Sharing Power: Empowerment

Empowerment: sharing power in such a way that individuals learn to believe in their ability to do the job!

Empowerment

Empowerment is the ability and freedom of employees to make decisions and commitments
To some degree, boundaries are set around where employees can make decisions, and empowerment seeks to expand them

Empowered employees exhibit 4 characteristics

Self-determination free to choose their work Sense of meaning feel their work is important Sense of competence confident in their ability to do the work Sense of impact believe they can influence their work unit, team or organization

Empowerment benefits management because

it reduces management work load Places decision making power in the hands of those often better equipped to make decisions Provides significant motivation and learning opportunities for employees

Empowerment

Empowerment increases as employees or teams are given more power over their job context (reason for the job) and job content (tasks) Empowered employees are expected to act as owners of the business Levels of Empowerment
No discretion (usually for routine, low skilled jobs) Task setting employee can determine how the job gets done Participatory some decision making power over job context/content Mission defining groups set broad goals for a project Self-management Total decision making power

Empowerments Dimensions
Meaning - fit between the work role and the employees values and beliefs
E2s

Competence - belief that one has the ability to do the job well

Self-determination having control over the way one does ones work

Impact - belief that ones job makes a difference within the organization

Guidelines for Empowering

Express confidence in employees Set high performance expectations Create opportunities for participative decision making Remove bureaucratic constraints that stifle autonomy Set inspirational and meaningful goals

Randolphs Empowerment Model

The Empowerment Plan

Create Autonomy Through Structure

Let Teams Become The Hierarchy

Remember: Empowerment is not magic; it consists of a few simple steps and a lot of persistence.

Five Stages in the Process of Empowerment

Stage 1
Conditions leading to a psychological state of powerlessness

Stage 2
The use of managerial strategies and techniques

Stage 3
To provide selfefficacy information to subordinates, using four resources

Stage 4
Results in empowering experience of subordinate

Stage 5

Leading to behavioral effects

Organizational factors Supervision Reward system Nature of job

Participative management Goal setting Feedback system Modeling Contingent/ competencebased reward Job enrichment

Enactive attainment Vicarious experience Verbal persuasion Emotional arousal

Strengthening of effort performance expectancy or belief in personal efficacy

Initiation/ persistence of behavior to accomplish task objectives

and

Remove conditions listed under Stage 1

Source: Jay A. Conger and Rabindra N. Kanungo, The Empowerment Process: Integrating Theory and Practice, Academy of Management Review (July 1988): p.475.

Employee Empowerment Grid

Decision-Making Authority over Job Context Implement Follow-up

Point D Mission Defining

Point E Self-Management

Alt Choice

Alt. Eval

Point C Participatory Empowerment Point A No Discretion

Alt. Dev. Alt. Eval

Alt. Dev.

Problem Id.

Point B Task Setting

Alt. Choice Implement Follow-up

Problem ID.

Decision-Making Authority over Job Content

Amitai Etzioni, Modern Organizations, 1964, pp.... 59-61. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall.

Empowerment of Group Members

Empowerment
Is the process of sharing power with group members, thereby enhancing their feelings of self-efficacy. Strategic benefits of distributing power:
Improved productivity, quality, and satisfaction

Keys for the transition to effective empowerment:

Sharing information Providing more structure (training and support) Gradually replacing traditional organizational structure Allowing individuals and teams to determine how to achieve objectives Above all, trusting in employees to do the right thing

Signs of Empowerment and Disempowerment

Empowered Employees
Take initiative in ambiguous situations Identify opportunities in ambiguous situations Apply critical thinking skills Offer judgments about how decisions support shared purpose Identify and act on opportunities to improve systems Optimize resources by reducing expenses and finding opportunities to invest in new resources

Signs of Empowerment and Disempowerment

Disempowered Employees
Wait for a designated authority to take charge Address problem but fail to see opportunity Accept decisions without questioning Discuss but not able to apply information about shared purpose Attempt consensus but yield to higher authority when failing at consensus Focus on resource questions only when directed to do so

Using Power Effectively

Use power in ethical ways Understand and use all of the various types of power and influence Seek out jobs that allow you to develop your power skills Use power tempered by maturity and self-control Accept that influencing people is an important part of the management job

Delegation
The process of granting decisionmaking authority to lower-level employees.

Barriers to Delegation

Belief in the fallacy, If you want it done right, do it yourself. Lack of confidence and trust in lower-level employees. Low self-confidence. Fear of being called lazy. Vague job definition. Fear of competition from those below. Reluctance to take the risks involved in depending on others. Lack of controls that provide early warning of problems with delegated duties. Poor example set by bosses who do not delegate.

Personal Initiative: The Other Side of Delegation

Levels of Action
Taking action Asking for approval to act Asking someone else to act Telling someone about a problem
Decreasing time to action to solve a problem

Noncompliance Apathy

Tips for Personal Initiative and Taking Action

Go

beyond the job. Follow through on new ideas. Dont be defeated by criticism; learn from it. Look ahead and around.

The Evolution of Power: From Domination to Delegation

High
Power Sharing Manager/leader and followers jointly make decisions. Power Distribution Followers granted authority to make decisions.

Degree of Empowerment

Influence Sharing Manager/leader consults followers when making decisions. Authoritarian Power Manager/leader imposes decisions.

None

Domination

Consultation

Participation

Delegation