Power means control and authority. Empowering is passing the authority and responsibility to people down the hierarchy. With delegation you can give power to the people but empowerment is about making people exercise the power delegated to them in the best interests of the organization. Empowerment driven by a sense of ownership and control over one’s job, results in continuous improvement.
Inculcate the sense of ownership
Employees can exercise the power in the best interest of the organization only and only if they feel the sense of ownership. The sense of ownership can be created by igniting a passion in the employee about the job he does to such an extent that whatever he might be doing, he is always conscious of his job. Any instance is a potential stimulant for triggering a thought for improving his work. Such sense of ownership can be inculcated among employees by giving them worthwhile goals and logic to pursue. Unlike many companies, the purchase people of Wal-Mart negotiate with their supplier as if they are going to make some personal purchase – the overarching rationale being that “every dollar that they save goes to customer”, in line with their lowest price strategy. Ownership is general acceptance or buy-in of employees to the company’s goals and values. Such passion can be aroused in the employees by providing them with business information, and information pertaining to their activities and their role in improving the business performance. Clarifying their role in the game plan of the company combined with the timely feedback about their performance goes a long way in developing a cultural undertone of ownership among the employees.
Employees can exercise the power in the best interest of the organization only and only if they feel the sense of ownership. The sense of ownership can be created by igniting a passion in the employee about the job he does to such an extent that whatever he might be doing, he is always conscious of his job. Any instance is a potential stimulant for triggering a thought for improving his work. Such sense of ownership can be inculcated among employees by giving them worthwhile goals and logic to pursue. Unlike many companies, the purchase people of Wal-Mart negotiate with their supplier as if they are going to make some personal purchase – the overarching rationale being that “every dollar that they save goes to customer”, in line with their lowest price strategy. Ownership is general acceptance or buy-in of employees to the company’s goals and values. Such passion can be aroused in the employees by providing them with business information, and information pertaining to their activities and their role in improving the business performance. Clarifying their role in the game plan of the company combined with the timely feedback about their performance goes a long way in developing a cultural undertone of ownership among the employees.
Ensure people are in control of their jobs
Ownership alone cannot empower people. Ownership is only the emotional component of empowerment. With ownership comes the urge for improvement. The practical part of exercising power delegated to an individual comes from having control over the job he is responsible for. Control over one’s job basically comes from the knowledge of the job. The knowledge comes from experience and learning that one acquires on the job. To enrich the experience, the employee must apply learning to improve his job. For an employee to be able to apply his learning for improving the process or activity he is connected with, he must be confident of support from superiors. In effect the control an employee has over the job comes from knowledge, which comes from applying his experience and learning to process improvements, which in turn will happen only if he is confident that he has the trust of higher ups.
Ownership alone cannot empower people. Ownership is only the emotional component of empowerment. With ownership comes the urge for improvement. The practical part of exercising power delegated to an individual comes from having control over the job he is responsible for. Control over one’s job basically comes from the knowledge of the job. The knowledge comes from experience and learning that one acquires on the job. To enrich the experience, the employee must apply learning to improve his job. For an employee to be able to apply his learning for improving the process or activity he is connected with, he must be confident of support from superiors. In effect the control an employee has over the job comes from knowledge, which comes from applying his experience and learning to process improvements, which in turn will happen only if he is confident that he has the trust of higher ups.
Make continuous improvement a culture
Sense of ownership in the employees combined with control over the job or process can fuel the cycle of improvements, which go on and on. For continuous improvement to become a cultural trait, empowerment is the value a company must harness. The role of managers in empowering the employees is clear-cut – they need to create buy-in for company values and goals, establish role clarity, design structured channels for dissemination of information related to job, process, company and business, instill systems that encourage collaboration where trust and knowledge sharing is the way of conducting the business.
Sense of ownership in the employees combined with control over the job or process can fuel the cycle of improvements, which go on and on. For continuous improvement to become a cultural trait, empowerment is the value a company must harness. The role of managers in empowering the employees is clear-cut – they need to create buy-in for company values and goals, establish role clarity, design structured channels for dissemination of information related to job, process, company and business, instill systems that encourage collaboration where trust and knowledge sharing is the way of conducting the business.
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