The new millennium is characterized by all-pervading
rapid changes in the
external environment. These changes have given rise to a more
egalitarian society with democratic values. As a result, organizations are
gradually becoming delayered with the blurring of the boundary
between the superior and the subordinates. This leads to `empowerment',
i.e., enabling or authorizing an individual to think, behave, take
action, control work and make decisions in autonomous ways. Generally,
this term connotes something that one individual does for another, i.e.,
usually the manager has to bestow empowerment on the people who
report to him.
Empowerment has become a buzzword in the arena of
management. It is often portrayed as a panacea for all organizational ills.
Empowerment strategies, when properly implemented, can result in
organizational effectiveness. While empowerment is considered
almost similar to delegated authority, there are two characteristics of
empowerment which make it unique. These are: (1) the personnel are
encouraged to use their own initiatives, and (2) the employees are given not
just authority, but resources as well so that they are able to make a
decision and ensure that it is implemented. The basic conditions
for empowerment to be embedded in the organizational culture and
become operational are: belief in the individual's abilities,
interpersonal trust, a genuine concern for people, participation, innovation and
access to information.
Various empowerment initiatives may be adopted by
organizations. For example, Springfield Remanufacturing Company
imbibed the "Open Book Management" (OBC) culture.
Employees were empowered to participate in each and every decision taken
by the management. The OBM culture calls for total employee
participation, who were also given free access to the company's monthly
financial reports. This ultimately led to employee satisfaction and
profitability for the organization. |
