A520.5.3.RB_DiazBrian

Forrester (2002) contends that "companies have found it difficult to put empowerment into practice".  Does this statement encompass all industries or does he mean to single out individual institutions of higher management.  Across most establishment you can find some system of managemental hierarchy in place, generally with a board at the top and a CEO that oversees operations.  Which brings me to the original question, is it truly difficult to put empowerment into practice?

For me, I would like to think that the answer would be no  for most successful organizations.  I find it hard to believe there are entities that don't trust teams led by senior managers.  Without trust how do we build successful organizations?  I would argue that you can't.  An example that comes to mind would be our own government .  It seems to me that one issue we face as a whole is that the two major parties that represent the majority of American's do not trust each other.  So how does that effect you and me?  I think the answer is evident in your local newspapers or nightly television shows.  Wouldn't it be much easier/nicer if we  had representatives that truly worked together for the greater cause rather than for apparent specific personal agendas?

Forrester lists six ways to undermine empowerment:

• mandating a rapid shift to empowerment

• over-reliance on a narrow psychological concept

• one-size-- fits-all empowerment

• neglect of the needs of power sharers on the key dimensions of control, achievement, recognition, security and subjective attribution

• piecemeal approaches

• distortions of accountability

 Forrester also lists six strategies employed to enlist the power of employees more effectively: 

• enlarge power, by building knowledge, skills and competence alongside increased discretion

• be clear how much you want to extend employees' power, the extent you are prepared to fund it and the appetite within the company for empowerment

• differentiate among employees

• support power sharers

• build closely aligned management systems;

• focus on results

Whetten and Cameron do not specifically discuss how to undermine empowerment.  However they due list three categories that can make managers reluctant to empower others:

•  attitudes about subordinates
• personality insecurities
• the need for control 

 Whetten and Cameron share a similar philosophy on empowerment with Forrester when they note to:

• have clear goals
• provide support
• arouse emotions
• provide information
• create confidence
• connect outcomes
• provide resources
• model behavior

 Whetten and Cameron (2011) wrote "The situation in which empowerment is most needed is when other people must become involved in accomplishing work." (p.463).  Additionally   Whetten and Cameron (2011) state that "it is impossible for a manager to perform all the work needed to carry out an organization's mission, so work and the responsibility to carry it out must be delegated to others." (p. 463).

When I worked as a legal clerk, my manager delegated a task for me with a specific timeline.  He wanted me to research 250 current files to see if each contained a specific document.  Since they scanned files page by page I couldn't simply use a search function to find what I needed.  This meant I had to go through each file, individually, page by page, looking for this one type of document.  I was never told why I was looking for these.  I was never told what the importance was.  I was given a very small window of time to do this in (he wanted it by close of business).  I had to stay at work for a few extra hours to complete this project.  I was not encouraged, given any additional information, or rewarded for my efforts.  Once I compiled the data, I presented it to my manger.  He looked at it for about 15 seconds and said "Okay. I see such and such..."  Then he took it and threw it away.  Needless to say that my 7 hours of work was hardly worth the effort I put into it.  This made me feel pretty defeated because of the amount of time I had spent on this just to have it tossed aside and dismissed.  I would never do that to someone but then again we are talking about the difference between a manager and a leader.

My classmate Toni Dammer offered her own similar personal experience of delegation and how it made her feel.  In this week's post Toni wrote
“I was promoted to the visual and merchandising manager of a department store by the department manager. I was given all the responsibilities of making the store ‘pretty’ and ‘appealing’ to customers. However, this required me to go to other places of business to purchase items to accomplish the needs of the job. I was never given the company credit card or advised on any regulations that the company had in regards to how the store was to be structured. I faced lack of coaching from my superior which made me have loss of trust in her. I was on my own. So I did what I thought would be correct from the information provided which was minimal. When we had our divisional review and inspection, let's just say the layout of the store did not meet the company standards. After speaking with the divisional office, it was made apparent to me that there was an instructional book of all rules and regulations that never once fell into my hands. Needless to say, it was a failure in my eyes, but my manager took the hit as it was her responsibility to provide the essential information to me and additional funding. I was given power but not empowerment as Whetten and Cameron state as they can be two separate entities.”

Both Toni and I would have benefited if our managers had been a little more hands on in their delegation.  By providing information, appropriate resources, and encouragement our examples could have served as valuable lesson on how to delegate.  But these are the types of experiences that we learn in life that serve as learning tools, so for me I personally learned how I will NOT be delegating in the future and how to empower others in an effective manner.


Forrester, R. (2002). Empowerment: Rejuvenating a potent idea. Measuring Business Excellence, 6(2), 68. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.libproxy.db.erau.edu/docview/208740450?accountid=27203

Whetten, D. A., & Cameron, K. S. (2011). Developing Management Skills (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall/Pearson.