CHAPTER 8

EMPOWERING AND ENGAGING OTHERS

Learning Objectives

1. Empower Others
2. Empower Yourself
3. Engaging Others Effectively

SKILL LEARNING
Empowering and Engaging Others
 Empowerment means providing freedom for people to do successfully what they want to
do, rather than getting them to do what you want them to do.
 Empowerment is a “pull” strategy; it energizes intrinsic encouragement rather than a
“push” strategy where managers induce employees through incentives.
 Power and empowerment are different; You can give a person power, but it is up to him
or her to accept empowerment.
Dimensions of Empowerment
 There are five dimensions of empowerment:
1. Self-efficacy is the feeling that one has the capability to perform a specific
task successfully.
2. Self-determination is a feeling that one has a choice to voluntarily and
intentionally pursue a task, rather than being forced to do so.
3. Personal consequence is the conviction that through one’s own actions, one
can influence outcomes.
4. Meaning is a perception of intrinsic value in the activity.
5. Trust is confidence that one will be treated fairly and equitably, and that
those holding authority or power positions will not harm or injure them.
How to Develop Empowerment
 Research suggests at least nine specific prescriptions for fostering empowerment, and
thus producing a sense of competence, choice, impact, value, and security:
1. Articulating a clear goal
o Set SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Aligned, Realistic, Time-
bound)
2. Fostering personal mastery experiences
o Foster small wins by breaking large tasks into smaller ones
3. Modeling
o Provide examples of past successful behavior
4. Providing support
o Praise the employees’ performance regularly
5. Creating emotional arousal
o Replace negative emotions with positive ones, such as excitement,
passion, and anticipation
6. Providing necessary information
 o Ensure that employees have all task-relevant information, as
well as information on policy and changes
7. Providing necessary resources
o Ensure that employees have needed training, development,
time, and equipment
8. Connecting to outcomes
o Ensure task identity by giving employees opportunities to
accomplish the whole task so they can see results
9. Creating confidence
o Five factors help create a sense of confidence:
a. Reliability: be consistent, dependable, and stable
b. Fairness: clarify standards and expectations and ensure that they
are applied in an unbiased way.
c. Caring: show a sense of personal concern and validate others’
points of view.
d. Openness: be straightforward and honest.
e. Competence: develop the necessary ability, experience, and
knowledge to perform tasks and solve problems.
Inhibitors to Empowerment
 There are three board categories of factors that inhibit a manager’s use of
empowerment:
1. Attitudes about subordinates, particularly a manager’s belief that employees
are incompetent are uninterested.
2. Personal insecurities, such as fears that one will lose recognition and rewards if
one empowers others.
3. Need for control, or a desire to be in charge and to direct and govern.
Fostering Engagement
 Engagement is the process by which a manager gets another person involved in doing
work, and helps them to succeed.
 Deciding when to engage others involves considering the following questions:
1. Does the other person have the necessary information or expertise? If so, they
may be more qualified than the manager to perform the task.
2. Is the other person’s commitment critical to successful implementation? If so,
engaging them in the work is preferable.
3. Will engagement expand the other person’s capabilities? If so, engaging is an
opportunity for development.
4. Does the other person share your values and perspectives? If not, engaging
others may be problematic.
5. Is there sufficient time to engage others? If not, engaging others may be
problematic.
 Deciding whom to engage others requires the manager to consider whether they should
engage individuals or a team in the work
o Figure 8.2 provides a diagram to guide decision making about whom to engage.
 Deciding how to engage involves following these 10 principles:
1. Begin with the end in mind by articulating desired results
2. Identify boundaries, including rules, procedures, deadlines, etc.
3. Specify the level of initiative so that the employee knows how much initiative
he or she can take
4. Allow participation by giving people an opportunity to decide when or how to
complete tasks
5. Match authority with responsibility by making sure that people have the power
needed to accomplish the task
6. Provide adequate support by ensuring sufficient resources and bestowing credit
7. Focus accountability on results
8. Be consistent
9. Avoid upward delegation by not re-assuming tasks that you have handed off to
other people
10. Clarify consequences for failure on the task