The Epowerment Process: Empowerment Theory And Practice

THE EMPOWERMENT PROCESS: INTEGRATING THEORY AND PRACTICE

JAY A. CONGER

RABINDRA N. KANUNGO

SUMMARY

Empowerment is an emerging construct used in determining the organizational effectiveness. This article mainly stresses on the meaning of empowerment beyond what is usually explained in terms sharing power of managers with subordinates, in this article the author believes that this traditional model has certain flaws which is discussed in the article. Empowerment construct is usually derived from the root constructs of power and control in management. Empowerment is viewed from two different ways. Empowerment as a relational construct: power is primarily a relational concept used to describe the perceived power or control that an individual employee

Once these conditions are identified it is important to employ those strategies which will help the organization reach its desired goals also which will in turn help to achieve self-efficacy in employees. The process of empowerment can be structured into 5 stages including psychological state of empowering experience. The first stage involves identifying the conditions within the organization where empowerment is required. In the second stage strategies according to the need is formulated by the managers. The employment of these strategies is aimed not only at removing some of the external conditions responsible for powerlessness, but also at providing subordinates with self-efficacy information in third stage. After getting these information the employees feel empowered in stage four. The behavioral effects of empowerment are noticed in the fifth stage. Empowerment processes may allow leaders to lessen the emotional impact of demoralizing organizational changes or to mobilize organizational members in the face of difficult competitive challenges. These processes may enable leaders to set higher performance goals, and they may help employees to accept these goals. Empowerment practices also may be useful in motivating subordinates to persist despite difficult organizational environmental