Discuss what empowerment means to you, and provide free essay sample

Empowerment means a lot to me personally. It is definitely one way to motivate me. I detest micromanagement and enjoy the freedom of doing my tasks without close supervision. I am very passionate about what I do and given the opportunity, resources, and authority I will perform much better with less supervision and will always give more than expected. Probably the most comprehensive deflation of empowerment In the literature can be found in Thomas and Pilothouses (1990) article entitled Cognitive elements of empowerment: An interpretive model of intrinsic task motivation.The definition hey provide is: To empower means to give power to. Power, however, has several meanings Authority, so that empowerment can mean authorization . Capacity .However, power also means energy. Thus to empower also can mean to energize. This latter meaning best captures the present motivational usage of the term. Our perception is that the word empowerment has become popular because it provides a label for a nontraditional paradigm of . We will write a custom essay sample on Discuss what empowerment means to you, and provide or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Change [has] forced a search for alternative forms of management motivation That encourage commitment, risk-taking, and Innovation The newer paradigm Involves relaxed (or broad) controls and an emphasis on Internalized commitment to the task Itself .We use the word empowerment to refer to the motivational content of this newer paradigm of management. (p. 667). Given Thomas and Pilothouse definition, empowerment to me also means the ability to make simple yet rule based decisions for my team. It also means that I have the authority to allow changes to be made for the interest of the team functioning. Though I cannot make changes to deadlines and project functioning I am able to make decisions that would improve productivity.This means that the team management has faith In my leadership to me this is empowerment. Appropriate application of task oriented or relationship oriented leadership Into diverse situation will help In gaining desired success by the team. Furthermore, many of us use the term empowerment without understanding what It community development, psychology, education, economics, and studies of social movements and organizations, among others. How empowerment is understood varies among these perspectives. In recent empowerment literature, the meaning of the term empowerment is often assumed rather than explained or defined.Rapport (1984) has noted that it is easy to define empowerment by its absence but difficult to define in action as it takes on different forms in different people and contexts. Even defining the concept is subject to debate. Zimmerman (1984) has stated that asserting a single definition of empowerment may make attempts to achieve it formulaic or prescription-like, contradicting the very concept of empowerment. A common understanding of empowerment is necessary, however, to allow us to know empowerment when we see it in people with whom we are working, and for program evaluation.According to Bailey (1992), how we precisely define empowerment within our projects and programs will depend upon the specific people and context involved. As a general definition, however, we suggest that empowerment is a multi- dimensional social process that helps people gain control over their own lives. It is a process that fosters power (that is, the capacity to implement) in people, for use in their own lives, their communities, and in their society, by acting on issues that they define as important.We suggest that three components of our definition are basic to any understanding f empowerment. Empowerment is multi-dimensional, social, and a process. It is multi-dimensional in that it occurs within sociological, psychological, economic, and other dimensions. Empowerment also occurs at various levels, such as individual, group, and community. Empowerment, by definition, is a social process, since it occurs in relationship to others. Empowerment is a process that is similar to a path or Journey, one that develops as we work through it. Other aspects of empowerment may vary according to the specific context and people involved, but these remain constant. In addition, one important implication of this definition of empowerment is that the individual and community are fundamentally connected. In business today, employee empowerment is a key to successful outcome. Linda Handhold indicates, to be successful, each organization must create and define it [empowerment] for itself. Empowerment must address the needs and culture of each unique entity. (1997, p. 202). Employee empowerment is a process whereby: a culture of empowerment is developed; information in the form of a shared vision, clear goals, boundaries for decision making, and the results of efforts and their impact on the whole is shared; competency in the form of training and experience is developed; resources, or the competency to obtain them when needed to be effective in their Jobs, are provided; and support in the form of mentoring, cultural support, and encouragement of risk-taking is provided. Thought of as delegation. No organization of more than one person can survive without some employee empowerment.When the owner of a Mail Boxes, Etc. Hires someone to work the weekends, that person is empowered. When a manager hires an accounting graduate to maintain the departmental ledger, that person is empowered. When the director of advertising chooses which slogan should go on the web banner, that person is empowered. In each of these instances the empowered person has been provided with the training and experience they need to be effective in their position. Each has the information to know how their decisions will impact the larger whole. Each has access to the resources he or she needs to be effective.And the assumption is that each will be supported in the decisions they make. Empowerment, if it is to be implemented effectively, calls for a culture change for the typical organization. Many managers will require training to enhance their ability to facilitate empowerment within their organization. Leaders must learn to be visionaries who can provide an idea to which employees will want to dedicate themselves. Supervisors must change their ways of supervising and learn to be coaches and mentors. All members of the organization must dedicate themselves to sharing information and to training.A lot can take change if organizational power can grow, in part, by being shared .By empowering others, a leader does not decrease his power; instead he may increase itespecially if the whole organization reforms better. (Canter, 1979, p. 73). Canter then uses the logic that, The productive capacity of nations, like organizations, grows if the skill base is upgraded. People with the tools, information and support to make more informed decisions and act more quickly can often accomplish more. (Canter, 1979, p. 73). My manager must see potential in me and work to bring that potential out.