The empowerment grid is introduced as a conceptual tool to better understand the
phenomenon of workplace empowerment. First, working conditions, work processes, and
strategic governance are identified as the three broad domains of workplace empowerment.
Next, three empowering agents are identified – management, government, and the workers
themselves. Examination of the resulting 3 times 3 grid reveals that the current focus of
organisational researchers is only one of the many possible facets of workplace
empowerment. Historical analysis suggests that different aspects of workplace empowerment
were emphasized at different times. Further, although it enjoys the status of being the
latest management buzzword, many of the notions underlying workplace empowerment seem to
have been researched and practised under various labels. Possible future trends in
workplace empowerment are also discussed.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Bennis W.,Nanus B.Leaders: The strategies of
taking charge. New York: Harper
& Row; 1985:
2.
Block P.The empowered manager:
Positive political skills at work. San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass;
1987:
3.
Burke W. W.Executive
Power. Srivastva S., ed. San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass;
1986:51-77.
4.
Conger J. A..Leadership: The
art of empowering others.Academy of Management
Executive. 1989;3 (1):
17-24
5.
Conger J. A.,Kanungo R.
N..The empowerment process: Integrating
theory and practice.Academy of Management Review.
1988;13:471-482
6.
Cotton J. L.,Vollrath D.
A.,Froggatt K. L.,Lengnick-Hall M.
L.,Jennings K. R..Employee
participation: Diverse forms and different outcomes.Academy of
Management Review.
1988;13:8-22
7.
Crozier M.The Bureaucratic
Phenomenon. Chicago: University
of Chicago Press; 1964:
8.
Cummings T.
G..Self-regulating work groups: A
socio-technical synthesis.Academy of Management Review.
1978;3:625-34
9.
Davis L..Enhancing the
quality of work life: Developments in the United
States.International Labor Review.
1977;116:53-65
10.
Dachler H. P.,Wilpert B..Conceptual
dimensions and boundaries of participation in organizations: A critical
evaluation.Administrative Science Quarterly.
1978;23:1-39
11.
Drucker P. F.Mary Parker Follet:
Prophet of Management. Graham P., ed.
Boston: Harvard Business School
Press;
1995:1-9.
12.
Emery F. E.Characteristics of
socio-technical systems. London:
Tavistock Institute;
1959:
13.
Ehin C..The quest for
empowering organizations: Some lessons from our foraging
past.Organisation Science.
1995;6:666-670
14.
EylonD. (1994). An experimental test of a process
model of empowerment. Paper presented at the Annual meeting of the Academy of
Management.
15.
Gandz J.,Bird F.
G..The ethics of
empowerment.Journal of Business Ethics.
1996;15:383-392
16.
Gilbreth F.Motion study.
New York: Van Nostrand;
1911:
17.
Graham P.Mary Parker Follet:
Prophet of Managements. Boston:
Harvard Business School Press;
1995:1-9.
18.
Hackman J. R.,Oldham G.
R.Work Redesign. Reading,
MA: Addison-Wesley;
1980:
19.
Herzberg F..One more time:
How do you motivate employees?.Harvard Business Review.
1968;46 (1):
53-62
20.
Herzberg F.,Mausner B.,Snyderman B.The motivation to
Work. New York: John Wiley &
Sons; 1959:
21.
Hogler R. L..Transforming
employment relationships: Implications for human resource
management.Human Resource Management Review.
1996;6 (1):
75-88
22.
House R. J..Power and
personality in complex organisations.Research in Organisational
Behavior.
1988;10:305-357
23.
Kanter R. M.Men and women of the
corporation. New York: Basic
Books; 1977:
24.
Kanter R. M.Mary Parker Follet:
Prophet of Management. Graham P., ed.
Boston: Harvard Business School
Press;
1995:xiii-xix.
25.
Kanungo R. N.,Mendonca M.Ethical Dimensions of
Leadership. Thousand Oaks, CA:
Sage; 1996:
26.
Liden R. C.,Arad S..A power perspective of
empowerment and work groups: Implications for human resource management
research.Research in Personnel and Human Resource
Management.
1996;14:205-251
27.
McGregor D.The human side of the
enterprise. New york:
McGraw-Hill; 1960:
28.
MenonS. T. (in press). Employee empowerment: An
integrative psychological approach. Applied Psychology: An International
Review.
29.
Menon S. T..Psychological
empowerment: Definition, Measurement, and Validation.Canadian
Journal of Behavioral Science. 1999;31
(3): 161-164
30.
Menon S. T.,Borg I.Facet Analysis and
Design. Hox J.Swanborn P.,
ed. Zeist, The Netherlands: Zeist
Press;
1995:129-140.
31.
Shipper F.,Manz C.
C..Employee self-management without formally
designated teams: An alternative road to
empowerment.Organisational Dynamics.
1992;20 (3):
48-61
32.
Spreitzer G.
M..Psychological empowerment in the
workplace empowerment: Construct definition, measurement, and
validation.Academy of Management Journal.
1995;38:1442-1465
33.
Susman G. I.Autonomy at work: A
socio-technical analysis of participative management. New
York: Praeger;
1976:
34.
Taylor F. W.Principles of
Scientific Management. New York:
Harper and Brothers;
1911:
35.
Thomas K. W.,Velthouse B.
A..Cognitive elements of empowerment: An
“interpretive” model of intrinsic task motivation.Academy of
Management Review.
1990;15:666-681
36.
Trist E. L.Perspectives on
Organisation Design and Behavior. Van de Ven A. H.Joyce W.
F., ed. New York:
John Wiley & Sons;
1981:
37.
Walton R..Improving the
quality of work life.Harvard Business Review.
1974;52:12
38.
Yukl G. A..Managerial
Leaderships A review of theory and research.Journal of
Management.
1989;15:251-289
