employee empowerment an introduction

1. Employee Empowerment

2. Employee Empowerment
• A primary goal of employee empowerment is to
give workers a greater voice in decisions about
work-related matters.
• Their decision-making authority can range from
offering suggestions to exercising veto power
over management decisions.
• possible areas include how jobs are to be
performed, working conditions, company
policies, work hours, peer review, and how
supervisors are evaluated

3. Employee Empowerment Defined…
• Employee Empowerment is Employee Involvement
that matters.
• It could also be defined as controlled transfer of
authority to make decisions and take actions.
• What is needed?
– Successful implementation of empowerment requires
change in corporate culture.
• Does this mean Abdication?
– NO. Empowerment involves actively soliciting input
from those closest to the work and giving careful
thought to that input.

4. Rationale
• An aspect of Working Smart
• Empowerment is the key to motivation &
Productivity.
• It enables a person to develop personally &
professionally.

5. Inhibitors of Empowerment
• Resistance from Employees & Unions
• Resistance from Management
– Insecurity
– Personal Values
– Ego
– Management Training
– Personality Characteristics of Managers
– Exclusion of Managers
• Workforce Readiness
• Organizational Structure & Management
Practices

6. Management’s Role in Empowerment & Implementing
Empowerment
• Management’s Role:
– Commitment
– Leadership
– Facilitation
• Implementing Empowerment:
– Development of Suggestion Systems
– Considering the Employees Point of View
– Putting Vehicles in Place
• Brainstorming
• Nominal Group Technique
• Quality Circles
• Suggestion Boxes
• Walking & Talking

7. Suggestion Systems - 1
• Management’s Role:
– Establishing Policy
– Setting Up the System
– Promoting the Suggestion System
– Evaluating & Implementing suggestions
– Rewarding employees
• Improving the system..
– Improving Suggestion Processing
– Improving Individual Suggestions
• Problem Identification
• Research
• Idea Development

8. Suggestion Systems - 2
• Evaluating Suggestions
– Though Employees make suggestions, final analysis
is still to be made by manager.
– Thus, Establish a formal rating system for evaluating
suggestion systems.
• Handling Poor Suggestions
– Listen Carefully
– Express Appreciation
– Carefully explain your position
– Encourage feedback
– Look for Compromise

9. Achieving Full Participation
• Removing Hidden Barriers
– Negative Behavior
– Poor Writing Skills
– Fear of Rejection
– Inconvenience
• Encouraging new Employees
• Coaching Reluctant Employees
– Assess
– Investigate
– Match
– Choose
– Manage

10. How to Recognize Empowered
Employees
• Taking Initiative
• Identifying Opportunities
• Thinking Critically
• Building Consensus

11. Empowerment
• Avoiding Traps:
– Defining Power as Discretion & Self- Reliance
– Failing to Properly Define Empowerment for
Managers & Supervisors
– Assuming Employees Have the skills to be
Empowered
– Getting Impatient Making the Transition from
Traditional Approach
• Beyond Empowerment