Business Growth through People empowerment
People empowerment in organizations, is a practice that is both embraced and feared. Embraced, in a world that is constantly changing and feared when boundaries are crossed. There have been a number of research studies that have positively linked empowerment with increased team performance.
According to a study, organizations which practice employee empowerment have 50% higher degree of customer loyalty. Another research by Pepperdine University, suggested a clear relation between people empowerment and financial success.
Many factors contribute to organizations yielding the benefits of people empowerment. Here we will look at some of the aspects:
Intrinsic empowerment
“Ask not……Ask what you can do for your country” – JFK. Although, most people empowerment literature begins with organizational or leadership perspectives, here we would like to begin with team members themselves. People need to have the empowered spirit and know that they have the power to perform and take the organization ahead. This enables all the people empowerment efforts worthwhile.
Leadership
Although, its upto the people in the organization to execute the responsibility given through empowerment, a leaders’ role is vital here as well. Empowerment, begins with power sharing by the leaders, where they make their people feel trusted and valued. It’s important not to lock people up in box, through micromanagement that restricts them from spontaneity and creativity both of which are required in todays’ VUCA world.
Group Cohesion
People empowerment, that gives independence in tasks, works well when there is interdependence. When interdependence lacks, in a team with increased autonomy, the team performance is reduced.
Agreement
There has to be an agreement made between the team members and the leaders inorder, to set boundaries, finalize training plans etc that will make the people empowerment process work.
When done in the right manner, people empowerment, enables leaders with more time for critical business aspects and motivated team members.
A teacher’s day thought: Information to transformation
The profession of teaching has been built over the years on the foundation of sharing information to students. Today, the pressure to do so has increased tremendously, so much so, that students take drastic measures if they are not able to deal with the overload of information.
What’s lost here, is the scope of students to transform themselves to responsible citizens and be the best they can be. The key is to have a quiet balance between teaching to inform versus teaching to transform. Why not give transformation a thought!
A teacher or a boss who is a mentor can give a start, or redirect. Mentors build up confidence and provide a network that allows individuals find the avenue of success and take on failures positively. They help in connecting the dots between capabilities and potential, goals and successes. They give critical feedback which is actually a catalyst for self-awareness and eventual transformation. This teachers’ day, as teachers in schools and colleges, as leaders and mentors in corporate organizations, let’s ponder over how we balance information and transformation.