Empowering for Optimal Outcomes

For me, empowering is a means to reduce inefficiencies, improve decisiveness and provide freedom of choice.

Reduce inefficiencies - consider a situation where a suggested course of action needs to be approved at multi-layered process with each stage of consultation / deliberation potentially adding alternatives.

If it can be deduced that several or all of the alternatives lead to very similar outcomes, the final chosen course of action does not have a substantial advantage. This deliberation leads to inefficiency. Here authorizing the team to choose an alternative leads to faster action.

Improve decisiveness - Consider a situation where a set of guidelines for choosing a course of action is prepared, and the guidelines permit situation "on the ground" to be accounted for in making a choice.

If a team is permitted choice of action closer to the "conflict zone",?the team can take a better decision. This leads to rapid and decisive action.

Freedom of choice - When the desired outcome is stated, and the team has sufficient expertise to consider alternative course of action, the team should be permitted to suggest the alternatives. More alternatives being considered, the team has greater choice. This leads to the team being invested in the chosen alternative.

In summary, the empowerment mechanism essentially permits alternatives to be considered (what can be done), setting guidelines and context of the alternative to be selected (how to choose a course of action), and with a clear outcome expected (to achieve what). Efficient, rapid, appropriate and decisive action.