly creative state of mind.

Now let us come to work situation. These are involuntary waves. But some of us are more delta oriented, some are more theta oriented, some are more alpha oriented and some are more beta oriented. Imagine an employee who may be competent, devoted but plunges down to theta state involuntarily off and on. He will become defensive and argumentative .So being innocent he may become untrustworthy/unreliable. Because of internal state one is unable to exercise the power attributed to him. What the employer is going to do here?

I am still to differentiate empowerment and constructive empowerment.

Regards.

Hey Dr. Ji.

Was that a medical explanation of empowerment? Do you think leadership qualities can be developed in an individual by somebody else?

Dips

Hey Dr. Ji.

Was that a medical explanation of empowerment? Do you think leadership qualities can be developed in an individual by somebody else?

Dips

Not a matter of medical explanation of empowerment, Deepali ji. I am talking about the internal mechanism that all of us possess which regulates our empowerment.

Formal empowerment, that is, in the context of the employee-employer relationship, comes from outside. A person is appointed and authorized to do something.

Regards