Empowering The Workforce

Thoughts And Observations about Workplace Empowerment:

"An empowered organization is one in which individuals have the knowledge, skill, desire, and opportunity to personally succeed in a way that leads to collective organizational success."?Stephen Covey – U.S. educator, writer, businessman, speaker, author of “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”.

“Empowerment isn't a buzzword among leadership gurus. It's a proven technique where leaders give their teams the appropriate training, tools, resources, and guidance to succeed.”?John Rampton -– U.S. entrepreneur.

"Empowering employees to achieve something requires alignment between individual aspirations and organizational goals." Murielle Tiambo – U.S. entrepreneur, co-founder of KimboCare , previously a strategy consultant with Booz & Company. .

“Confidence and empowerment are cousins in my opinion. Empowerment comes from within and typically it's stemmed and fostered by self-assurance. To feel empowered is to feel free and that's when people do their best work. You can't fake confidence or empowerment.”? Amy Jo Martin – U.S. entrepreneur, CEO and Founder of Renegade.

“The term ‘empowerment’ is increasingly used in contemporary communications, whether it refers to women uplifting other women in technology, supporting the COVID-19 vaccine industry, or taking action on your career goals. If empowerment applies to so many domains, does it mean the same thing in every context? At its core, empowerment is a construct that links individual strengths, help from community systems, and proactive behaviors to social policy and change. Empowerment refers to a value orientation of autonomy and self-determination, as well as a theoretical model for understanding the process and consequences of efforts to exert control over decisions that affect oneself, organizational functioning, or the quality of community life. Empowerment is commonly linked to strength and confidence, as autonomy allows people to take control of their choices and claim their rights. To this end, both self-empowerment and empowering others are important. (…) (E)mployee empowerment is used in workplaces, referred to as one of the most important management concepts. Generally, this form of empowerment refers to distributing control, such as giving workers greater access to resources and lower-level decisions. With greater employee participation comes greater abilities to independently and responsibly handle individual tasks. Employee empowerment also increases employee motivation and satisfaction, which benefits stakeholders at all levels of the organization. In order for managers to empower their employees, there are three key factors that must be met: (1) Share information with everyone; (2) Create autonomy through boundaries; and (3) Replace the normative hierarchy with self-directed work teams.” From The Decision Lab, decisions, an applied research and innovation firm utilizing behavioral science & design for research assignments and corporate consultation.

“Autonomy leads to empowerment. We work hard to maintain a balance between collaboration and cooperation and independence.”? Bobby Kotick – U.S. entrepreneur, CEO at Activision Blizzard.

“Giving employees autonomy is critical for innovation, performance, and motivation. (…) Autonomy is a hallmark of an innovative culture. The ability to make decisions for yourself enhances motivation, which in turn contributes to higher levels of performance and well-being. It also gives leaders more time to focus on the most significant and complex decisions and explore new sources of value creation. Creating more autonomy involves shifting power from the top and center of the organization to the front line by empowering people to make decisions. (…) It’s a big change for executives who have “grown up” in traditional, hierarchical organizations, in which decision-making authority is held tightly by a select few and many decisions are left unspoken. As a result, employees aren’t accustomed to making decisions. And when they are empowered to take on more decision-making responsibility, they’re often left to figure it out themselves without clear guidance or support. Even the most capable and enthusiastic employees wonder whether they’re doing the right thing. This can feel risky, especially when they see some of their coworkers being laid off; they worry about the consequences if things go wrong. This gap between the desire for more empowerment and capability (with confidence) is what I call the ‘decision deficit.’ Left unaddressed, employees become frustrated that the promise of greater empowerment and autonomy isn’t followed up with actions and don’t see the opportunity to develop themselves. Leaders also feel frustrated with the lack of progress.”?Published in the Harvard Business Review , written by David Lancefield – U.K entrepreneur, director of David Lancefield Ventures, Ltd., guest lecturer at 英国伦敦商学院 , advisor to the board for LeaderEQ, contributor to Harvard Business Review , contributing editor for s&b.

