Empowerment makes it possible to give people the power to act and act in a self-determined manner. Thanks to the trust in us and the creative freedom gained, new potential is discovered and processes are set in motion. This article explains the empowerment in detail and, above all, how it looks like in relation to your company.
Empowerment Simply Explained: Definition & Translation
The term empowerment means “strengthening of one’s own power and autonomy”. The purpose is to give people more co-determination rights, autonomy and room for maneuver. They should be able to represent their interests autonomously and self-determinedly and shape their lives independently.
This approach to more autonomy originally came from the area of the civil rights movement through the social scientist Julian Rappaport who later significantly shaped the psychosocial practice of social work. Empowerment is used here to show people their strength and to encourage them to surpass themselves living self-determined lives. Instead of looking at a person’s deficiencies, the focus is on their strength.
The approach is now even used in a business context. Empowerment refers to a type of leadership in which the autonomy of employees is strengthened. Responsibilities and decision-making powers are delegated to the workforce. The employees largely design their work processes themselves and are always in contact with other colleagues and the management level.
Entrepreneurial Classification: Why is Empowerment Important?
Many managing directors complain that their managers and employees lack innovative spirit. The increasingly confusing competition, usually driven by digital disruptions, requires a departure from usual structures. The ever shorter innovation cycles on the market and the associated rapid changes in entire business models show the limits of hierarchical organizations.
Empowerment helps to develop an organization’s innovation potential by creating the framework for employees and teams to act more autonomously and agilely. Employees who work autonomously are more productive because they are more motivated. They are more attentive and sensitize their attention and reflection for observations in their environment.
This is reflected in the mindfulness towards colleagues, your own contribution to cleanliness and order in the work environment or in the thrift in dealing with the resources used. All together shall not be underestimated, positively self-reinforcing effects.
Transformation Readiness Check
Where Does your Organization Stand?
Empowerment Concept in the Company: Basics & Principles
Empowerment is based on two fundamental principles: people must be given more responsibility and leaders must provide them with the necessary resources. As a result, a number of further considerations and measures are derived from it.
These include, but are not limited to:
- Dissolving passive structures
- Questioning the distribution and fulfillment of tasks
- Turning employees into active players
- Orientation towards the strengths of the individual employees
- Self-evaluating and active shaping of one’s own competencies instead of passive feedback and further training measures
- Focusing on self-competence and its training and use
Empowerment Approach: Change as a Prerequisite
Empowerment strengthens the innovative power of companies by unfolding the innovation potential of the broad employee base. In an innovation-driven competitive environment, it can become a decisive, strategic factor. In order for this to succeed, however, changes within the company are necessary.
Dismantling of Hierarchies
Flat hierarchies help to reduce unnecessary distances between employees and managers. In an accessible environment, employees are less concerned with how to develop innovation in the organization and more with the actual content.
Loss of Control
The empowerment concept requires a new understanding of leadership. Models that build on power and control are not suitable. Analogous to the change in the role of the employee, the role of the manager must change. It must act as a developer and promoter of the employees.
Change of Culture
Autonomy creates a new way of working. Working concepts of past generations are now obsolete. In the beginning, the concept of New Work is implemented, in which employees become autonomous and thus innovative and productive agents.
Flexibility
Self-determined employees are empowered to solve tasks independently and on their own responsibility. Work processes are accelerated and made more flexible. This is mainly due to the fact that the individuals act on their own authority, instead of having hardly any room for maneuver in rigid structures.
Future-Proof Structures
Flexibility and agile action mean that change can better find its way into the company. This is particularly important in the digital age. In a further instance, empowerment creates space and opportunities for digital transformation and ensures future-proof structures and working methods.
Empowerment in Companies: Concepts and Methods
Four essential points provide a rough orientation for a successful introduction of empowerment. They are the basic concepts that are implemented using different methods.
- Grant Freedoms
- Provide Information
- Set Incentives
- Promote Qualifications and Skills
It is not possible to implement these basic concepts for empowerment in isolation, because they build on one another and are mutually dependent. For example, granted freedoms or the promotion of qualifications may be an initial incentive, but other, special incentives are usually required to motivate employees to improve the flow of information or to allow themselves more autonomy.
It is important to meet the employees where they are at the moment. This affects their personal commitment as well as their professional skills. A clear flow of communication is necessary in order to provide employees with the information they need to act independently. Occasional conversations are just as suitable for it as large-scale information events for the entire workforce.
In order for empowerment to go beyond pure information, it is essential to promote further training in a targeted manner. It is helpful to let the employees themselves decide in which direction the further training goes and how it is best carried out.
Concrete examples of different forms of further training are:
- Classic training courses, workshops, advanced training courses
- Peer-to-peer training for an insight into other workflows
- Workshops held by employees
- E-Learning
- Simulations and virtual training
The goal is to turn passive, task-executing employees into creative and innovative minds who are not afraid to ask critical questions. A team with this work attitude makes decisions independently and finds responsible measures for a given problem.
Empowerment in Practice: Step by Step
The change from the original practice to a work structure with empowered staff is strongly reminiscent of the processes involved in change management. After all, this is also a planned and controlled change in working methods. The table below shows the empowerment process step by step.
Step 1:
Inventory and Initiation
An inventory helps to pick up the employees where they are in a first step. It brings to light to what extent the relevant people can be won over to the topic of self-determination and independence, how great their personal interest in change is and where their competencies currently lie.
Step 2:
Setting goals together on Goals
In a second step, we discuss with the employees where the change should lead, what the role of the individual people will be in the future and in what framework it will take place.
Step 3:
Consolidation on Measures
Once it is clear where you stand and where you want to go, it is defined what the path will look like. Here it is again essential to consider the ideas and suggestions of the empowered employees and to transfer responsibility to them. At best, the employees themselves decide where their position will be in the future and how they will get there.
Step 4:
Participation in and Control of the Process
The change process is observed together, continuously commented on and, if necessary, optimized. Managers and employees alike are encouraged to discuss progress closely. It is important to note that this is primarily based on self-evaluation.
Step 5:
Implementation and Backup
Ultimately, more and more tasks are taken on independently and on their own responsibility and controlled and decided by the now empowered employees. Every decision you make strengthens your knowledge and expands your experience. This makes it possible to introduce empowerment in the company in the long term.
Your way to transformation
The entire process sometimes goes so far that a democratization of the company takes place. As a result, the employees who are already involved in the success of the company now also benefit from the operational and financial participation in the company. Thanks to the skills they have acquired and the knowledge of the processes, the employees are able to make important decisions together democratically and to share in the success accordingly.
Conclusion: Together to Success
Autonomy empowers employees of an organization to act independently and to structure their work processes themselves. As a result, they are more motivated and agile and thus offer the company added value. An empowered workforce wants to be successful together with the company and consciously uses their strengths to achieve this.
In order for empowerment to succeed, the change must start with the individual individuals in a company – both with the employees and at management level. Autonomy and self-determination can only return to the company if everyone is convinced of this and managers are willing to give up some of their power and control.
