Review the article titled
In your blog, prepare a summary that compares and contrasts the concepts discussed to those discussed in the text.
To coin a phrase from the article, "empowerment is the stepchild of a grand heritage." The ideas of involvement and participation are different from that of empowerment, although empowerment is a direct descendant of the two.
As the term implies, empowerment is used as method to institute the freedoms and ability to make decisions, commitments, suggestions and not simply a part of making them. The root of empowerment is about enhancing allocated power, perceived or otherwise. Most of the shortfalls regarding empowerment are not a result of flawed conception. But rather the flawed implementation of empowerment by six missteps, which are common to most organizations that have experienced difficulty during the deployment phase, eventually causing the concept to run short of steam before it gets a chance to prove itself.
1. Precious empowerment mandates – much like some relationships, empowerment programs are shoved into the front line troops in hopes of grandeur and decision making extraordinaire… only to fizzle out just barely out of the starting gate as this sort of knee jerk and fast track empowerment can and actually takes power away from those who need it.
The text discusses setting up clear and concise performance expectations. Also it is important to realize we are not simply discussing an hourly wage employee, one third of all managers have failed in their new position after only 18 months. This is a direct coloration between not getting clear and concise expectations and the manager’s ignorance in thinking individuals should already know their expectations.
2. Over reliance on a narrow psychological concept – initially empowerment was considered to be sort of a distribution of power if you will and referred to as a commodity to be brokered much like the stock market. Ironically several organizations have spent considerable time and money in a feeble attempt to convince employees of the power they have vs. simply allocating it to them.
In the text it refers to a redesign of work in order to motivate workers. In other words, the more variety and skill sets utilized, the tasks are meaningful and worthwhile with little need for having to convince an employee of any perceived power since they would have naturally acquired it through the redesigned task.
3. One size fits all – most empowerment programs fail due to a failure to differentiate between its employees. Employees are uncomfortable with the new concept, as they have not been properly trained on its expectations and responsibilities. It is deployed prematurely and to the organization as a whole and not to those who can and will use it in a consistent and selective manner but also to those who will not.
Removing obstacles through proper aptitude required for the position and/or providing the necessary training, needed resources as well as cooperation and support from other work sections are all positive methods the text identified as important steps in assuring employee buy-in and commitment.
4. Negligence of the needs of the power sharers – Middle managers are the most at risk regarding the shedding of power they once held so dear and most executives have a hard time accepting that middle managers have a hard time due to anxiety issues by the possibility of a reduction in middle management via the empowerment program.
While it is the role of management to remove obstacles in order to provide a positive work environment those workers can excel at and become autonomous. It is equally important to foster middle and top level management to assure their new roles are tailored as well to the new work environment and organizational settings. In the text it discusses how much leader involvement is required and the risk of a manager being too assertive.
5. Piece meal approaches – Foundering empowerment programs are a result of the deployment of piecemeal systems with-in an organization with out addressing how they fit into the bigger picture. Much like a puzzle, without all the pieces in sync… the puzzle is incomplete.
The text discussed fostering a motivating work environment. Like training and supplying resources to properly accomplish the task, an effective manager will devote time toward gauging and strengthening their employee’s motivation. Conversely, managers who ignore their responsibility to their employees and provide no real leadership or setting of priorities can paralyze the work unit and in-turn could lead to failure of the whole organization as they tend to be interdependent upon one another.
6. Distortions of accountability – The implication that there is accountability for performance and those employees’ outcomes are a result of accountability. The heads of organizations for all intensive purposes are not accountable to anyone with-in an organization. The heads are accountable to the market place from which their products are distributed and no one much cares how they got it to market, only that it is in good supply at a fair price and is reliable. Conversely it is the employee who is in a position of accountability for precisely what they have with-in their control.
Much like life, there is no free lunch and empowerment is not free. The needed skills need to be acquired, technology created or adapted, relationships formed, cultures changed and policies and procedures modified or adapted.
There are four methods an organization might seek to build upon empowerment and in-turn expanding employees control and decision-making ability in their world would be through:
Competence – acquired through formal training, education, self-study or computer based learning,
Resources – and employees access to and control over tangible and monetarily,
Freedom – the freedom to make decisions and having the organization stick to them with unless the decision proves to be a threat to the organization,
Relationships – allow employees the opportunity to build relationships through a direct interface with customers, suppliers, and powerful peers and outside organizations including Subject Matter Experts.
For an organization to truly succeed in a joint venture of empowerment between management and employee. The best method may be to simply concentrate on the intended results and do not over focus on the deployment of power. As the article stated… "Trying to hard and to pointedly can sometimes undermine what you are trying to do."
Energy is created when goals and results are crystal clear and boundaries are set, as a way to channel the best use of available resources (including employees) and less on conflicts and tension by a lack of organizational clarity.
Remember the rational for empowerment, is to have an organization that is highly effective in its methods and operation. Creating the most opportunities for a product or service, that meets or exceeds customer wants and needs and out paces the competition. : " Empowerment: Rejuvenating a potent idea" by Russ Forrester (2000).
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