Forrester’s Empowerment

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This week’s assignment is to review “Empowerment: Rejuvenating a potent idea” by Russ Forrester (2000) and provide a summery that compares and contrasts the concepts in this article and out course textbook. Over the years, empowerment has been used as a buzzword to suggest a more enriching and fulfilling work environment that gives its employees more autonomy and decision making power. Whetten and Cameron (2016), define empowerment as “providing freedom for people to successfully do what they want to do, rather than getting them to do what you want them to do.” Likewise, Forrester (2000) states that empowerment is “a more exacting involvement that implies the freedom and the ability to make decisions and commitments, not just to suggest them or be part of making them.”

The topic of empowerment and the importance it has in today’s business world is one of the reasons it is examined and studied constantly. So then why is it difficult for some organizations to establish an empowerment program that that benefits both the organization and the employees? Both text highlight key issues that prevent or inhibit empowerment programs such as: subjective evaluation from those with power about subordinate’s competency, those without power reluctance to accept power or operate with autonomy, those with power not willing to share power (Whetten & Cameron, 2016). However, Forrester (2000) adds that many empowerment programs fail as a result of implementation. “the shortfalls in empowerment that many organizations have experienced are more about flawed implementation than flawed conception.

Another important aspect to empowerment that both sources note as essential for empowerment programs to prosper is trust, communication, and accountability must be present and accepted by those with power and those acquiring power. Although both sources present their solutions to establishing empowerment and methods to empower, Forrester (2000), spends the majority of his article listing the what he believes are the “Short Circuits to Organizational Empowerment” using organization’s efforts of implementation as the true issue, whereas Whetten & Cameron (2016) discuss more about the benefits of empowerment and consequences of not empowering properly. Moreover, Whetten and Cameron (2016) provide valuable information on the “Five Core Dimensions of Empowerment” and “The Difference Between Power and Empowerment.”

With a military background, I believe a team or organization works more coherently and productively when the team members feel empowered. Furthermore, empowered team members are more likely to have a sense of ownership and accountability when it comes to their products. However, much time and development must be devoted to each team member to ensure that they share the same organizational values and goals. Moreover, uniformity of vision and success is equally important when autonomy is extended to ensure the organization is moving in the right directions. With constant and constructive coaching, engagement and spot-checking, a team has the potential to achieve significant outcomes as a result of trust, coordination and communication.

References

Forrester, R. (2000). Empowerment: Rejuvenating a potent idea. The Academy of Management. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/4165660?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

Whetten, David A.; Cameron, Kim S. (2015-05-20). Developing Management Skills. Pearson Education. Kindle Edition.

Motivation Beyond Money

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In pursuing employment opportunities with a particular company, individuals weigh many factors such as: What are my passions? What skills do I have that can make me successful? And what opportunities are there that will set me down a path to achieve my personal and professional goals? Likewise, there may be other factors for consideration, many may consider compensation as a significant guiding force for a particular job with a company. Yet in our course assignment (video), Andy Mulholland discusses three essential motivators that drive people to towards job satisfaction and has nothing to do with money. The three fundamental needs are: 1) Give me interesting work. 2) Expand my skill set. 3) Recognize me. Andy Mulholland states that of the three, “Recognize me” is the most critical. He goes on to state that, “Recognize me doesn’t mean pay me above the odds, it means value me for what I can do and how I can work with you” (2011). Indeed, Whetten & Cameron also point out that, “One fascinating study exhibited how failing to give recognition eroded people’s persistence” (2016).

Reflecting upon the fundamental motivators according to Mr. Mulholland and how they applied to my previous military service and future professional aspirations, I believe that each played a significant role and will continue impact my sense of purpose and job satisfaction.

Give me interesting work: During my time in service and working for the State of TN, I always looked forward to interesting and challenging work. As a leader/supervisor, there was never a shortage of challenges to overcome and issues that need to be creatively solved. In fact, when presented with a difficult challenge or project, I would traditionally feel invigorated with the opportunity to use my skills and experience to find a solution to the challenge. Furthermore, I looked forward towards capitalizing on the event by developing or improving critical thinking and problem solving skills.

