Empowerment is a business and management concept that puts employees at the center of operations. It involves sharing responsibility, knowledge, authority and rewards with employees. The idea is to give them the tools they need to make decisions and perform their job well without requiring direct oversight by management. Empowerment allows employees to feel responsible for their own success, which creates a strong work ethic and a desire to succeed. The concept also helps to increase productivity and improve customer service.
Employee empowerment begins with training employees to participate in the decision making process of their individualized tasks and how those tasks contribute to the larger company goals. This new power dynamic takes time to get used to and requires a commitment from all parties.
As employees become more comfortable with their new level of authority, they will begin to seek out opportunities to expand their skill sets. This can be done with on-the-job learning experiences and additional education and training courses. It can also be achieved by encouraging employees to volunteer for special projects that will stretch their abilities.
Empowered employees will take pride in their work and be more likely to go above and beyond what is required to meet expectations. They will be more willing to share ideas and observations with their supervisors. This can lead to increased productivity, improved customer satisfaction, and better communication within departments. In addition, employees who are empowered will be more loyal to their employer and will not be as prone to leave for other companies. This can save thousands of dollars in recruitment, training and compensation costs for a business.
In a world of increasing cost cutting and tight budgets, companies need to find ways to keep their employees happy and productive. Empowerment is a good way to do this and is a great method for retaining valuable talent.
Ultimately, the key to empowerment is for people who do not have the power they want or need to realize it exists and then take steps to acquire it. The power-sharing model is an effective tool for achieving this goal, but it needs to be supported by the external environment that allows this redistribution of power and the internal realization that this power has been acquired.
It is important for managers to recognize the importance of empowering their employees and to implement it in a way that will benefit both the employees and the business. By implementing empowerment in a professional manner, businesses can see results that are hard to ignore. In addition to boosting profits and increasing customer loyalty, a fully empowered workforce is more productive and can save money in training, recruiting and compensation costs. Those who do not implement this important strategy in a timely fashion are risking the future of their business.