Employee empowerment sounds like a great concept when you first think about it. Of course, it’s nice to give employees the ability to control their own work on a day-to-day basis. Managers will have a better time and employees will be much happier. That is why it comes as a surprise to many people when employee empowerment programs fail. In fact, they can make the situation worse!
This is all due to the way they are handled. You see, in many cases, managers don’t really understand what employee empowerment means. They really don’t want to give employees the power to take care of their own work. Whether it’s because the manager doesn’t trust the employee to be truly empowered, or because he doesn’t know how to manage except very closely, this type of behavior is incredibly destructive. It leaves employees feeling like they’ve been cheated, and they’re much more likely to go to the career counselor for some career advice, or to start looking for a career change.
Managers who pay lip service to their employees’ effectiveness but don’t really believe in letting go are sabotaging their own efforts. You see, managers define the decision-making authority of staff and set the limits. There is nothing wrong with this, as long as you stick to those limits. But when a staff member is told that they have complete control over the project (for better or worse), they are likely to feel resentful and undermined when their manager steps in and tries to micromanage.
Employees in empowered situations have the ability and responsibility to make their own decisions. If the manager is really going to allow the employee to be empowered, he or she has to let go of responsibility for that decision. Looking over an employee’s shoulder is the most effective way to encourage them to pursue a career. If you don’t want to send your employees to seek professional advice, he should avoid getting in their way.
Empowered employees can be a great benefit to an organization. They have the authority and ability to make their own decisions, and they usually do it well. This allows the company to avoid spending time and effort watching employee actions and use that energy to improve operations. However, when managers are unwilling to trust those employees with their power, empowerment programs are bound to fail. Don’t fall into the micromanagement trap. Let your employees have the authority to make their own decisions.