Expand my skill set: Coming from the profession of arms and law enforcement, leadership and law enforcement skills were always exercised and evaluated. Thus, professional development and training were critical to success. As a leader, a large portion of my time was devoted to incorporating relevant and realistic training for my organization to ensure readiness. Moreover, I took ownership of my knowledge and training by taking every opportunity to expand my skill set outside of the organizational pipeline to achieve diversity. For example, on many occasions, I would take part in other law enforcement agencies (non-military) leadership and law enforcement training in order to learn new skills, methods and concepts from their best practices and incorporate what applies into my organization.

Recognize me: I also believe that it is vital to be recognized and to recognize others efforts and achievements. By and large, everyone wants to do well in whatever job/task they have. For organizations that value the “team” concept, recognizing its team members and their working relationships is important. Furthermore, leaders should take every opportunity to celebrate small and large achievements to reinforce its culture and values. Whetten and Cameron (2016) highlight the repercussions when leaders fail to acknowledge and recognize their employees work, “even the most energetic and effective employees get worn down when they are rarely acknowledged for their good work and only singled out when they make mistakes.” Whetten and Cameron continue, “Only through positive reinforcement do employees have control over achieving what they want and, therefore, the incentive to reach a level of exceptional performance” (p 276). Needless to say, in order for an organization to get the most out of their employees and to create an environment of growth and job satisfaction, leaders need to go out of their way to ensure that their employees efforts and work is appreciated.

Being motivated is an important ingredient of success in both personal and professional endeavors.  Three motivators that have impacted my personal and professional growth and satisfaction are:

Helping others (Selfless Service): Helping other has long been a passion of mine. In my personal life, this means actively participating with organizations that support the community with resources (food/supplies) and programs. I believe that difficult situations affect us all in some form and it is the duty of others to assist those in need with reasonable time and efforts to provide a support system to get them back on track when they desire to progress. Professionally, I believe that setting the conditions for others to be successful is equally important. This means, establishing a positive working relationship, coaching, mentoring, feedback and respect in order to achieve their respective goals.

Honorable and honest work: Everyone has their own definition of what success is and vision of where they want to be as a result of this success. For me, productively contributing to the “greater good” is important. Perhaps this was a significant driving force for my military service and law enforcement profession. Being a part of a profession where honorable conduct is expected always seemed to be a good fit. At the end of the day, we must live with the actions and decision we make and feel comfortable with our contributions.

Improve: Having the desire to seek improvement has been essential for me. Although it would be easy to stay in the “comfort zone,” I always taken it upon myself to improve personally and professionally. I believe that as a leader, it is important to have the ability to stay outside of the comfort zone and pursue challenges in order to become well rounded and effective. Furthermore, as a leader, one would expect to have a wealth of knowledge and experience to assist others in achieving their goals. At the same time, a leader would do well to identify and acknowledge their shortcomings to again set a path of improvement.

Reference

Mulholland, A. (2011). SkillSoft Ireland Limited © 2011. Leadership Channel / 50 Lessons (SkillSoft via Books24x7). Retrieved from http://library.books24x7.com.ezproxy.libproxy.db.erau.edu/welcome.asp

Whetten, David A.; Cameron, Kim S. (2015-05-20). Developing Management Skills. Pearson Education. Kindle Edition.

Supportive Communication

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Supportive communication is essential for any organization wishing to create an environment of trust, respect and growth; which set the conditions for productivity and success. In fact, enjoying a workplace with “zero defect” is highly unlikely. Thus, leaders must be prepared to work with their employees to address issues that conflict with the organization’s values or end state. In such cases, leaders are required to provide feedback or a course of action for their employee(s) to get them back on track or further develop their skills in order to meet the needs of the team, department and organization. The leader is able to do so with supportive communication.  “Supportive communication seeks to preserve or enhance a positive relationship between you and another person while still addressing a problem, giving negative feedback, or tackling a difficult issue” (Whetten and Cameron, 2016, p. 193). Establishing a positive and respectful interpersonal relationship allows for further growth and productivity. “Positive relationships foster cooperation among people, so the things that get in the way of highly successful performance—such as conflict, disagreements, confusion and ambiguity, unproductive competition, anger, or personal offense—are minimized” (Whetten and Cameron, 2016, p. 191). By following guidelines that incorporate the eight attributes of supportive communication, which are: congruent, descriptive, problem-oriented, validating, specific, conjunctive, owned, and supportive listening (Whetten and Cameron, 2016, p. 194), a leader is better suited to address issues and solicit compliance.

