I was interviewing a senior
professional. She told me that she wants to change the job because she is not
empowered. Empowerment has several definitions. Simplified Wiki definition of
empowerment is - the power to participate in the decision making process.
Interestingly the participant does not make the final decision. Participant only
gives an opinion in the decision making process. Even if the result is
diagonally opposite to the opinion of the participant, participant feels
empowered.
Another interesting insight precipitated when a colleague told me that he
has an offer at hand but he does not want to join. His reason was that the new
job does not have the similar kind of freedom enjoyed by him in his current
job. Further elaboration clarified that people feel empowered when they have
freedom to do their own job with minimal interference.
In given context, empowerment in any organization is created
in three distinct ways
1. Structural empowerment: is created by organization ideology and senior management. It primarily depends on Organization Design, Delegation of Authority, Policy framework and Bureaucracy appetite of the organization.
2. Environmental empowerment: is created by the middle management. How managers treat their employees; extent of freedom to take routine decisions; intensity of micro management and work practices determine environmental empowerment.
3. Self-empowerment: is an employee level phenomenon. Employees already have plenty of power, in the wealth of their knowledge and motivation, to do their jobs magnificently. Many a times self-created boundaries and self-doubts restrict employees to feel empowered. Helping employees with their self-doubts creates an empowered organization.
1. Structural empowerment: is created by organization ideology and senior management. It primarily depends on Organization Design, Delegation of Authority, Policy framework and Bureaucracy appetite of the organization.
2. Environmental empowerment: is created by the middle management. How managers treat their employees; extent of freedom to take routine decisions; intensity of micro management and work practices determine environmental empowerment.
3. Self-empowerment: is an employee level phenomenon. Employees already have plenty of power, in the wealth of their knowledge and motivation, to do their jobs magnificently. Many a times self-created boundaries and self-doubts restrict employees to feel empowered. Helping employees with their self-doubts creates an empowered organization.
Empowerment score of any organization is a combination of these three
elements. Organizations with high empowerment score must showcase their
empowerment practices and sensitize their employees, so that Empowerment
practices create an exit barrier. For sure, employees do not change jobs only
for money.
It is of utmost importance that employees should be made aware on empowerment. Most of the people only know the word meaning of the empowerment but they are least concerned in getting on what goes beyond this.Most of the organisations, rather all, have top down approach in decision making, so it is least likely that employees at front line be given any power. Collective decision making happens in the board room and it flows downwards.
ReplyDeleteAs far as employees concern about his/her empowerment, they should be conditioned properly by the organisation through MDF.
Empowering employees enables a business to grow and evolve, also that employee feels valued and is less likely to leave the company
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ReplyDeleteI would like to get in touch. Can you please share your email id.
ReplyDeleteI am Director of the company and worked with Japanese corporate, Gulf corporate environment and Malaysia . India also worked with top notch public sector .
ReplyDeleteWe always tried to empower middle and front line . Team empowerment is more productive than individual.