What? We can still talk about empowerment?

Yes, we can still talk about empowerment. I know, I know. It was all the rage in the 90’s with self directed work teams, etc. and you think it’s a dead concept in US industry. Bear with me a bit and let’s explore this together.

We exist in a fiercely competitive global economy which necessitates optimizing the capability of all resources in an organization. Much attention is paid to technical prowess and efficiency especially in manufacturing environments. However, organizations sometimes fail to attain extremely high levels of performance because there is a lack of recognition that more than “nuts and bolts’ are necessary for success.

Over the last couple decades the popularity of self-directed teams and natural work groups has waxed and waned. A large component of this movement was the concept of “empowerment”. As financial stresses and competitive pressures caused companies to cut back, the use of self-directed work teams has slipped in popularity and application.

However, the concept of empowerment applies extremely well to individuals as much as it does to teams. The questions this article tries to address are: How does one define empowerment? Are the characteristics of an empowered individual identifiable? Can these characteristics be measured and improved? What is the role of the leader or manager in this process?

I propose we can reach this understanding and elucidate a guide in how to define, evaluate and improve those behaviors that describe the well-rounded, high impact individual. That is to say the empowered individual.

The model I propose includes three fundamental facets: Knowledge, Integrity and Ownership. I like to think of these as the three legs of an old fashioned milking stool. When all three are in place, the stool works fine. Yet remove any one of the three and the stool fails to function as intended, if at all. I think of these tenets in a hierarchical way, and, in my view, they represent increasingly sophisticated behaviors. Regardless of priority, effective empowerment demands that all three elements be in place.

Make it happen.