empowering workers by stuart gray. what you will learn what empowerment is, is not. some important...
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Empowering Workers
by
Stuart Gray
What You Will Learn• What empowerment is, is not.• Some important assumptions under-
girding the concept of empowerment.• What empowerment will not, might do
for a company.• Ten ways to empower workers.• Empowerment involves different
levels and different types of organization changes.
What Is Empowerment
Providing employees with the power, the skills, the supervision, the organization structure, the confidence, and the motivation to function at their optimal potential.
Empowerment Is Not• Turning the company over to the
employees• Less supervision of employees• Doing away with all organization
structures• Tricking employees into working harder• A rehash of:
• quality circles• participative management• job enrichment• flattening org structures
Empowering Workers Will Not• Result in less work• Make anyone's job easier• Solve all of the problems at work• Eliminate the need for managers
and supervisors• End all conflicts• Make everyone happy
Empowering Workers Might
• Increase employee satisfaction• Raise productivity (30% average)• Strengthen Commitment To The
Job & The Organization• Increase Individual Effort Toward
Organizational Goals• Heighten Employee Motivation• Improve Quality
Some Important Assumptions• Workers are not lazy, they really
want to make a contribution
Some Important Assumptions• Workers want more than money
Some Important Assumptions• Workers have many talents, skills,
and ideas that go unused by employers
Some Important Assumptions• In today's highly competitive
global economy, companies can no longer afford to waste their valuable human resources
Some Important Assumptions• A major challenge is to find ways
of better utilizing all of our human resources
Some Important Assumptions• A better use of human resources
(empowerment) requires making major changes in how companies go about their business
Ten Ways To Empower Workers
CLEARLY DEFINE RESPONSIBILITIES
DELEGATE ADEQUATE AUTHORITY
SET STANDARDS OF EXCELLENCE
TRAIN & DEVELOP
PROVIDE INFORMATION
GIVE FEEDBACK
RECOGNIZE
RESPECT
TRU
ST
PERM
ISSION
TO
FAIL
Increase Responsibility
The only way people ever grow is to take on new and more challenging projects.
Delegate Authority
Workers must be given sufficient authority to fulfill the responsibilities assigned them.
Set Standards Of Excellence
Workers want to do well and will strive to meet expectations.
Provide Training & Development
Workers must acquire the requisite skills to perform.
Supply Information
Information is power to act and perform.
Furnish Feedback
No person can correct her/his errors or profit from mistakes without specific and frequent feedback.
Bestow Recognition
Recognition is a motivator to do more and better work.
Trust
Trust is an essential element of all healthy human relationships, including colleagues in the workplace.
Grant Permission To Fail
It is only when people have permission to fail that they are willing to try new things and take appropriate risks.
Respect
To be respected, a manager must give respect.
Empowerment Requires Changes
• Changes in the organization’s culture (i.e., how they do things around here).
• Changes in mindsets (workers take on a self-managing, accountable approach to their work).
• Changes in the way groups of individuals work together focusing on how tasks are completed as well as the tasks themselves.
From• Pyramids• Dependency• Departments• Work Standards
Superimposed• Individual Performance
Appraised• Individual Performance
Rewarded• Information Hoarded• Responsibility
Delegated
To• Circles• Autonomy• Project Teams• Self-imposed Work
Standards • Individual & Group
Performance Appraised• Individual & Group
Performance Rewarded• Information Shared• Responsibility, Authority,
& Accountability Delegated
Empowerment Involves Shifting Structures
From• Chiefs & Indians• Decision Makers & Doers • Brains & Brawns• They & Us• Experts & Learners• VIP & UIP
To• Valued Employees• Co Problem Solvers• Needed Contributors• Team Members• Learners• VIP
Empowerment InvolvesChanging Relationships
Implementing Empowerment Changes• Begin with a vision• Make systemic changes• Experiment on a small scale• Link to current organization needs,
problems, or opportunities• Become thoroughly informed
regarding similar changes enacted during the past 5 years
Implementing Empowerment Changes• Have a plan, collect baseline and end
results data, establish criteria for judging success
• Be prepared for objections• Develop supportive coalitions• Get top management's support• Keep top management and other key
individuals informed throughout the project
How Open Is Your Organization To Empowering Changes?• Do Managers– Help employees get the job done– Initiate inquiry about common ways
of thinking– Challenge assumptions– Encourage risk and experimentation– Delegate authority and responsibility– Inspire a shared vision by enlisting
values, hopes, and dreams– Foster a learning environment
How Open Is Your Organization To Empowering Changes?• Do Managers – Promote shared information and
collaborative problem solving– Model behavior- “walks the talk”– Appreciate diversity of style and behavior– Focus on developing people– Give “carefrontive,” not confrontive,
feedback and help people learn and grow– Encourage self-expression and open
discussion of conflict
How Open Is Your Organization To Empowering Changes?• Do Employees– Take responsibility for actions– Speak out about problems and ways
to work better– Seek to solve problems, not to place
blame– See network of “customer”
relationships, internal and external– Are willing to engage in inquiry about
assumptions
How Open Is Your Organization To Empowering Changes?• Are Relationships Characterized By– Commitment to collaboration– Mutual trust and respect– Engagement of others in decisions– Shared accountability, rewards, and
penalties– Helpfulness to each other– Communication of all relevant information– Cross-departmental learning– Focus on process and learning
How Open Is Your Organization To Empowering Changes?• Does The Organization Culture Reflect
– Reward systems-Rewards are consistent with organizational values.
– Shared values-Commonly accepted values are well articulated and widely understood.
– Human-capital focus-Individual high performance (physical, emotional, and spiritual) is developed and maintained.
How Open Is Your Organization To Empowering Changes?• Does The Organization Culture Reflect– Work autonomy and job flexibility-The
organization is responsive to individual life-cycle demands, provides lateral and vertical expansion of skills and contributions, and is committed to mastery of multiple skills.
– Commitment to high quality and customer service-The organization pays attention to the marketplace, is flexible in its response, and keeps up a dialogue about needs.
How Open Is Your Organization To Empowering Changes?• Does The Organization Culture Reflect
– Commitment to communication-Information about vision, strategy, and direction is shared within the organization, and employee input is elicited and responded to.
– Creation of a community-People feel good about working together.
– Effective stress management and career development-People are allowed to practice self-care to avoid burnout and are supported to find resources to grow at work.
What You Have Learned• What empowerment is, is not.• Some important assumption under-
girding the concept of empowerment.• What empowerment will not, might do
for a company.• Ten ways to empower workers.• Empowerment involves different levels
and different types of organization changes.
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