The document discusses employee empowerment, defining it as a process of developing a culture of empowerment, sharing information and goals, developing competency through training, providing resources, and offering support. Empowerment benefits organizations by increasing productivity, job satisfaction, and motivation. While empowerment involves delegating authority, it is more than just delegation - it requires preparing employees by developing their skills and confidence so they feel empowered to make decisions. Effective empowerment is a long-term process of incrementally increasing an employee's responsibilities as their competence grows.

1. 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.
Empowerment Defined
Employee empowerment is a process whereby: a culture of empowerment is developed;
information—in the form of a shared vision, clear goals, boundaries for decision making,
and the results of efforts and their impact on the whole—is shared; competency—in the
form of training and experience—is developed; resources, or the competency to obtain
them when needed to be effective in their jobs, are provided; and support—in the form of
mentoring, cultural support, and encouragement of risk-taking—is provided.
Every employer uses employee empowerment to some extent, though it is often thought
of as delegation. No organization of more than one person can survive without some
employee empowerment. When the owner of a Mail Boxes, Etc. hires someone to work
the weekends, that person is empowered. When a manager hires an accounting graduate
to maintain the departmental ledger, that person is empowered. When the director of
advertising chooses which slogan should go on the web banner, that person is
empowered. In each of these instances the empowered person has been provided with the
training and experience they need to be effective in their position. Each has the
information to know how their decisions will impact the larger whole. Each has access to
the resources he or she needs to be effective. And the assumption is that each will be
supported in the decisions they make.
Empowerment is a process of becoming, not a task or end result in and of itself, Just as
with continuous improvement, no organization is ever done with its empowerment
implementation; no person is ever "completely empowered". Empowerment becomes part
of the culture of the organization. Empowering others becomes a transparent act, nobody
within the organization notices when an act of empowerment is exercised. It may be
noticeable in the extreme to outsiders, but, if the implementation effort has been
successful, it will be second nature to those accculturated within the organization.
Clearly, empowerment is not quick nor easy, except in the case of a newly formed
organization where the leaders understand it and have committed themselves and the
organization to it. Given that this is the case it becomes necessary to demonstrate the
benefits and provide an implementation strategy which builds upon a clear understanding
of all that employee empowerment entails.
Empowerment Is Also Known As:
Employee involvement and participative management are often used to mean
empowerment. They are not really interchangeable.
Examples of Empowerment
These are examples of empowerment in action.

2. • The manager of the Human Resources department added weeks to the process of
hiring new employees by requiring his supposedly empowered staff members to
obtain his signature on every document related to the hiring of a new employee.
When the time problem was brought to his attention, he fostered empowerment by
telling employees they no longer needed his signature unless the hire involved
extraordinary circumstances.
• John empowered himself to discuss the career objectives he wished to pursue with
his supervisor. He told his supervisor, frankly, that if the opportunities were not
available in his current company, he would move on to another company.
• Mary took charge of her career by fueling her sense of empowerment when she
developed a career path plan, met with her manager to ask for her assistance to
achieve it, and set goals for its accomplishment in her performance development
plan.
• The company's management style involved sharing the goals, sharing each
employee's expectations and framework with the employee, and then, getting out
of the way while employees were empowered to set goals, accomplish their
objectives, and determine how to do their jobs.
Empowerment is a desirable management and organizational style that enables
employees to practice autonomy, control their own jobs, and use their skills and abilities
to benefit both their organization and themselves.
Employee empowerment is a means by which individuals are given the authority to
analyze situations autonomously and take proactive decisions. This instills a sense of
ownership towards the company in the employees. This attitude of the employees can go
a long way in driving the business forward. I have identified six means of empowering
employees in a workplace. Let’s take a brief look at them.
1. Providing the necessary skills to do the job: Employees can’t do the assigned tasks if
they don’t have the necessary skills to do it. It is important for an organization to assess
the gaps between the current and required skills. Training must be provided to the
employees to bridge the skills gap. Therefore, if you want an empowered workforce,
employees need to be trained in the right skills.
2. Granting sufficient authority: The second method of empowering employees is to
provide them adequate authority to decide on how to complete their tasks. They need to
be given the authority to complete the task in any manner they choose to accomplish; as
long as it confirms to the broad guidelines set by the organization. Others in the
organization should be aware that they have not only the responsibility but also the
authority to complete the chosen tasks.
3. Articulating the vision of individuals’ job: It is important that employees have a
clear idea about the outcome and where their task fits in the overall scheme of things. It
empowers them with a broader perspective of the organization’s overall mission, vision,

