Though empowerment is a much overused word in the business world, it is still a very practical concept. Empowerment is a process that fosters power in people to help them gain control of their own lives.
The core concept of empowerment is power. The possibility of empowerment depends on two attributes.
- Understanding that power can be shared because...
- Power is not a zero-sum game; helping others become more powerful does not diminish one's own power. In fact, it enhances it.
Organization change is often done in a way that is very disempowering. Where the change is top down, it typically leaves people ignorant and scared, an outcome that leads far away from making and owning change. If you want people to own the change, you as a leader or manager must create opportunities for people to assume and responsibly use power progressively. Empowerment in change is about capability building. It is about encouraging people to assume progressively greater responsibility for the change they are experiencing. As they develop experience, you will be able to delegate and they will be able to assume more.