One thing I learned this week is that people really hate buzzwords.
Anything that comes after the term goes in one ear and out the other as a fad
that comes and goes. Empowerment is one of those words. It hardly seems fair
because as Forrester (2002) noted in his article that this is a potent idea and
that it should be rejuvenated. This does not mean accepting throwing around the
term because it was deemed important but walking the walk instead. Heck, you do
not even have to say what it is called; actions are enough. Sadly, some
companies have found it difficult to put empowerment into practice (Forrester,
2002).
From personal experience I can
say this is half true. It is a fifty-fifty expedition. Some can do it and
others cannot. Well, let’s rephrase. Some will do and others will not. But
guess what, those that do are head and shoulders more successful because of it.
I think it is the difference between making excuses and hiding behind them and
knocking down barriers and making it work. Forrester (2002) contended that
there are six ways to undermine empowerment:
·
Mandating a rapid shift to empowerment
·
Over-reliance on a narrow psychological concept
·
One-size fits all empowerment
·
Neglect of the needs of power sharers on the key
dimensions of control, achievement,
recognition, security and subjective attribution
·
Piecemeal approaches
·
Distortions of accountability
Often it is our personal attitudes that we carry with us and thread
through ideas, especially whether we will accept or give empowerment. This may
be demonstrated through attitudes about subordinates, personal insecurities, or
need for control (Whetten & Cameron, 2011). “Managers who avoid empowering
others often believe their subordinates are not competent enough to accomplish
the work, aren’t interested in taking on more responsibility, are already
overloaded and unable to accept more responsibility, would require too much
time to train, or shouldn’t be involved “ (Whetten & Cameron, 2011, p.
462). I think there comes a time when we have to stop hiding behind these ideas
and placing these types of attributes on others. An empowered team can do
better than the most competent individual (Whetten & Cameron, 2011).
If you feel like Atlas carrying the world on your shoulders, it is time
to believe that you can let go and say no to those things that are your
inhibitors. Forrester (2002) also listed six strategies employed to enlist the
power of employees more effectively:
·
Enlarge power, by building knowledge, skills and
competence alongside increased discretion
·
Be clear how much you want to extend employees'
power, the extent you are prepared to fund it and the appetite within the
company for empowerment
·
Differentiate among employees
·
Support power sharers
·
Build closely aligned management systems
·
Focus on results
Even with the willingness to empower success still requires skillful
implementation. This can come in many forms from ensuring you are articulating
a clear vision and goals, helping build confidence through the small-wins
strategy, or being a model for the behavior you want to see in others. Whetten
and Cameron (2011) had a similar and equally specific list that in many ways
mirror Forrester:
· Articulate
a clear vision and goals
· Provide
personal mastery experiences
· Model
behavior
· Provide
support
· Excuse
emotional arousal
· Provide
information
· Provide
resources
· Connect to
outcomes
· Create
confidence
To tie this altogether, I think of times when I was not empowered.
There is almost nothing worse than feeling you are ineffectual. I remember when
I worked in the legal field how my self-confidence decreased each day. I am
sure the attorney wanted me to do more and have more value to him as it would
only be to his benefit. Day in and day out he would sit in his office; door
closed, and would stew over his cases alone. For a long time I felt like it was
a “me” problem and it was hard because each day I grew suspicious to why he did
not communicate with me.
Paranoia and fear set in, the opposite ingredients to fostering
confidence and creativity within me. I did not have a direction, we had no
rapport, and I began to realize what I was doing was not a worthy use of my
time. There was no trust between us and his attitude became that I was not
worth an investment of his time and attention. With my morale shot and no
feeling of self-worth I left the legal field once and for all after that
experience. I felt set up to fail… because I was whether it was intentional or
not.
All I can say is that I know this experience has been forever imprinted
upon me. The only benefit I can see is that I will never look back from a truly
empowered approach and wonder ‘what if’ in terms of cutting corners and not
doing it the right way. The knowledge is already there in terms of what the
result would look like and for that I am wiser. Perhaps if I had only
encountered positive experiences my outlook would be better. I argue it could
possibly more dangerous. Would I take for granted the good I see now regarding
empowerment? Or worse, would I risk deviating into the unknown and not
fostering a meaningful environment that reaps enriched benefits for both
individuals and the organization? I would never want anyone to feel the way I
used to feel so I embrace helping other to feel a sense of self-efficacy,
self-determinism, personal control, meaning, and trust because these are the
things that empower me.
References:
Forrester, R. (2002). Empowerment: Rejuvenating a potent idea. Measuring
Business Excellence, 6(2), 68. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.libproxy.db.erau.edu/docview/208740450?accountid=27203
Whetten, D. & Cameron, K. (2011). Developing management skills (8th
ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall
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