“…From the IBM/Globoforce study - The Employee Experience Index … ranking the top organizational practices that drive more positive employee experiences: meaningful work (cited by 27 percent of respondents); empowerment and voice (17 percent); feedback, recognition and growth (16 percent); co-worker relationships (16 percent); organizational trust (15 percent); and work/life balance (8 percent). ?The study made it clear that ‘employee experience and engagement go hand in hand.’ Improving the employee experience starts with leaders and managers ‘getting the processes right so people can do their jobs. That influences how engaged and able they are to do their work.’ But, according to the study, 44 percent of employees did not feel their senior leaders were providing clear direction about where the organization was headed, and 37 percent did not feel their managers were effective in serving and supporting the team. ?Meaningful work means that employees' skills and talents are being fully utilized and there is alignment to shared, core values, according to the study. The presence of these characteristics was related to a 50-percentage-point increase in positive employee experience. ?Employees who felt empowered, who felt their ideas and suggestions mattered, were more than twice as likely to report a positive employee experience than those who didn't feel that way (83 percent versus 34 percent).(…) The index measured: ?‘Belonging’—feeling part of a team, group or organization. ‘Purpose’—understanding why one's work matters.?‘Achievement’—sense of accomplishment in the work that is done.?‘Happiness’—the pleasant feeling arising in and around work.?‘Vigor’—the presence of energy, enthusiasm and excitement at work. ?The study found that more positive employee experiences are linked to better performance, putting in extra effort at work and lower turnover. It found that employees with low employee experience index scores were more than twice as likely to say they wanted to leave compared to those with more positive experiences. (…) ‘Workers in the top 25 percent were 52 percent less likely to leave and 32 percent more likely to achieve higher performance.’ Study prepared by Sheri Feinzig - U.S. businesswoman, global head of workforce planning & analytics at Marsh McLennan , formerly director of IBM Talent Management Consulting and the Smarter Workforce Institute. Study presented at the Work Human conference. Reported by Stephanie Overman on July 27, 2017 for SHRM .

Many leaders often try to empower their employees by delegating authority and decision-making, sharing information, and asking for their input. But a recent meta-analysis of 105 studies (Which included data from more than 30,000 employees from 30 countries.) on this “empowering” leadership style found that it works best in motivating certain types of performance and certain types of employees. It found that first, empowering leaders are much more effective at influencing employee creativity and citizenship behavior (i.e., behavior that is not formally recognized or rewarded like helping coworkers or attending work functions that aren’t mandatory) than routine task performance. Second, by empowering their employees, these leaders are also more likely to be trusted by their subordinates, compared to leaders who do not empower their employees. Third, leaders who empowered employees were more effective at influencing employee performance in Eastern, compared to Western, cultures, and they had a more positive impact on employees who had less experience working in their organizations. Research has regularly demonstrated that when employees feel empowered at work, it is associated with stronger job performance, job satisfaction, and commitment to the organization.” Reported in the Harvard Business Review and in the Journal of Organizational Behavior by Allan Lee – U.K academic, senior lecturer in organizational psychology at University of Exeter Business School , Sara Willis, PhD – U.K. academic, senior lecturer in organizational psychology at 英国曼彻斯特大学 , and Amy WEI TIAN – Australian academic, associate professor at 澳大利亚科廷科技大学 .

“From a psychological standpoint, the manager or leader needs to facilitate that process by providing the support and feedback that give employees confidence to act independently and be confident in their decision-making processes. An analysis of research on employee empowerment conducted by professors Allan Lee , Sara Willis, PhD and Amy WEI TIAN found that employee empowerment is associated with stronger job performance, job satisfaction and commitment to the organization. Empowering leaders were more likely to have employees who generated new ideas, looked for novel ways to solve problems, helped others in the workplace, volunteered for extra assignments and were willing to support the organization outside of their official capacity. The research also showed that empowering leaders generally had employees who were more creative and helpful, and they were more likely to be trusted by their employees.” Reported on SHRM by Arlene Hirsch M.A. LCPC , U.S. career counselor, author.

“Employee empowerment has been a topic of interest ever since American social worker and management consultant Mary Parker Follett distinguished between ‘power-with’ and ‘power-over’, suggesting that integrating desires would increase power-with and power-over. The existing literature on this topic is varied: some researchers have focused on psychological aspect of employee empowerment (i.e. meaningfulness, choice, impact, and competence) while others have suggested that there are seven dimensions of employee empowerment (i.e. power, decision making, initiative and creativity, responsibility, autonomy, information, and knowledge and skills). Considering the model of seven dimensions of employee empowerment, Yang and Choi (Seung-Bum Yang – South Korean academic, Doctor of Philosophy at ????? and Choi Sang Long – Malaysian academic, PhD in Management, professor at Ruffles University) felt that there was noticeable overlap between dimensions. For example, decision making overlaps with autonomy, which also overlaps with power. Based on these observations, the researchers identified four dimensions of empowerment: autonomy, creativity, information, and responsibility. They wanted to examine the effect of employee empowerment on team performance, specifically in the context of municipal work teams. Surveying 176 American municipal government employees, the researchers found that all four dimensions - autonomy, creativity, information, and responsibility - had positive and significant effects on team performance. Increased autonomy was associated with more intrinsic motivation, increased information was associated with more accurate decisions, and increased creativity was associated with more motivation to work. The findings suggest that employee empowerment programs should consider different dimensions of empowerment, allowing managers to design more successful programs and experience improvements in the workplace.” From The Decision Lab, decisions, an applied research and innovation firm utilizing behavioral science & design for research assignments and corporate consultation.

