LEADERSHIP AND EMPOWERMENT:Power sharing and Empowerment, Share Information

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Leadership & Team Management MGMT 623

Lesson 20

LEADERSHIP AND EMPOWERMENT

During last two lectures we tried to understand the concept of power and its relationship with the

process of leadership. In this lecture we will try to understand the concepts of empowerment and its

relationship with leadership.

What is Empowerment?

Empowerments is the process of enabling or authorizing an individual to think, behave, take action, and

control work and decision making in autonomous ways. It is the state of feeling self-empowered to take

control of one's own destiny. OR Empowerment is a social action process that promotes participation of

people, organizations, and communities towards the goals of increase individual and community

control, political efficacy, improved quality of community life and social justice." (Wallerstein, 1992)

Some other definitions/facts about empowerment are:

It is a management approach designed to give frontline employees the authority they need to do

what needs to be done without having to ask/check with management.

In spite of the entire favorable buzz, there is little hard evidence that it has really made much

difference in routine organizational life.

The concepts of encouraging and authorizing workers to take the initiative to improve operations,

reduce costs, and improve product quality and customer service.

Some empowerment does exist and, when accompanied by accountability and appropriate

guidance, it can lead to increased employee and customer satisfaction.

Significant employee empowerment is rare, and it is not easy to initiate or maintain.

What are some of the Common Myths about Empowerment?

Everybody's doing it.

It's easy.

Every manager wants empowered employees.

Every employee wants to be empowered.

All the manager needs to do is leave the empowered employees alone.

The organization has the responsibility to create a work environment which helps foster the ability and

desire of employees to act in empowered ways. The work organization has the responsibility to remove

barriers that limit the ability of staff to act in empowered ways. Because every body wants

empowerment and every manager/leader wants empowered employees.

Always keep in your mind "Empower your employees"- The most important asset in the organizations.

Empowered personnel have "responsibility, a sense of ownership, satisfaction in accomplishments,

power over what and how things are done, recognition for their ideas, and the knowledge that they are

important to the organization" (Turney 1993: 30). Without productive employees, the organization is

nothing and can do nothing. Empowerment works the best when employees need their organization as

much as the organization needs them, "and the need is much more than a paycheck and benefit

package" (Johnson, 1993: 47).

Leadership & Team Management MGMT 623

Why Important? Powerlessness

· Living in poverty

Powerlessness

· Relatively low in hierarchy

· Chronic Stress

Disease

· Lack of Social Support

Lack of Control Over

· Income Inequities

Destiny

· Racial Discrimination

What is Empowerment, and How Can Empower Others?

The power keys to empowerment: there are two views about power keys to empowerment;

1. Traditional view: in traditional view power is relational in terms of individuals.

2. Empowerment view: In empowerment view, the emphasis is on the ability to make things

happen. Power is relational in terms of problems and opportunities, not individuals.

\Power as an expanding pie: With empowerment, employees must be trained to expand their

power and their new influence potential. Empowerment changes the dynamics between

supervisors and subordinates.

Ways to Expand Power: there are different ways to expand power;

1. Clearly define roles and responsibilities to the employees.

2. Provide opportunities for creative problem solving coupled with the discretion to act. This

is the responsibility of top management.

3. Emphasize different ways of exercising influence to make sure that every thing is going on

smoothly.

4. Provide support and help to individuals so they become comfortable with developing their

power.

5. Expand inducements for thinking and acting, not just obeying.

Empowerment Outcomes-Organizational:

Well-Functioning Services

Publicly accountable

Efficient

Integrated

Culturally appropriate

Maintained overtime

Organizational Effectiveness and Capacity

Sustainability

Produce outcomes

Effective leadership

Empowering to members

Bridging social capital

Leadership & Team Management MGMT 623

Empowering Organizations:

"At the organizational level, OE [organizational empowerment] refers to organizational efforts that

generate PE [personal empowerment] among members and organizational effectiveness needed for goal

achievement"

· Provide opportunities for staff to be involved in organizational decision-making, program

development, and evaluation.

· Reduce organization hierarchies and supervisory structure so that workers have more control over

their work.

· Encourage professional development and team-building among staff.

· Provide resources that facilitate the development of political power among people.

· Regard workers as partners rather than subordinates.

What Is the Bottom line?

Appropriate employee empowerment is essential to organizational success.

Everyone claims to empower employees, but this is easier said than done.

A failed organizational empowerment initiative is at best a waste of time.

Power sharing and Empowerment:

Power sharing: The delegation of power or authority to subordinates in the organization. What's

wrong with this concept? Most of the times, after sharing of power or authority, people think that,

employee misuse it and their influence on employee will reduce consequently.

Empowerment: being enabled to make independent decisions and take effective action.

Guidelines for effective employee empowerment:

Share authority instead of giving it up.

Select the right managers.

Encourage dissent.

Choose the right employees.

Give it time.

Provide training.

Accept increased turnover.

Offer guidance.

Share information.

Hold everyone accountable.

Build trust.

Realize that empowerment has its

limitations.

Focus on relationships.

Involve employees in decision-making.

Stress organizational values.

Transform mistakes into opportunities.

Reward and recognize.

Chose the Right Managers for proper empowerment:

· Select leaders who are already empowering their colleagues routinely.

· Confront dictatorial leaders.

· Give them a fair chance to change, but make it clear that their odds of success are not good.

· Call attention to leaders who are doing it right, and encourage young leaders to select them as

mentors.

Select the Right Employees:

· Identify those people already taking the initiative.

· Explain the risks and benefits of empowerment, and then wait for those who want to stretch to step

forward.

· Share information openly, and then identify those with good instincts, confidence and the

willingness to take risks.

Provide Adequate Training:

Identify the most common challenges they will face.

Demonstrate attitudes and behaviors most likely to be successful.

Leadership & Team Management MGMT 623

Point out that nothing works every time.

Celebrate every incremental improvement; perfection is in short supply.

Enlist them as trainers ASAP.

Share Information:

Begin by asking what information is needed.

Encourage everyone to contribute to the information pool.

Except for personal stuff, avoid secrets.

Demonstrate openness.

Invite questions and challenges.

Change your position readily when new information demands reconsideration.

Hold Everyone Accountable:

Authority without accountability becomes self-centeredness.

Every little bit of power is seductive.

Find out what happened.

Ask why it happened?

Inquire whether, on looking back, a better option might have been employed.

Let the emotion of the moment pass.

View mistakes as opportunities to grow

Leadership and Empowerment: Empowerment involves sharing or giving power or influence to

another. It is the process through which leaders enable and help others to gain power and achieve

influence within the organization. When employees feel powerful they are more willing to make

decisions and take action.

How Leaders Can Empower Others

· A leader can involve others in selecting their work assignments and tasks

· He creates an environment of cooperation, information sharing, discussions, and shared ownership

of goals.

· He encourages others to take initiative, make decisions, and use their knowledge.

· He finds out what others think and let them help design solutions.

· Leader can give others the freedom to put their ideas and solutions into practice.

· He recognizes successes and encourages high performance.

Participative leadership: some characteristics of a participative leader;

· Begins with involving people

· Involvement leads to understanding, which leads to commitment

· Taps the constructive power of people

· Creates a humanistic and productive workplace

· Means understanding the views and interests of all affected

Making a Difference: Treat people as if they were what they should be, and you help them become

what they are capable of becoming." Johann von Goethe. Empowerment!

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