3. goals and strategic plans.
4. Providing adequate information and resources: Employees have access to all the
information they require to make decisions. Therefore supplying information and
allocating the required resources empower the employees to perform better in their job.
5. Building employees’ confidence: According to the expectancy theory, if employees
believe that they CAN achieve a certain result, they are more likely to be successful in
doing the same. The various ways to boost employees’ confidence include:
• a) Providing growth opportunities to the employees by giving them more
challenging tasks. This demonstrates that you value your employees and their
personal development.
• b) Exhibiting greater trust and support in the employees’ ability to accomplish a
work assignment.
• c) Encouraging cross-learning so that employees benefit from each other’s skills
and knowledge.
• d) Acknowledging and rewarding the employees for their accomplishments.
6. Guiding with positive feedback: Providing positive feedback about the tasks done
and guiding employees about best practices gives encouragement to the employees.It also
helps employees to stay on the right track and develop professionally.
Handling a large workforce is a daunting task. However, with empowered employees, it
becomes easier as they work not only towards achieving their individual objectives but
also the organizational goals.
Benefits of Empowerment
That employee empowerment benefits the organizations which implement it effectively is
widely noted in the literature. The popular press accepts the belief of benefit almost
without question. Thomas Petzinger, in his column "The Front Lines" in the Wall Street
Journal, is a big advocate for empowerment. He writes, "As a society we know the best
way to organize people is freeing them to organize themselves. Why should it be any
different in business?" (Petzinger, 1997a, p. B1). Also in the Wall Street Journal, Aeppel
asks the rhetorical question, " What better way to tap into workers' brains as well as their
brawn than to encourage them to think on the job, to bring to it a greater sense of
professionalism and self-motivation and to feel committed to the company's success?"
(Aeppel, 1997, p. 1). Freeman (1998) writing in Inc. about applying Marine Corps values
in the growing corporate workplace advocates a form of empowerment where training is
key and, within clear missions, risk-taking is rewarded.
However, a bunch of business writers jumping on a bandwagon was not sufficient for me
to believe that empowerment is beneficial. I wanted evidence and I found it. A number of
writers cited Kanter (1979) as the source of information about the efficacy of employee

4. empowerment. Kanter writing about positional power indicates, "Organizational power
can grow, in part, by being shared. . . .By empowering others, a leader does not decrease
his power; instead he may increase it--especially if the whole organization performs
better." (Kanter, 1979, p. 73). Kanter then uses the logic that, "The productive capacity of
nations, like organizations, grows if the skill base is upgraded. People with the tools,
information and support to make more informed decisions and act more quickly can often
accomplish more."
From an organizational perspective the following pros and cons may be associated with
employee empowerment.
Pros of Employee Empowerment
• It leads to greater job satisfaction, motivation, increased productivity and reduces
the costs.
• It also leads to creativity and innovation since the employees have the authority to
act on their own.
• There is increased efficiency in employees because of increased ownership in
their work.
• Lesser need of supervision and delegation.
• Focus on quality from the level of manufacturing till actual delivery and service
of goods.
• Employees when empowered become more entrepreneurial and start taking more
risks. Greater the risk, greater are the chances to succeed.
Cons of Employee Empowerment
At the individual level employee empowerment means you are an integral component of
the organization. This may sprout egotism or arrogance in the workers.
Apart from disadvantages at the organizational level, there are certain challenges that
emerge at the individual level. Supervisors often complain disgust from the empowered
workers. The following points go against employee empowerment:
• Egotism / arrogance: Worker arrogance can create a big trouble for the
supervisors and the managers. There can be problems in delegating. Employees
avoid reporting about their work and feedback can be taken negatively.
• Security: Since information comes and is shared by all, there are apprehensions
about leakage of critical data.
• Risk: Creativity and innovation demands a greater risk bearing capacity and there
are equal chances of success and failure. Workers often lack the expertise to

