Chapter 4

Participative Leadership, Delegation, and

Empowerment

© 2006 Prentice Hall Leadership in Organizations 4-1

 Learning Objectives
„ Understand what research methods have been
used to study participative leadership
„ Understand the major findings in research on
consequences of participative leadership
„ Understand the situations in which participative
leadership is most likely to be effective
„ Understand the major findings in research on the
normative theory of leader decision making

© 2006 Prentice Hall Leadership in Organizations 4-2

 Learning Objectives
„ Understand procedures for the effective use of
consultation
„ Understand the potential benefits and risks of
delegation
„ Understand when and how to use delegation
effectively
„ Understand why follower perceptions of
empowerment are important

© 2006 Prentice Hall Leadership in Organizations 4-3

 Varieties of Participation
„ Autocratic Decision
„ Consultation
„ Joint Decision
„ Delegation

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 Consequences of Participative Leadership

© 2006 Prentice Hall Leadership in Organizations 4-5

 Consequences of Participative Leadership
„ Potential Benefits of Participation
„ Decision quality
„ Decision acceptance
„ Satisfaction with the decision process
„ Development of participant skills
„ Objectives of Different Participants

© 2006 Prentice Hall Leadership in Organizations 4-6

 Research on Effects of Participative
Leadership
„ Example of Research on Participation – Bragg &
Andrews (1973)
„ Effects of Participation
„ Limitations of Participation Research
„ Measurement problems with survey field research
„ Combining interventions
„ Short-term programs
„ Difficulty comparing results across studies

© 2006 Prentice Hall Leadership in Organizations 4-7

 Normative Decision Model
Vroom and Yetton Model
„ Decision Procedures
„ AI – Leader makes decision without any additional
information
„ AII – Leader seeks information and makes decision
alone
„ CI – Leader shares problem with others individually
and makes decision alone
„ CII – Leader shares problem with others collectively
and makes decision alone
„ GII – Group discusses problem collectively and the
group makes the decision

© 2006 Prentice Hall Leadership in Organizations 4-8

 Normative Decision Model
Vroom and Yetton Model

© 2006 Prentice Hall Leadership in Organizations 4-9

 Normative Decision Model
Vroom and Yetton Model
„ Situational Variables
1. The amount of relevant information possessed by
leader and subordinates
2. The likelihood that subordinates will accept an
autocratic decision
3. The likelihood that subordinates will cooperate if
allowed to participate
4. The amount of disagreement among subordinates
with respect to preferred alternatives
5. The extent to which the decision unstructured and
requires creative problem solving

© 2006 Prentice Hall Leadership in Organizations 4-10

 Normative Decision Model
Vroom and Yetton Model
„ Decision Acceptance – Degree of commitment to
implement a decision effectively
„ Decision Quality – Objective aspects of the
decision that affect group performance aside from
any effects mediated by decision acceptance

© 2006 Prentice Hall Leadership in Organizations 4-11

 Normative Decision Model
Vroom and Yetton Model

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 Normative Decision Model
Vroom and Jago Model
„ Incorporates additional aspects of the situation
„ Severe time constraints
„ Amount of subordinate information
„ Geographical dispersion of subordinates
„ Incorporates additional outcome criteria
„ Concern for subordinate development
„ Concern for decision time
„ Managers given more choices in setting priorities
for the criteria in the model
„ Allows managers to differentiate among five
choices in describing the situation
© 2006 Prentice Hall Leadership in Organizations 4-13
 Normative Decision Model
Simplified Version

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 Normative Decision Model
Vroom and Yetton Model
„ Research on the Model
„ Some support but more research needed
„ Extended model needs to be tested
„ Conceptual Weaknesses
„ Decision processes are treated as single, discrete
episodes
„ The model is too complicated
„ Leaders are assumed to have necessary skills to use
the various decision procedures

© 2006 Prentice Hall Leadership in Organizations 4-15

 Guidelines for Participative Leadership
„ Diagnosing Decision Situations
„ Evaluate how important the decision is
„ Identify people with relevant knowledge or expertise
„ Evaluate likely cooperation by participants
„ Evaluate likely acceptance without participation
„ Evaluate whether it is feasible to hold a meeting

© 2006 Prentice Hall Leadership in Organizations 4-16

 Guidelines for Participative Leadership
„ Encourage Participation
„ Encourage people to express their concerns
„ Describe a proposal as tentative
„ Record ideas and suggestions
„ Look for ways to build on ideas and suggestions
„ Be tactful in expressing concerns about a suggestion
„ Listen to dissenting views without getting defensive
„ Try to utilize suggestions and deal with concerns
„ Show appreciation for suggestions

© 2006 Prentice Hall Leadership in Organizations 4-17

 Delegation
„ Varieties of Delegation
„ Potential Advantages of Delegation
„ Improvement in decision quality
„ Greater subordinate commitment
„ Making subordinates’ jobs more interesting,
challenging, and meaningful
„ Improved time management
„ Important form of management development

© 2006 Prentice Hall Leadership in Organizations 4-18

 Potential Advantages of Delegation

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 Delegation
„ Reasons for Lack of Delegation
„ Aspects of the leader’s personality
„ Fear of subordinate making a mistake
„ High need for personal achievement
„ Characteristics of the subordinate
„ Nature of the work

© 2006 Prentice Hall Leadership in Organizations 4-20

 Reasons for Lack of Delegation

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 Guidelines for Delegating
„ What to Delegate
„ Tasks that can be done better by a subordinate
„ Tasks that are urgent but not high priority
„ Tasks relevant to a subordinate’s career
„ Tasks of appropriate difficulty
„ Both pleasant and unpleasant tasks
„ Tasks not central to the manager’s role

© 2006 Prentice Hall Leadership in Organizations 4-22

 Guidelines for Delegation
„ How to Delegate
„ Specify responsibilities clearly
„ Provide adequate authority and specify limits of
discretion
„ Specify reporting requirements
„ Ensure subordinate acceptance of responsibilities

© 2006 Prentice Hall Leadership in Organizations 4-23

 Delegation
„ How to Manage Delegation
„ Inform others who need to know
„ Monitor progress in appropriate ways
„ Arrange for the subordinate to receive necessary
information
„ Provide support and assistance, but avoid reverse
delegation
„ Make mistakes a learning experience

© 2006 Prentice Hall Leadership in Organizations 4-24

 Perceived Empowerment
„ Nature of Psychological Empowerment
„ Consequences of Empowerment
„ Benefits
„ Consequences
„ Facilitating Conditions for Empowerment
„ Job design
„ Organizational structure
„ Organizational culture
„ Leader selection and assessment
„ Procedures for influencing decisions
„ Shared leadership
© 2006 Prentice Hall Leadership in Organizations 4-25
 Conditions Facilitating Psychological
Empowerment

© 2006 Prentice Hall Leadership in Organizations 4-26

 Guidelines for Empowerment
„ Clarify objectives and explain how the work supports them
„ Involve people in making decisions that affect them
„ Delegate responsibility and authority for important activities
„ Take into account individual differences in motivation and
skills
„ Provide access to relevant information
„ Provide resources needed to carry out new responsibilities
„ Change management systems to be consistent with
empowerment

© 2006 Prentice Hall Leadership in Organizations 4-27

 Guidelines for Empowerment
„ Remove bureaucratic constraints and unnecessary
controls
„ Express confidence and trust in people
„ Provide coaching and advice when requested
„ Encourage and support initiative and problem solving
„ Recognize important contributions and achievements
„ Ensure that rewards are commensurate with new
responsibilities
„ Ensure accountability for the ethical use of power

© 2006 Prentice Hall Leadership in Organizations 4-28