A520.5.3.RB_DellElceCamila

A520.5.3.RB – Forrestor’s Empowerment

            The article, “Empowering: Rejuvenating a potent idea” by Russ Forrester suggest innovative way on handling empowerment within organization. It is mainly focused on the idea that many companies do not know how to make use of it and how it is affecting them. As the article continues, it s obvious that “one-size fits all” cannot be implemented with everyone in the same manner, as everyone needs different empowerment and delegation. Some of the suggestions offered by the article are: “enlarge power, be sure of what you want to do, differentiate among employees, support power sharers, build fitting systems, and focus on results” (Forester, 2000, para. 2).

            Similarly, Whetten and Cameron (2011), chapter on “Empowering and Delegating,” focuses on the importance of learning to empower and delegate others in organizations.  Their main concern lands on making employees or followers, part of a single unit. Moreover, they describe empowerment as a way of making employees want to do their job, rather than making them do it. There is a significant difference when it comes to comparing empowerment and power. Empowerment is described as a way of utilizing authority experience into inspiring or motivation to others. Whereas power utilizes authority to push others into delivering expected results for the company’s benefit. “To empower means to enable; it means to help people develop a sense of self-confidence; it means to help people overcome feelings of powerlessness or helplessness; it means to energize people to take action; it means to mobilize intrinsic motivation to accomplish a task” (Whetten & Cameron, 2011, p. 445).

            Additionally, the chapter mentions five core dimensions of empowerment: (1) Self-efficacy, (2) Self-determination, (3) Personal consequence, (4) Meaning, and (5) Trust. These dimensions of empowerment represent a successful empowerment skill where empirical evidence is clear and individuals tend to perform better. When compared to Forester’s article, he mentions six short circuits to organizational empowerment: (1) Precipitous empowerment mandates, (2) Overreliance on a narrow psychological concept, (3) One-size-fits-all empowerment, (4) Negligence of the needs of power sharers, (5) Piecemeal approaches, and (6) Distortions of accountability. The six circuits mentioned before are ways on how to empower others incorrectly. “This is not empowerment; it is a retractable leash. The irony is that these organizations overpower both managers and employees in the name of empowerment. This is not a good way to start” (Forester, 2000, para. 10).

            In conclusion, both the article and the chapter provide a good source of information regarding empowerment and delegation, while demonstrating positive and negative ways to lead an organization. There is an immense misunderstanding about empowerment as leaders or managers believe their power is revoked when they empower others. Empowering is only a mean to enhance the morale of the organization. Providing employees the opportunity to work on their own leadership skills and initiative, empowering them will only help into the organization’s future success. Furthermore, “empowered employees are more productive, psychologically and physically healthy, proactive and innovative, persistent in work, trustworthy, interpersonally effective, intrinsically motivated, and have higher morale and commitment than employees who are not empowered” (Whetten & Cameron, 2011, p. 472).

References

Forester, R. (2000). Empowerment: Rejuvenating a potent idea. ProQuest Central August 2000; Retrieved from: http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.libproxy.db.erau.edu/docview/210518384/fulltextPDF

Whetten, D., & Cameron, K. (2011). Developing Management Skills (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education.