Empowerment—Fad or Fab? A Multilevel Review of the Past Two Decades of Research

Abstract

In this article, the authors review research that has examined psychological empowerment at various levels of analysis. Specifically, at the individual, team, and organizational levels of analysis, the authors summarize research that has examined both antecedents to psychological empowerment and the various outcomes of empowerment. Similarly, they discuss studies that have considered the multilevel relationships of psychological empowerment. In addition to reviewing the multilevel empowerment nomological network, the review examines how empowerment has been conceptualized within the literature. The authors include a discussion of how psychological empowerment has been operationalized within the literature, as well as various methodological considerations of psychological empowerment research. Throughout this review, they suggest avenues for future research, including methodological and theoretical considerations that are important to advancing our understanding of psychological empowerment across various levels of analysis.