Review the article titled: “Empowerment: Rejuvenating a potent idea” by Russ Forrester (2000).
In your blog, prepare a summary that compares and contrasts the concepts discussed to those discussed in the text.
In the best working teams, a commitment to and desire for team membership is present. If a manager's goal is to accomplish their own goals instead of the team's objectives, or to maintain independence from others, they are not leading. Empowered employees are more productive, psychologically and physically healthy, proactive and innovative, persistent in work, trustworthy, interpersonally effective, intrinsically motivated, and have higher morale and commitment than employees who are not empowered (2012, p.472). I would argue that if upper level management realizes that a restructuring of responsibilities is necessary between lower level and middle management due to lack of productivity, high turnover, and reports of workplace dissatisfaction, it would be far more effective to re-train middle management in order to establish teamwork and productivity, or to replace those who are leading ineffective teams.
The article by Russ Forrester titled "Empowerment: rejuvenating a potent idea" discusses several issues within the structure of management that it calls dysfunction for those within its ranks. Forrester discusses an enlightening set of conclusions about the psyche of middle management and the perceived threat and stress that empowerment of those underneath them may cause (Forrester, 2000).
Organizational hierarchies are quite delicate. middle managers tend to see themselves as stressed by those on both sides of their position (Whetten & Cameron, 2012). They have work to do, yet they also have to make sure that those they supervise are busy with work and doing what they need to be doing. Alas, many middle managers are unsure of what task they can pass on to their supervisees because they want the work done right but are unsure if their supervisees have the skills to make sure the work is done correctly. Without having to waste more time explaining to their supervisee what needs to be done, why it needs to be done, and when it needs to be done, many managers rather save the effort and end up just doing it themselves. As Forrester states, "most managers recognize that their job security and career progression depend on what the organization demands of them." Forrester continues, "they tend to see their security more at risk if they depend on others."
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| If a manager spends more time micromanaging than doing their own work, how are they setting a positive example for their staff? |
The issue is that, when managers touch all of the work within the office, they underutilize their staff, leaving them bored, unproductive and either underfulfilled or unfulfilled. They also cannot focus on what they really need to be doing! The best workers will also feel as if their manager does not trust them. As Whetting and Cameron note in chapter 9, "team members will not follow a person whom they don't trust, who is hypocritical or dishonest, and whose motives appear to be personal aggrandizement instead of the welfare of the team" (2012, p.507). Perhaps middle managers believe that they are sparing their staff "dirty work" by keeping unpleasant, technical, or timely work to themselves. However, playing the role of martyr by
refusing to involve others in disagreeable tasks
or drudgery creates unrealistic expectations for
employees and isolates managers (2012, p. 469). It also creates undue stress on the supervisor. Personal consequences can range from inability to concentrate, anxiety, and depression to stomach disorders, low resistance to illness, and heart disease (p. 113).
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| Why are companies keeping people around who refuse to put their hand in? |
Empowerment can happen through a middle manager, but oftentimes the dysfunctions discussed are highlighted by upper level management and become a process which disenfranchises middle management more than anything. For example, Forrester discusses how organizations give additional power to employees, but intentionally leave their accountability the same, to predict protect employees supposed security needs by shielding them from the risks associated with their actions. The problem this creates is that accountability remains with those from whom the power was transferred, and middle managers then bear the accountability without the control. Though one would assume that this would force middle managers to develop the team dynamic needed to survey their staff to their own benefit, they get angry and less cooperative in these circumstances (2000). However, is their lack of effective delegation which causes upper level management to presume that such restructuring is necessary.
As noted in Chapter 8, in order to empower, a leader must develop self efficacy, self determination, personal control, meaning, and trust in all of their team members. This means that managers must involve themselves in professional development, creativity, openness, honesty, fairness and consistency (2012, p.472). A leader-manager encourages experimentation, trial and error learning, freewheeling discussions of new possibilities, and demands personal responsibility by everyone for upgrading performance (2012, p.505).
References
Forrester, R. (2000). Empowerment: Rejuvenating a potent idea. The Academy of Management Executive, 14(3), 67-80. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.libproxy.db.erau.edu/docview/210518384?accountid=27203
Whetten, D., & Cameron, K. (2011). Developing Management Skills (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education.
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