5. execute are enterprise, which can cost big.
• Industrial Democracy: Labor unions and workers are empowered and they may
misuse the same. Strikes and lock outs become more frequent. Also, labor unions
gain insights into management and their functioning and they leak the same.
The Credo of an Empowering Manager
Looking for real management advice about people? Your goal is to create a work
environment in which people are empowered, productive, contributing, and happy. Don't
hobble them by limiting their tools or information. Trust them to do the right thing. Get
out of their way and watch them catch fire.
These are the ten most important principles for managing people in a way that reinforces
employee empowerment, accomplishment, and contribution. These management actions
enable both the people who work with you and the people who report to you to soar.
1. Demonstrate That You Value People
Your regard for people shines through in all of your actions and words. Your facial
expression, your body language, and your words express what you are thinking about the
people who report to you. Your goal is to demonstrate your appreciation for each person's
unique value. No matter how an employee is performing on his or her current task, your
value for the employee as a human being should never falter and always be visible.
Share Leadership Vision
Help people feel that they are part of something bigger than themselves and their
individual job. Do this by making sure they know and have access to the organization's
overall mission, vision, and strategic plans.
3. Share Goals and Direction
Share the most important goals and direction for your group. Where possible, either make
progress on goals measurable and observable, or ascertain that you have shared your
picture of a positive outcome with the people responsible for accomplishing the results. If
you share a picture and share meaning, you have agreed upon what constitutes a
successful and acceptable deliverable. Empowered employees can then chart their course
without close supervision.
•

6. 4. Trust People
Trust the intentions of people to do the right thing, make the right decision, and make
choices that, while maybe not exactly what you would decide, still work. When
employees receive clear expectations from their manager, they relax and trust you. They
focus their energy on accomplishing, not on wondering, worrying, and second-guessing.
5. Provide Information for Decision Making
Make certain that you have given people, or made sure that they have access to, all of the
information they need to make thoughtful decisions.
6. Delegate Authority and Impact Opportunities, Not Just More Work
Don't just delegate the drudge work; delegate some of the fun stuff, too. You know,
delegate the important meetings, the committee memberships that influence product
development and decision making, and the projects that people and customers notice. The
employee will grow and develop new skills. Your plate will be less full so you can
concentrate on contribution. Your reporting staff will gratefully shine - and so will you.
7. Provide Frequent Feedback
Provide frequent feedback so that people know how they are doing. Sometimes, the
purpose of feedback is reward and recognition as well as improvement coaching. People
deserve your constructive feedback, too, so they can continue to develop their knowledge
and skills.
8. Solve Problems: Don't Pinpoint Problem People
When a problem occurs, ask what is wrong with the work system that caused the people
to fail, not what is wrong with the people. Worst case response to problems? Seek to
identify and punish the guilty. (Thank you, Dr. Deming.)
9. Listen to Learn and Ask Questions to Provide Guidance
Provide a space in which people will communicate by listening to them and asking them
questions. Guide by asking questions, not by telling grown up people what to do. People
generally know the right answers if they have the opportunity to produce them. When an
employee brings you a problem to solve, ask, "what do you think you should do to solve
this problem?" Or, ask, "what action steps do you recommend?" Employees can
demonstrate what they know and grow in the process. Eventually, you will feel
comfortable telling the employee that he or she need not ask you about similar situations.

7. You trust their judgment.
10. Help Employees Feel Rewarded and Recognized for Empowered
Behavior
When employees feel under-compensated, under-titled for the responsibilities they take
on, under-noticed, under-praised, and under-appreciated, don’t expect results from
employee empowerment. The basic needs of employees must feel met for employees to
give you their discretionary energy, that extra effort that people voluntarily invest in
work. For successful employee empowerment, recognition plays a significant role.
Empowerment--Not Synonymous With Delegating
Employee empowerment means (a) delegating decision-making authority down
hierarchical levels in an organization and (b) giving employees the resources, knowledge
and skills necessary to use that authority effectively. Delegating alone does not cause
empowerment if the employees who are being given the additional authority are not
prepared. Giving employees additional authority and the concomitant responsibility
without preparing them actually increases their stress, frustration and dissatisfaction.
To feel empowered, employees must have a sense of self-determination, competence,
meaning and influence. Employees' sense of self-determination is the perception that
they are free to make choices, and that their actions are not controlled by policies,
systems or managerial dictates. Granting autonomy to employees helps them feel a sense
of self-determination. The higher employees' competence, the more they appreciate and
thrive when given autonomy. On the other hand, new employees or employees who need
to acquire new skills must develop confidence in their abilities before they feel
empowered by that autonomy. A sense of meaning in employees' work refers to the
extent to which employees believe that their work affects the lives of others either
directly or indirectly. This is not to say that only people working on "life and death"
matters feel empowered. As long as employees perceive that doing their job satisfies
important needs of internal or external customers, they'll see the meaningfulness of their
work. Finally, employees must feel like they are able to influence people and events in
important ways in order to feel empowered.
back to the top
Be Systematic and Consistent
Effective empowerment involves planning and a long-term commitment. Delegating
makes just about every list of time management tips, and it absolutely can be an effective
way for managers to boost their personal productivity. However, effective empowerment
is no quick fix. For empowerment to be most effective, the objective for managers and
their employees must be one of incrementally building the employees' competence. It's
counterproductive to dump duties and responsibilities on employees without forethought
and preparation just to get them off your desk. Employees may see that as