Two very important tools a leader has to employ supportive communication is coaching and counseling. “In coaching, managers pass along advice and information, or they set standards to help others improve their skills and behaviors. In counseling, managers help others recognize and address problems involving their level of understanding, emotions, or perspectives. Thus, coaching focuses on abilities, counseling on attitudes” (Whetten and Cameron, 2016, 195). Every leader has the duty to ensure that their employees are operating at an optimal level. Furthermore, when a leader finds themselves in a position where they are required to coach or counsel an employee, adhering to the eight attributes of supportive communication is key. Doing so will minimize employee’s defensiveness and disconfirmation. According to Whetten and Cameron (2016), “Defensiveness arises when a person feels threatened or punished by the communication,” and “disconfirmation, occurs when people feel put down, ineffectual, or insignificant because of the communication” (p. 197).

In my previous profession in the military, trust, respect and team work were vital to our organizations success. Although we trained countless hours on mastering individual tasks, being able to incorporate these individual tasks into to a collective (unit) task was essential to a successful outcome. Furthermore, it was important that everyone involved understood that their individual effort and performance directly contributed to a much larger effort that demonstrated the organization’s proficiency and preparedness. Everyone (all levels) counted on each other to perform to the best of their abilities in order to meet a standard. If deficiencies are identified, leaders would counsel the appropriate personnel and provide the necessary training and opportunity to ensure proficiency. For example, while serving as a leader for a military police company that was responsible for conducting law enforcement duties for an installation, I would periodically inspect the Soldiers uniforms and equipment prior to their shift. During one such inspection, I noticed that a Soldier had a dirty uniform and equipment that was on the verge of being unserviceable. Instead of discussing this issue with the individual Soldier, I instead had the patrol supervisor answer for the significant oversight as it was their duty to ensure that all Soldiers are in the proper uniform with serviceable equipment. To the outsider, this may seem like a minor infraction. However, as I explained to the patrol supervisor that when performing law enforcement duties, anyone in the community would expect a law enforcement office to present themselves in a professional manner. Furthermore, that allowing a Soldiers to use equipment that may fail them when they need it was putting them in greater risk. Instead of becoming irate or confrontational with the patrol supervisor, I decided to speak candidly and specifically enough to ensure that they understood that these oversights have real consequences that affect safety and perception of the organization. Moreover, towards the end of the conversation with the patrol supervisor, I wanted to shift our interaction from a counseling event to a coaching event as they were preparing to begin their shift and they needed to remain focused and clear-minded. For an organization to perform effectively, leaders must ensure that positive interpersonal relationships are established and nurtured. Supportive communication is essential to build and foster trust and respect, especially when addressing challenges in the workplace. A skillful leader must incorporate the eight attributes into their daily interactions with employees as well as when they are coaching or counseling their employees to further their development and performance.

Reference

Whetten, David A.; Cameron, Kim S. (2015-05-20). Developing Management Skills. Pearson Education. Kindle Edition.

Decision Making Styles

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1.      What are a few words that describe your decision-making style?

2.      What are the opposites of the words you chose?

3.      Could you see any benefits to making decision using an approach that is based on either the opposites or somewhere in-between and what outcomes would you expect to see?

My decision making style falls into the analytical, logical and linear approach. Whetten and Cameron highlight this way of thinking as “Left-hemisphere thinking,” which is defined as “concerned with logical, analytical, linear, or sequential tasks” (p. 156). When presented with a decision that is outside of my automatic decision making process, I typically gather as much information on the topic as possible (subject matter experts or research), weigh the pros and cons, take into account other internal/external factors that may be affected, and ultimately evaluated the end state I require. Furthermore, I consider the second and third order of effects depending on the complexity of the decision. Once I have come to a decision, I stand resolute with my decision, yet continuously evaluating the outcome to ensure that the conditions I seek are met or in the process of developing. Should I need to reevaluate my course of action, I attempt to be flexible enough to adjust certain aspects of my decision to achieve the desired end state.

