Empowerment

Blanca Flores

Mrs. McROREY

BMGT 2303

April 30, 2004

EMPOWERMENT AND DESICION MAKING

In response to uncertainty caused by change in the environment, organizations tend to establish more flexible structures, in which there is a commonplace for empowerment. For example, if a company faces a growing number of competitors, different customers want different things, characteristics of products keep changing, and when production facilities are being built in different parts of the world, then it may be impossible for top executives to keep up with all activities and understand all operations of the business. In cases like these top management is more likely to give authority to lower level managers to make decisions that will benefit the company.

an empowering work environment provides people with information necessary for them to perform at their best, knowledge about how to use the information and how to do their work, power to make decisions that gives them control over their work, and the rewards they deserve for the contributions they make. EMPOWERING PEOPLE MEANS ALLOWING THEM TO PARTICIPATE IN DECISION MAKING, SETTING MEANINGFUL AND CHALLANGING GOALS, APPLAUDING OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCES, AND ENCOURANING PEOPLE TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR WORK. IT ALSO MEANS PROVIDING INFORMATION AND OTHER RESOURCES, AS WELL AS SOCIAL AND SOMETIMES EMOTIONAL SUPPORT. INCLUDING REDUCING THE NUMBER OF RULES AND APPROVAL STEPS, ASSIGNING NONROUTINE JOBS, ALOWING INDEPENDENT JUDGEMENT, FLEXIBILITY AND CREACTIVITY, AND REDISIGNING JOBS MORE BOADLY AS PROJECTS RATHER THAN TASKS THROUGHOUT THE ORGANIZATION. Teaching employees how best to use the information can be flexible tools employees can apply in any circumstance to guide themselves toward effective choices.

FOR LEADERS TO TRULY EMPOWER EMPLOYEES, THEY MUST DELEGATE DECISION MAKING TO THE LOWEST LEVEL POSSIBLE. EMPLOYEES ARE OFTEN THE CLOSEST TO THE PROBLEM AND HAVE THE MOST...