9. Empowering management

"Empowering management" is a leadership approach that aims to empower employees to take ownership of their work and contribute meaningfully to the organization. This approach fosters a supportive work environment that values employees' capabilities and promotes trust, delegation, and collaboration. As a result, it leads to increased engagement, productivity, and job satisfaction.

Conceptualizing employee empowerment

The concept of employee empowerment has been defined by scholars in different ways. Most of them agree that empowerment connotes giving employees discretion over certain task-related activities, HIEU, (2020).

According to Randolph (1995), employee empowerment is the “transfer of power” from the employer to the employees.

Youtube-Empowering management

9.1.What is the Empowerment.

Figer 1.Empowerment

Empowerment is the power granted by one person or institution to another. The government can empower a department to effect change, or a person can grant empowerment to his/her lawyer to sign contracts on his/her behalf.

Empowerment has been identified as a key determinant of employee engagement, Saks, (2006) and has also been found to be positively related to job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and innovative work behavior, Seibert et al, (2011).

9.2.How should you empower employees?

Empowering employees is a culture. It takes an increase in trust, clear communication, and strategic delegation. 

To empower employees, consider the following steps:

• Delegate to develop.
• Set clear expectations.
• Give employees autonomy over assignments.
• Provide necessary resources.
• Give constructive feedback.
• Accept ideas and input.
• Communicate the vision of the organization.
• Recognize employees who work hard.

9.3.Strategies for implementing employee empowerment

Figer 1. Strategies for implementing employee empowerment

• Maintain clear communication of expectations
• Offer training and development opportunities
• Encourage employee feedback and participation
• Establish a supportive workplace culture
• Recognize hard work and dedication
• Allow room for mistakes

9.4.Benefits of employee empowerment

There are several benefits of employee empowerment, including:

• Improved employee satisfaction.
• Higher employee retention.
• Higher productivity. 
• Better business results.
• Efficient decision-making. 
• Improved communication.
• Increased customer satisfaction.

Overall, employee empowerment benefits both the organization and employees by increasing motivation, productivity, innovation, customer satisfaction, and retention. By empowering employees, organizations can create a culture of trust, respect, and collaboration that drives success and growth.

Conclusion

Today’s employees don’t require rigid organizational structures and complex processes. Instead, they’re looking for a collaborative and empowering work environment where they can exercise their creativity, take appropriate risks, and contribute to the company’s success.

To achieve maximum performance levels, employers need to prioritize employee empowerment in their organization. 

References:

• HIEU, V. M. (2020). EMPLOYEE EMPOWERMENT AND EMPOWERING LEADERSHIP: A. Technium, 2-7.(Accessed 07 Apr. 2024).
• According to Randolph (1995), employee empowerment is the “transfer of power” from the employer to the employees.(Accessed 07 Apr. 2024).
• "Empowerment."Vocabulary.comDictionary,Vocabulary.com, https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/empowerment. (Accessed 07 Apr. 2024).
• Saks, A. M. (2006). Antecedents and consequences of employee engagement. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 21(7), 600-619.(Accessed 07 Apr. 2024).
• Seibert, S.E., Wang, G., & Courtright, S.H. (2011). Antecedents and consequences of psychological and team empowerment in organizations: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Applied Psychology, 96(5), 981-1003.(Accessed 07 Apr. 2024).
• Web - https://leadershipchoice.com/empower-employees-in-the-workplace/
• Web -https://www.upwork.com/resources/employee-empowerment