In this week’s MSLD520 blog I reflect on an article written
by Russ Forrester, Empowerment: Rejuvenating
a Potent Idea, and compare the concepts presented in this article with this
week’s reading from our textbook, Developing
Management Skill, authored by Whalen and Cameron.
Introduction
The focus of the Forrester (2000) article is on why the
concept of empowerment goes awry when a company implements an empowerment
program and what measures can be taken to aid in successfully implementation of
an empowerment program. Many of the concepts and steps needed to successfully
implement an empowerment program are echoed in Whalen & Cameron (2011).
Some provide a slightly different perspective which will add a little more
depth and clarity to the discussion.
Forrester (2000) asserts that many organizations have given
up on trying to implement empowerment programs and provides reasons why he
thinks their implementation of empowerment failed.
Empowerment
is a tantalizing notion that seems to offer organizations the promise of more
focused, energetic, and creative work from employees. But after years of
trying, many organizations have not realized the promise the idea held. This
article presents some reasons why: precipitous empowerment mandates,
overreliance on a narrow psychological concept of empowerment,
one-size-fits-all empowerment, neglecting the needs of power sharers, a
piece-meal approach, and distortions of accountability. (p. 67).
The article goes on to provide solutions on how to properly
implement an empowerment program that will realize promises made and I will
contrast and compare this content with the text from Whalen & Cameron
(2011).
Empowerment is a Loser
Forrester (2000) begins his article with describing
empowerment concepts as being grand when they were introduces in the 1980s and
then describes how empowerment has “struggled” to meet the expectations of companies
who try to implement empowerment programs. “Argyris has declared the whole
notion of empowerment a loser as an organizational strategy” (Argyris, 1988 as
cited by Forrester, 2000, p. 67). Whetten & Cameron (2011) support this
assertion indirectly “Nevertheless, for most managers, empowerment is a skill
that must be developed and practiced, because despite the high visibility of
the concept of empowerment in popular literature, its actual practice is all
too rare in modern management.” (p. 443). This is where Forrester (2000) should
make companies take notice and reexamine their own notions about empowerment
and not to give up on the idea if they have tried and failed. How is it then that
so many empowerment program implementations fail?
Reasons Why Empowerment Program Implementation
Fail
We can draw a conclusion that the reason why empowerment
programs are not practiced very much is that momentum that could be generated
by successful empowerment program story implementation are being neutralized by
stories of unsuccessful implementation of empowerment programs. Why are there
so many stories being told of failed implementation? Forrester (2000) provides
detailed reasons why and gives hope to those who are dismayed that the empowerment
movement is either in decline or stagnant. “This article is more hopeful
suggesting that it is not a futile hope to build and engage the power of
employees; that the shortfalls in empowerment that many organizations have
experienced are more about flawed implementation than flawed conception.” (p.
68). So there it is in a nutshell. Forrester’s assumption is that the
conception empowerment is not flawed, that it is implementation of empowerment
that is the problem and he addresses specifically what these problems are. He
calls them the “Six Short Circuits to Organizational Empowerment” (p. 68). A brief summary comparison of the Whetten
& Cameron (2011) and Forrester (2000) text on empowerment problems are
provided below.
Whetten & Cameron
Inhibitors to Empowerment (pp. 461-463)
· Attitudes About Subordinates
o Not competent enough to do the work
o Not interested in taking on more responsibility
o Already overloaded
o Require too much time to train
· Personal Insecurities
o Don’t want to lose personal rewards
o Don’t want to lose trade secrets
o Don’t want to lose power
· Need For Control – Feeling if they are not in control chaos
will ensue
Forrester Six Short
Circuits to Organizational Empowerment (pp. 68-72)
· Precipitous Empowerment Mandates - Implementation is too
fast and impulsive
· Over-reliance on a Narrow Psychological Concept
o Organizations say they are empowering you but they are only
words
o Employees become cynical and detached
· One-Size-Fits-All Empowerment - Not everyone or group has
the same capacity to handle empowerment and have to be led
· Negligence of the Needs of Power Sharers
o Control Needs – Reluctant to give up control
o Achievement Needs – Giving up control means less personal
achievement
o Recognition Needs – Less achievements means less
recognition
· Piecemeal Approaches – Only implement a portion of the
entire process of instituting an empowerment program
· Distortions of Accountability – Power is moved down, but responsibility
stays with the people giving up power.
