Forrester’s Empowerment

A520.5.3.RB

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.