A520.5.3.RB - Forrester's Empowerment
How is empowerment defined? To empower a person it means
to enable them and assist them in developing self-confidence (Whetten &
Cameron, 2011). The mean goal is to minimize the feeling of being powerless and
helpless (Whetten & Cameron, 2011). According to the textbook there are
several dimensions needed to assist with empowering an individual in the
workplace. In addition to the textbook, the article “Empowerment: Rejuvenating
a potent idea”, has a few comparative and contrasting ideas as well.
Is it possible to have nonproductive empowerment?
According to (Forrester, 2011), organizational empowerment may fall short
because Leader’s are excited about the possibility of change but fail to carry
out the action to implement the changes. Another contrasting concept is the
idea that empowerment is a one size fits all idea. By thinking all people are
capable of making the same decision, at the same level with varying levels of
experience, is a one size fits all mentality (Forrester, 2011).One size fits
all does not benefits the workforce because all employees are not capable of
the same tasks. The idea that all people are equal with their skills and
abilities will cause failure. Finally, negligence of the needs of the people
who share power is another contrasting concept and does not have a positive
outcome of promoting empowerment (Forrester, 2011). This idea involves passing
the control of empowerment from one person to the next, easily and without
struggle. However, this has shown to be difficult because the middle managers
do not want to give up power without a struggle because they have been in a
position of authority for a significant amount of time (Forrester, 2011).
On the other hand, there are several concepts from the
text (Forrester, 2011) and (Whetten & Cameron, 2011) that are comparative
to each other reinforce positive empowerment within the workforce. Both sources
talk about the need for self-efficiency; which is the feeling of capability and
competence to complete a task successfully (Whetten & Cameron, 2011). A few
more important concepts both texts support are having trust in the employees, providing
support, and feeding the emotional arousal of people (Forrester) (Whetten &
Cameron, 2011). Finally, providing the resources employees need will help
fulfill the empowerment companies strive for (Whetten & Cameron, 2011)
because the individuals will be capable of completing their tasks independently.
If employees do not have the necessary resources to complete their tasks they
will not feel capable nor empowered.
In conclusion, both sources suggest positive potential
means of empowering employees and producing the desired results. The article by
Forrester, also includes contrasting ideas as well that will not work and do
not benefit the employer. It is important for companies to carry out the proven
methods of empowerment versus being overzealous and not having successful
results from employees.
Forrester,
R. (2000). Empowerment: Rejuvenating a potent idea. The Academy of Management
Executive, 3(14), 67-80.
Whetten, D. A., & Cameron, K. S. (2011). Developing Management Skills (Eighth ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.