“Transition from Top-Down Management - In the early 2000s, Tasty Catering (in suburban Chicago, Illinois) moved from a command-and-control leadership model to one of employee empowerment, and the impact of the transition on the organization's bottom line has been enduring and significant. In an industry where turnover averages 45 percent, the commercial catering company has 4 percent turnover and what co-founder Tom Walter calls ‘incredible profit margins.’ But this didn't happen overnight. It has been an evolving process that required a sustained commitment from senior leadership.?Walter and his brothers Larry and Kevin opened their first Tasty Dawg fast-food restaurant in the 1980s. The unexpected popularity of their restaurant's corporate catering service led to the creation of Tasty Catering, a 150-employee commercial catering company (…) But in the early 2000s, the business was struggling, and morale was low.?That's when Walter's then 24-year-old son Tim (who worked in the finance department) and Tim's 23-year-old friend Jamie Pritscher (who worked in logistics) delivered an ultimatum: Shift from a leadership model of command and control to one of employee empowerment and accountability, or they were leaving. ‘We were desperate,’ Tom Walter said. ‘The business was floundering. So we figured we had nothing to lose by giving it a try.’ ‘Giving it a try’ in this case meant entirely reinventing the corporate culture in order to instill in all employees the notion that they are accountable to each other and responsible for their own success.” Reported on SHRM by Arlene Hirsch M.A. LCPC , U.S. career counselor, author.

“Managers have to learn how to engage differently with their direct reports so that there is less instruction and more two-way dialogue. (…) You are giving them a voice and … the much-needed space to get emotionally connected to the company's strategy and give it their best, as well as turn any mistakes into learning opportunities." Murielle Tiambo – U.S. entrepreneur, co-founder of KimboCare, previously a strategy consultant with Booz and Company.

“Most people think leadership is about being in charge. Most people think leadership is about having all the answers and being the most intelligent person or the most qualified person in the room. The irony is that it is the complete opposite. Leadership is about empowering others to achieve things they did not think possible. Leadership is about pointing in the direction, articulating a vision of the world that does not yet exist. Then asking help from others to insure that vision happens.”? Simon Sinek – U.K. born/ U.S. ?author, leadership consultant.

“True leadership strengthens the followers. It is a process of teaching, setting an example, and empowering others. If you seek to lead, your ability will ultimately be measured in the successes of those around you.” David Niven – U.K. actor, writer.

“No person can be a great leader unless he takes genuine joy in the successes of those under him.” W. H. Auden?- U.K. writer.

“Leadership is providing inspiration and vision, then developing and empowering others to achieve this vision.” Marshall Goldsmith – U.S. entrepreneur.

“Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it's amazing what they can accomplish.”?Sam Walton – U.S. entrepreneur, founder of 沃尔玛 and Sam's Club .

“Managers help people see themselves as they are; Leaders help people to see themselves better than they are.”?Jim Rohn – U.S. entrepreneur, author, motivational speaker.

“The beauty of empowering others is that your own power is not diminished in the process.”? Barbara Coloroso – U.S. writer.

“The most impactful thing you can do with power is almost always to give it away.” Hank Green – U.S. vlogger, science communicator, entrepreneur, author, internet producer, musician.

"Virtually every company will be going out and empowering their workers with a certain set of tools, and the big difference in how much value is received from that will be how much the company steps back and really thinks through their business processes, thinking through how their business can change, how their project management, their customer feedback, their planning cycles can be quite different than they ever were before." ? Bill Gates – U.S. entrepreneur, philanthropist, best known for co-founding 微软 .

“It’s not the tools you have faith in – tools are just tools – they work, or they don’t work.?It’s the people you have faith in or not.” ??Steve Jobs – U.S. entrepreneur, co-founder of 苹果 .

“Believe in your infinite potential. Your only limitations are those you set upon yourself. (…) Never let self-doubt hold you captive. You are worthy of all that you dream of and hope for.”?Roy T. Bennett – U.S. writer.

“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” Maya Angelou - U.S. poet, civil rights activist.

“One of the greatest regrets in life is being what others would want you to be, rather than being yourself. (…) When you stop living your life based on what others think of you real life begins. At that moment, you will finally see the door of self-acceptance opened. (…) The most important thing is this: to sacrifice what you are now for what you can become tomorrow.”??Shannon L. Alder – U.S. writer, therapist.

“Responsibility to yourself means refusing to let others do your thinking, talking, and naming for you; it means learning to respect and use your own brains and instincts; hence, grappling with hard work.” Adrienne Rich – U.S. writer.

“Empowerment is the ability to refine, improve, and enhance your life without co-dependency. (…) “If you can transcend from the dark rut of disempowered thinking to the bright light of an empowered agreement with reality, you will see opportunities not barriers. You will see the finish line, not the hurdles.” Steve Maraboli – U.S. behavioral scientist, writer.

“Dig deep and empower yourself today. Stand in your inner strength. Be uniquely you.” Amy Leigh Mercree – U.S. writer, wellness coach.

“If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” Shirley Chislom – U.S. politician.

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