Valid Authorized Classroom - My Managed Classrooms 14

Author: TimAng, Jiang Xuping
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features: The Benefits of Empowerment
The benefits of empowerment have been widely recognized. It is both an incentive for employees and a means for managers to manage time and enhance leadership skills. We can look at the benefits of empowerment from three aspects: for managers, for employees, and in improving the relationship between superiors and subordinates.
? The Benefits of Empowerment for Managers
Let's see what benefits empowerment can bring to a manager's leadership. For managers who feel overwhelmed and stretched thin, empowerment is a helpful tool. It allows you to delegate some tasks, freeing up time from specific responsibilities to focus on managing employees, training, and team performance. Of course, not all tasks can be delegated. Those involving company secrets, highly sensitive matters, and training subordinates cannot be handed over to others. Additionally, tasks to be delegated should start with smaller ones, allowing both employees and managers to gradually adapt. By empowering employees and managing them effectively, work pressure on managers can be balanced, management skills can be developed, and overall team performance can be improved.
? The Benefits of Empowerment for Employees
Empowerment also brings benefits to employees. By granting employees more authority and responsibility, empowerment can increase their autonomy and sense of responsibility, boost motivation, and serve as an incentive. At the same time, employees can develop new skills and uncover existing ones during task execution. Some skills are already possessed by employees, but certain reasons may hinder their full utilization. First, the lack of opportunities to showcase their abilities. Because empowerment requires employees to use a wider range of skills than usual, it provides a chance to tap into their potential. Second, a lack of confidence is another major obstacle to their ability to perform. By empowering employees and helping them successfully complete tasks, their confidence can be strengthened. Another obstacle to performance is that employees may not fully recognize the role of their abilities. For example, an employee may have strong communication skills but believe they are not helpful in problem-solving, resulting in those skills not being fully utilized. By applying relevant skills in empowered tasks, employees can better understand the role of their abilities.
? Improving the Relationship Between Superiors and Subordinates Through Empowerment
The third benefit of empowerment is that it can improve the relationship between superiors and subordinates. Because empowerment provides a great opportunity to understand employees and their work styles while also recognizing yourself and your management style, the same applies to employees. If you want to change the old hierarchical relationship and interaction patterns with your subordinates and establish a more proactive and positive new working relationship, you can try empowerment. By working together with employees to complete tasks, you can gradually transform your relationship. If you always make decisions and take the lead for your employees, they may develop a sense of dependency. This is similar to the relationship between adults and children, rather than between adults themselves. To change this relationship, more emphasis should be placed on attitude rather than skill. People tend to perform according to your expectations. If you see employees as children, they may act like children, waiting for you to take care of them. Conversely, if you see employees as adults, they are more likely to build confidence and responsibility and act more maturely in their tasks.
The Four "Scepters" of Empowerment
Empowerment actually hands over four "scepters":
1. Information—Sharing information is essential for full empowerment.
2. Authority—It fosters responsibility and enhances flexibility.
3. Rewards—Providing incentives helps work be completed efficiently.
4. Knowledge and Skills—Training helps employees make better decisions.
Case 1.1 Chrysler's Assembly Line
In a Chrysler assembly plant located in Ontario, Canada, quality analysis teams are often formed to enable employees to proactively engage in quality innovation activities. Employees undergo a training program called "Visibility," which helps them better understand how their work aligns with forward and backward activities on the assembly line, thereby enabling empowered employees to make better decisions to support others' work. This activity has made a significant contribution to achieving organizational goals.