Empowerment is a culture worth striving for within many corporations. It is the ideal for most forward-thinking managers. Most supervisors would like their employees to feel empowered, but how does a corporation know that they have achieved this sought-after goal? This answer can be found in the actions and the attitude of the company as a whole.
Take the ball and run with it! is a very motivational saying. Besides on the field, who has been able to do this in their daily life? How many of us know a manager who has said, That's a very good idea. Can you investigate it some more? Quad Graphics, the nation's third largest privately held printer, started a parcel consolidation business in this way. It started with an idea, after which the president asked some employees to make it work. This became what is known today as Fedex Smartpost.
It all starts with management. What employee would feel comfortable taking any liberties while performing their work or doing anything above and beyond their job description without a good rapport with their manager? Corporations with an empowered culture have employees they can trust to do these things. Managers have developed the relationships with their employees and have given them a degree of authority. If you see something needs to be done, do it. If you notice a problem that you cannot handle, or have thought of a better way to do something, tell your manager. This trust goes both ways within this culture. The employee also trusts the manager will correct problems, listen to their suggestions, and work to make the environment more efficient for everyone. The company doesn't only advertise teamwork, they believe they are a team and behave as such.
The keys to an empowered culture are motivation, responsibility and authority. Motivate all employees to take a larger role in the company. Give them a sense of responsibility for not only their part, but show them the big picture and their effect on the whole company. Then, trust the employees with a level of authority to make changes or to do what must be done. This will create an organization everyone, from the company president to the rookie fresh out of high school, will want to be part of. Managers will have more time to do their work, as there will be less delegating. Their team will take ownership and accept an active role in the future of the company.
The author Elbert Hubbard has said, One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man. People are the greatest resource in an organization. By creating and utilizing a culture of empowerment, corporations are gaining extraordinary men and women who will grow the company's success for years to come.