When selecting specific words to communicate, I make every attempt to know my audience, their level of understanding of the topic and keep things simple as possible by using positive and universal words to mitigate any misunderstanding. Moreover, when discussing concepts that can be complex, I will use descriptive words and comparisons to “paint a clear picture.” Words mean things, when using ambiguous words or language, the potential for confusion or misunderstanding is significantly increased. Thus, using any form of the opposites words could be best describe as irrational, short-sighted, and irresponsible. I can say that I have had my fair share of these in my early stages of being a leader. By experiencing the confused and chaotic situation my irrational, short-sighted, or irresponsible actions had on others, the results directly conflicted with the type of effective leader I wanted to be. So I carefully looked at some of the areas I need to improve and grow in. Through education, mentorship and maturity, I have addressed many of these issues and continue to develop better decision making skills.

Based on the situation and results, the opposite method of my own approach may be more applicable. For example, someone who is interested in a creative approach in making decision may wish to entertain more intuition or imagination. Moreover, their situation may require an abstract thought process that fosters ideas that would otherwise be hindered in a linear and structured approach. People utilize these methods on a daily basis, however, depending on the decisions one makes, each approach has it place. Nevertheless, being able to make quality decisions (in any case) requires the decision makers to leverage their skills and abilities to come to a point of action to some degree.

Reference

Whetten, David A.; Cameron, Kim S. (2015-05-20). Developing Management Skills. Pearson Education. Kindle Edition.

Time Management

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Assess your time management skills:

As a former military officer, I have had ample opportunity to develop and refine my time management skills. More importantly, I know these skills can always get better and be used as a tool to evaluate tasks and goals to be completed. I firmly believe that planning ahead and preparing in advance is essential to task completion. Thus, in my current situation as a husband, father, and full time student, I must take into account other activities such as: my son’s dropping off/picking up from school, soccer practice, dance practice, de-conflict my wife’s work schedule and appointments, along with my own school workload and assignments. With so much activity, I maintain a calendar of events that I review daily and coordinate with my wife to ensure we don’t let anything surprise us.  “Preparation, preventive maintenance, planning, personal development, and organizing are all “non-have-to” activities that are crucial for long-term success” (Whetten & Cameron, 2016, p. 97).

Evaluate how these skills have increased your locus of control:

I relay heavy on my ability to manage time. Thus, I value the ability it gives me and my family to properly plan and enjoy a firm, yet flexible, schedule especially when it involves our kids. Furthermore, the manner in which I manage my schedule, I am able to identify events or other commitments that would jeopardize my planned tasks and allow me to avoid distraction or time conflicts.

Identify three new areas in which improved time management skills would reduce stress:

I believe the areas that could reduce stress with time management would be: 1) Personal projects: I enjoy working on my classic car, I enjoy working on the family rv, and other things around the house. Yet, I always seem to be pressed from time when trying to complete a project. Perhaps breaking up the projects into smaller projects and allocating a set time for each would help me achieve my project goals. 2) Blocking off time/communication: When attempting reflection time or creative thinking time, I rarely shut off the phone or have some type of communication device around that allows others to reach me. I believe that do so would prevent unnecessary interruptions and allow better use of time. 3) Personal reading: I enjoy reading books on various subjects. However, I find myself reading only when the opportunity presents itself. In fact, I always have a book around in the event I have some time to do reading. By scheduling some time in my day, I could better control interruptions to have a better reading experience.

Add an action plan to integrate these to your daily routine:

I would continue to write out my daily/weekly goals and categorize everything else that would be “nice to get done” in my task priority list. One new aspect I will incorporate is journaling. From my research, journaling will assist with reflection and thought creativity. I have considered this course before, but have not incorporated it into my routine. Finally, tracking how I use my time, as indicated in my schedule, throughout the day will also provide a better picture for me to see if I am “on-point” as I believe I am or am I allowing other distractions.

Reference

Whetten, David A.; Cameron, Kim S. (2015-05-20). Developing Management Skills. Pearson Education. Kindle Edition.