Whetten & Cameron (2011) touch on some of the aspects
of the six short circuits but really doesn’t address them in an implementation context.
The added information and angle from which to view empowerment problems
provides a new and valuable perspective that the Whetten & Cameron (2011)
text does not capture. The result should be a deeper understanding of
empowerment which in turn should increase the odds of me or you either
contributing successfully in an empowerment program or in implementing one
ourselves.
Important Elements of Empowerment
Between the Forrester (2000) and Whetten & Cameron
(2011) text concerning the important elements of Empowerment, there are more similarities
than differences and as is the case with the reasons why empowerment programs
fail, the focusing on the differences adds more value to the comparison. The Forrester
(2000) text outlines six channels to “higher voltage empowerment”. The
equivalent Whetten and Cameron (2011) text lists them as nine “prescriptions”
(p. 452). While the categorize them differently, many of the concepts in the
categories are the same or very similar. For instance Forrester’s “Enlarging
Power’ includes Whetten and Cameron’s “Creating Confidence”, “Provide Resources”,
“Provide Information” and “Provide Support”.
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Comparison of Essential Empowerment
Elements Whetten / Cameron (2011) & Forrester (2000)
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Whetten / Cameron Nine Prescriptions
for Empowerment
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Forrester’s Six
Channels to Higher Voltage Empowerment
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1. Vison & Values
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1. Enlarge Power
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2. Personal Mastery Experiences
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2. Be Sure of What You Want to Do
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3. Model
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3. Differentiate Among Employees
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4. Provide Support
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4. Support Power Sharers
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5. Emotional Arousal
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5. Build Fitting Systems
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6. Provide Information
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7. Provide Resources
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8. Connect to Outcomes
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9. Create Confidence
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Where I feel the most important departures is where Forrester
(2000) recommends differentiating among employees (item 3), and be sure of what
you want to do (item 2) and where Whetten and Cameron (2011) connect outcomes. In
differentiating among employees, not every employee wants power or has the same
capacity to use power if given to them. A careful assessment of each employee
in a group needs to be made before an empowerment program is unleashed within
an organization. There is no “quick and easy” implementation of an empowerment program.
A careful assessment of the business environment and answering the question if
converting to an employee empowerment program makes sense should be made before
assuming that an employee empowerment program should be implemented.
Consideration of key personnel and their skill set will need to be made and
decisions on whether to move or replace them may need to be made. Once a
decision to move forward with an employee empowerment program is made, a well
thought out plan and careful implementation will be key to successfully
transitioning from a traditional hierarchal organizational structure to one
where employee empowerment programs are in place. Of course if your starting
your own business…well what an opportunity to start off right!
Finally, whether you’re starting your own business, or converting
to an employee empowerment system, connecting the outcomes is very important.
That vision you provided when the project started. You need to reconnect that
vision and work processes to the end product. Communicating clearly why their
work is so important to the organization is an important motivator that should
not be dismissed.
Conclusion
The information found in Forrestor (2000) and Whetten &
Cameron (2011) when compared and contrasted can provide a CEO or VP of Human
Resources and on down to front line employee the knowledge they need to either successfully
implement or support an employee empowerment program. I’ve managed
organizations of 50 people all the way down to three and I’ve seen with my own
eyes what empowerment on a small scale can do. Imagine an entire corporation truly
embracing empowerment. The work will be hard an arduous to start, but the
rewards when properly done will be amazing!
References:
Whetten, D. & Cameron, K.,
(2011). Developing management skills.
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Forrester, R., (2000). Empowerment:
Rejuvenating a potent idea. Academy of
Management Executive, 14(9). Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/4165660?sid=21105357149821&uid=70&uid=3&uid=3739808&uid=388689591&uid=2134&uid=60&uid=388689601&uid=3739256&uid=2
