Making Empowerment More Powerful

Although the concept of “employee empowerment” has been around since the 1970’s, there is still much to be learned about how leaders can create an empowering culture, as well as identify ways the organization can benefit. And some new thinking on the subject just emerged from a group of researchers at the University of Georgia. They recently completed a comprehensive study of empowerment that not only demonstrates the extensive value to be gained, but teases out some interesting insight on how to deeply engrain empowerment into your culture.

The first thing the team did was build a rich definition of what we mean by the word “empowerment.” We often think about it in context of giving employees increased authority to make decisions as part of their work, and this is certainly true. But they also noted that empowered employees are independently proactive and believe that their work makes a difference. Essentially, these employees recognize that they are accountable for the viability of the business, and feel an obligation to act in ways that honor this responsibility. These talented individuals believe that the vision of the organization can’t be achieved without them.

Next, the researchers looked at whether an organization benefits when they build a culture that encourages empowerment, and as past research has demonstrated, the answer was a clear “Yes.” Empowered employees have greater job satisfaction, feel a stronger commitment to the company, and perform at higher levels. They are also experienced less job-related stress, which is a good thing in the tenuous world we live in today.

Finally, the research team tackled the question of how best to promote empowerment, and this is where it gets really interesting. Is it by providing tangible resources like training and budget? Did it happen by how the individual jobs or the organization itself is designed? While these factors may contribute to empowerment, a critical factor was something quite different. What they learned was that empowerment becomes stronger when employees believe that the organization “cares for and values them.” It’s a feeling, not a tool. And more specifically, it’s about being recognized as a unique human being with the ability to step up and make a difference, everyday.

Imagine the virtuous circle of success that’s created when employees can face the ever escalating challenges of life in today’s world with real confidence--and that the organization believes it too.

Jennifer