Empowerment, what does it mean, how will it affect the workplace and how can it be used effectively? These types of answers to the questions posed will vary with different working environments but the common denominator is that every company, workplace and or organization needs to have leaders/managers that can effectively empower their employees. According to the article, “Empowerment is a tantalizing notion that seems to offer organizations the promise of more focused, energetic and creative work from employees.” This statement in comparison to the text is reflective of the 9 Principles of Empowerment.
According to the textbook there are 9 Principles of Empowerment
1. Articulating a Clear Vision & Goals
2. Fostering Personal Mastery Experiences
3. Modeling
4. Providing Support
5. Emotional Arousal
6. Providing Information
7. Providing Resources
8. Connecting to Outcomes
9. Creating Confidence
Each of the 9 principles are pivotal in creating empowerment within an organization as well as maintaining it. The point is not to show empowerment towards your employees until they are satisfied and then quit the point is to continuously infuse the work environment with empowerment.
Not all leaders can affectively apply empowerment into their work environments and there is no “one-size-fits-all” form of empowerment. Leaders and managers are now being forced to now identify their employees as individuals to properly apply the principles. When it was once okay to treat everyone equally, now companies are finding that you have to treat them all equally different because each person is uniquely different. The days of having employees but knowing little about them is over, we are now in rich with an era full of culture and those boundaries have to be addressed with care.
The article states that,”empowerment is not free,” I beg to differ. Empowerment doesn’t have to come from a monetary or benefit standpoint but it does take work. No effective leader or manager is given a separate budget line for applying empowerment, it comes from within. To be effective you have to want to give back to your employees because in turn they will do the same for you.
The articles title describes it all, “Empowerment: Rejuvenating a potent idea.” What we once knew about empowerment has now changed due to cultural changes, gender shifts in the work place and the idea of being “globalized.” Applying effective empowerment skills will not only make you a more successful leader but it will also enhance the moral within the work place.
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