Some organizations moving at a fast pace might consider passing some important responsibilities to their employees. This will enable them to acquire decision making process a lot quicker when done at a lower level. This is because people working at this level can have deeper and closer understanding with the basic procedures and processes to get the job done. Likewise, it can provide a better to keep a strategic vision of the organization. Perhaps this could work for some companies while it might be a risky maneuver for some. Therefore, it might be helpful to look at the pros and cons of employee empowerment first.
List of Pros of Employee Empowerment
1. Solving Problems Quicker.
Due to the fact that employees are often so close to problems and issues in a particular department, they can offer faster response times compared to those that will require careful understanding of the issues from the management level.
2. Increasing the Productivity and Morale.
Those who are given the responsibility to create their own decisions can feel more trusted in which their contributions have a direct factor in the success of the company. This can actually offer them to boost their morale.
3. Bigger Involvement Leading to Bigger Commitment.
When employees are given greater involvement by increasing their responsibility, they are able to become more involved in the development of strategies for the organization. For this reason, it will enable them to look at customers and colleagues a lot more differently. More so, they will increase their commitment to the organization and its future. So, if employees are satisfied, it could lead to more satisfied customers. This commitment will eventually lead to decrease in staff turnover and reduced cost.
List of Cons of Employee Empowerment
1. Risks in Lack of Experience.
Although handing down responsibility to workers will improve agility, productivity, and speed, there are concerns that inexperienced personnel might be an issue in giving out decisions for the company. Moreover, this can add up to the number of mistakes which can also put the company’s reputation at a certain risk.
2. Might Decrease Efficiency.
When certain employees are given authority over things in the company, chances are that these decisions can be biased. Therefore, it can lead to problems with their fellow subordinates and in turn will lead to lesser efficiency.
3. Relationship Blurring.
The initiative to empower employees will lead to streamlined structure of management. For this reason, it can lead to blurred relationships and in turn the authoritative boundaries will become broken. As a result, it will lead to acquire more control over the employees.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to employee empowerment, the pros and cons have indeed said it all. So, in order to outrun the potential drawbacks, it should be controlled by positive management techniques, such as:
Encourage positive leadership
Schemes that should improve the training, recognition, coaching, and rewards
Environment that should be transparent and open for communication.
Being able to manage people well through empowerment strategy should help them become partners in the success of the company rather than a liability.
Natalie Regoli is a child of God, devoted wife, and mother of two boys. She has a Master's Degree in Law from The University of Texas. Natalie has been published in several national journals and has been practicing law for 18 years.