Empowerment: Theoretical Background and Applications
Abstract
In transitioning from traditional hierarchical management structure to a
more open, democratic and participative approach, a key issue many
organizations face is empowering their employees. Empowerment is defined
for purposes of this paper as the ability of employees to " . . . use more
judgment and discretion in their work and to participate more fully in
decisions affecting their working lives." (Potterfield, 1999, p. 2). This
paper includes an analysis of the theoretical background of empowerment and
why it is important to the teams-building process, a brief discussion of
empowerment procedures (including a guideline for devising an Empowerment
Measure), and a discussion of possible problems that would arise in the
process. Finally, there will be a critique of some of the empowerment
theories.
Empowerment: Theoretical Background And Application
The face of the contemporary workplace is drastically changing. More and
more companies are realizing the value of more "flat", democratic
organizational structure over the traditional autocratic, hierarchical
management styles. Teams-based or participative organizations are now
becoming the norm, instead of many layers of middle management making all
the decisions effecting their subordinate workers. As companies grapple
with these changes, a crucial step is employee empowerment. Specifically,
how capable are the workers within this new teams-based organization of
functioning without the supervision of middle management? How reliable and
dependable can their decisions be as they take a more active role in the
development of the organization? The notion of empowerment seeks to answer
these questions. According to Potterfield (1999), and for purposes of this
paper, empowerment will be best defined as a way of bestowing upon
employees "the power to use more judgment and discretion in their work and
to participate more fully in decisions affecting their working lives." (p.
2). If
In transitioning from traditional hierarchical management structure to a
more open, democratic and participative approach, a key issue many
organizations face is empowering their employees. Empowerment is defined
for purposes of this paper as the ability of employees to " . . . use more
judgment and discretion in their work and to participate more fully in
decisions affecting their working lives." (Potterfield, 1999, p. 2). This
paper includes an analysis of the theoretical background of empowerment and
why it is important to the teams-building process, a brief discussion of
empowerment procedures (including a guideline for devising an Empowerment
Measure), and a discussion of possible problems that would arise in the
process. Finally, there will be a critique of some of the empowerment
theories.
Empowerment: Theoretical Background And Application
The face of the contemporary workplace is drastically changing. More and
more companies are realizing the value of more "flat", democratic
organizational structure over the traditional autocratic, hierarchical
management styles. Teams-based or participative organizations are now
becoming the norm, instead of many layers of middle management making all
the decisions effecting their subordinate workers. As companies grapple
with these changes, a crucial step is employee empowerment. Specifically,
how capable are the workers within this new teams-based organization of
functioning without the supervision of middle management? How reliable and
dependable can their decisions be as they take a more active role in the
development of the organization? The notion of empowerment seeks to answer
these questions. According to Potterfield (1999), and for purposes of this
paper, empowerment will be best defined as a way of bestowing upon
employees "the power to use more judgment and discretion in their work and
to participate more fully in decisions affecting their working lives." (p.
2). If
References: Hitchcock, Darcy E. and Willard, Marsha L. (1995). Why Teams Can Fail and What to do About It Maslow, Abraham. (1971). The Farther Reaches of Human Nature. New York: Penguin Arkana. McCoy, Thomas J. (1996). Creating an "Open Book Organization--Where Employees Think & Act Like Business Partners McLagan, Patricia A. and Nel, Christo. (1995). The Age Of Participation: New Governance for the Workplace and the World Potterfield, Thomas A. (1999). The Business of Employee Empowerment. Purser, Ronald E. and Cabana, Steven. (1998). The Self Managing Organization Robinson, Russell D. (1997). The Empowerment Cookbook: Action Plans For Creating, Sustaining, or Refocusing Empowered Work Teams Wertz, Frederick (Ed.). (1994). The Humanistic Movement: Recovering the Person in Psychology