8. disorganization, poor time management or shirking of duties. It takes careful planning to
get a $20K/year staffer to happily accept responsibility for an ever-increasing number of
the duties of his $50K/year manager!
Develop Their Competence and Confidence
Two major components of getting subordinates ready to have tasks delegated to them are
boosting their knowledge and skill levels and helping them to feel competent. This means
that managers who want to empower their staff must be trainers. Some of the keys to
effectively teaching adults include (a) telling them what they will be learning and why,
(b) providing information and demonstrations, (c) allowing opportunities for practice, and
(d) providing feedback on performance.
Confidence in one's abilities comes from successful performances, observing others
perform successfully, and encouragement. By having subordinates learn to perform a big
task one piece at a time, managers can increase their subordinates' confidence in their
abilities, which helps them progress toward becoming proficient with the entire task.
Having the chance to watch others successfully perform a task also tends to boost
confidence. Hence, having good role models can assist the empowerment process. Words
of encouragement can increase employees' confidence as well, so managers should
commend employees' progress as they learn.
back to the top
Communicate a Clear Vision and Goals
Once employees have developed the competence and confidence necessary for effective
empowerment, they need to have a clear sense of leadership's vision and the goals for
their performance. The vision helps employees understand how and why their work is
meaningful.
The best visions are mental pictures of an ideal future state that are vivid, ambitious and
exciting. A shared vision helps a team coordinate their efforts, because it unifies team
members' priorities. When your employees understand and embrace your vision, they're
in a good position to spontaneously seize opportunities to do things that bring you closer
to the realization of that vision. Promoting that kind of constructive spontaneity is one of
the major reasons for empowering employees.
While a vision can be a rich and complex picture of a desired future state, it also helps to
set specific goals en route to that vision. As the October 5 LeaderLetter notes, SMART
goals tend to lead to the highest levels of performance.
• Specific goals actually lead to higher performance than "do your best" as a goal.
Vague goals can cause inertia or misdirection.
• Measurable goals are an alternative to abstract or intangible goals, and they're
normally expressed in numerical terms (i.e., units to produce) or certain
"deliverables."
• Goals should also be Aligned with the overall strategy and priorities of the
organization in order to avoid conflict or efforts that are counterproductive to the
organization.

9. • Goals should be challenging but Reachable because they'll fail to motivate effort
if there's no chance of successfully achieving them.
• Finally, a Time limit for accomplishing goals should also be specified.
Delegate Effectively
Competent and confident employees who know your vision and your goals for their
performance are ready to accept additional authority. Effective delegation of authority
gives employees a sense that they have the necessary clout and support to do the tasks
assigned to them. It also contributes to a sense of autonomy and self-determination. The
October 10 LeaderLetter addresses effective delegation. To delegate effectively, you
must …
• Have a plan
• Define objectives and standards
• Specify the range of discretion
• Involve subordinates in the delegation process
• Clarify performance consequences
• Match responsibility and authority
• Inform others that delegation has occurred
• Evaluate progress and results, and provide consequences
• Continue to delegate
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In Summary ...
Creating a situation in which employees will feel and act psychologically empowered is
very complex, and it requires a lot of planning and communicating. This is particularly
difficult for managers who have many direct reports or who have difficulty finding time
in their schedules to focus on developing their staff. Empowerment requires boosting
their confidence and competence, and communicating a clear vision and goals. However,
the payoffs associated with psychological empowerment justify the time invested.
Effective empowerment of your staff can lead to higher levels of customer
responsiveness and innovation, higher levels of employee motivation and satisfaction,
lower levels of stress for employees, higher levels of employee skill development, and
better time management for managers.