Empowerment in the Workplace

Empowerment in the Workplace Findings of a Brookings Institute report by Steve Levine and Laura D’Andrea: Employee participation has a positive impact on business success It is almost never negative or neutral Stock ownership alone doesn’t motivate employees to work harder: ownership plus participation does

Empowerment in the Workplace The person in the boat with you never bores a hole in it.

The Need for Empowerment If any answer is yes, empowerment is needed: Do people seem uninterested in their work? Are absenteeism or turnover rates too high? Do people lack loyalty and team spirit? Is there a lack of communication among individuals and groups? Is there a low level of pride? Are costs too high because of waste and inefficiency? Does the quality of product or service need improvement?

Empowerment in the Workplace Empowerment is generated by efforts to improve performance The path to success is long and filled with boulders and pebbles It takes the strength of management to remove boulders Employees cast away the pebbles Everyone must work together to achieve success The leader must unleash and channel the power of people

Empowerment in the Workplace Jack Welch, General Electric, was asked “What is your job?” Choose the right people Allocate the right money Transmit ideas from one group to another with the speed of light He was a communicator and facilitator for the work of others

Empowerment in the Workplace Welch’s leadership influenced GE’s performance: He established a new mission: become the world’s most valuable company Every GE business must be number 1 or 2 in its industry He held leaders accountable to the four E’s of leadership: High personal energy The ability to energize others The edge to make tough decisions The ability to execute strategy

Empowerment in the Workplace Welch reformed practices and culture that determined how the company worked: Wiped out bureaucratic management Launched the workout process: Employees and bosses made decisions together Taught people that they had a right to speak up 80% of answers were required immediately Spread ideas across the company Rewarded those with good ideas Borrowed ideas from other companies

Empowerment in the Workplace Welch’s message to GE managers: You own these businesses; take charge of them Think for yourself Get headquarters out of your hair Fight the bureaucracy: hate it, kick it, break it

Empowerment in the Workplace Welch implemented Six Sigma at GE: Set a goal of 99.99% quality production outcome Managers set “stretch” goals that were the highest they thought achievable Behind the scenes people practices: Conversations were candid, not scripted Arguments and shouting Managers forced to think on the spot Written follow-up to conversation

Principles of an Empowered Workplace Author and educator Robert Cole identified five principles of leadership that empower people: Implicit is that participation in the decision-making process is necessary for success Trust in people Invest in people Recognize accomplishments Decentralize decision making View work as a cooperative effort

Empowered Workplace Characteristics People experience ownership in empowered organizations: This ensures they will do everything possible to create success Their egos are invested in the organization, as are their abilities The result is victory for both the person and the organization

Workplace Empowerment

The Importance of Communication Good communication is an element of an empowered workplace: Recognize where people prefer to get information Identify actual versus preferred sources Table 12-2 shows where employees actually get information and where the prefer to get it

The Importance of Communication The actual and preferred rankings show that people want: Accurate, timely, complete information Most preferred sources: Immediate supervisor Small group meetings Top executives Policy handbook Orientation programs Member newsletters

Filling the “Need to Know” Gap Employees have three “needs to know”: The grand plan-purposes, values, and strategies What is expected of them personally, and why Feedback on performance and recognition This must be a top-to-bottom process to be effective Messages must be clearly communicated and understood by every individual Leaders must be held accountable for this task

The High-Performance Workplace Management authors Eric Harvey and Alexander Lucia identified 144 time-tested ways to increase leader effectiveness: Adopt an orientation to action and results Recognize and reward those who make improvements to products, processes, and services Be customer-driven Maintain a commitment to self-development Make timely and value-driven decisions Be flexible

The High-Performance Workplace Coach others to succeed Schedule a short meeting with each of your direct reports once every two or three weeks Minimize obstacles Benchmark the best Address deficiencies Let your conscience be your guide Enhance the work environment Spread the sparkle Display resilience Show concern for others

The High-Performance Workplace Spend one-on-one time with each member of your team Manage meetings effectively Be sure everyone who reports to you have clarity of assignment and tools to succeed Communicate effectively An effective approach is to review these 20 and then pick 5 to implement By concentrating on five, the leader can make a measurable difference in work morale and job performance

Leadership Challenge Ren McPherson, past president of Dana Corporation, states: “People are our most important asset” The human side counts Number one factor is the character and actions of leaders

Leadership Challenge In his work on servant leadership, Robert Greenleaf proposes that: The world can be saved as long as three institutions exist: The private sector The public sector The nonprofit sector These organizations achieve success through a spirit of community The key in every case is caring leadership and empowerment of people