Term paper on Employee Empowerment

Introduction

One of the most studied and researched areas of modern management technique includes staff or employee empowerment which duly allows the employees to take on independent tasks and stand by their decisions, though the same may call for a certain set of guidelines, as also the subject of the following paper. Various researches and studies have found that employee empowerment leads to a truly nurturing environment where the employees can 'learn, grow, improve and enhance their functioning or performance abilities. Staff or employee empowerment also provides for a creating an environment of trust, importance in the eyes of the employers, and since it enhances the capability of the respective employee; the same also leads to the creation of a positive work environment within the organizational set up.

In the different researches and studies of employee empowerment, such as one carried out by Erickson et al, revealed that employee empowerment is said to occur when the management and employers pursue goals of both personal as well as professional growth for their employees. For example the senior managers and leaders within the organizations can assist their employees in enhancing their capabilities, in turn enhancing their potential to fully utilize their capabilities.

The following paper takes on the example of the employee empowerment in an health care setting where employees at all the levels are put through a number of processes and operations, resulting in the creation and conversion of the same staff into one that was more committed and was observed to use his or her full capabilities within the same settings. The employee empowerment also resulted in the provision of an enhanced nature of services for the clients/patients, as well as make better use of the functional system provided thereon.

The Different Methods Applied to Enhance Staff Empowerment
Making the Employees More Responsible
One of the first aspects noted in a number of organizations was the inactive or negligible nature of employee involvement in the actual nature of the work. This non-involvement on the part of the management and senior managers not only resulted in the increased feelings of frustrations, but also lead to the rise in the stress levels of the employee’s, as well as lack of productivity for the respective organization.

In allowing the employees to 'own' the problem or operation at hand, the employees were duly encouraged to not only identify the problem, but also come forward and provide his or her 'own' solution to the same problem, or set of problems. Indeed, the initiative of 'owning' on the part of the employees lead to a positive working environment, as well as the same provided for nurturing, creation, maintenance of a cohesive working environment. The same also lead to the reduction of the otherwise 'job-induced' stress factor which was observed amongst employees, when the same employees were restricted from directly participating in the work at hand.

The Importance of Teamwork Another important method for employee empowerment is the emphasis on teamwork. Since, this initiative also emerges on the part of the management, it is imperative that irrespective of the structure and technology of the organization, emphasis on teamwork more often leads to enhanced performance as well as an increase in the quality of the output or work of the respective organization.

A prime example of utilizing and effectively using the method of teamwork is through a workshop duly created for the purpose of enhancing skills of the employees, creating a spirit of team building, showing how to address conflict management, teaching problem solving skills, and enhancing quality management techniques. Other benefits that accrue through the participation of a teamwork includes a better understanding of the different leadership styles, as well as facilitating and empowering employees.

These are aside from the commonly observed factors of enhanced cooperation, collaboration and cohesion amongst the employees within the organization.

The Vitally Important Method of Communications As a Means of Enhancing Staff Empowerment Communication being one of the most vital and important methods of any relationship, let alone that within an organization has been observed to lead to a truly cohesive and effective means of accomplishing the goals of any organization. One of the prime examples practiced by a number of organizations includes a morning chat, before commencing actual work. This morning exchange of ideas, experiences, and suggestions not only give impetus to the overall objectives of the organization, they also provide a sense of motivation and empowerment for the numerous tasks and activities that will face the employees during the course of the long working day ahead of them.

Though the duration of this morning exchange of ideas and sharing of information may not exceed 15 t0 30 minutes, yet the same little time together provides a sense of responsibility amongst the team members and leads each member of the team to bring out new ideas that may assist other team members in the course of their day's normal routine work. The morning session also allows employees to reinforce grounds rules that have already been established by the organization, as well as lead to a truly satisfying and enjoyable working environment.

The Concept of Demand Based Scheduling As a Method of Employee Empowerment Taking the example of a health care clinic, where patients have to first take appointments and in response the assistance of the respective physician or health care provider then assigns each patient with a date and time, irrespective of the nature or severity of the ailment, sickness, or health condition of the patient.

In contrast to the said average system of taking and providing appointments, the concept of demand based scheduling works on the principles of taking into the account the severity of the health condition of the patient, and providing them first priority followed by those patients whose conditions can allow them time for visiting the next day, or on any other working day according to the needs of the patient. The system of demand based scheduling thus not only gives ample priority to the patients in need of urgent and immediate care and health advice; the same system also fulfills the requirement of other patients who can choose their own day and timings for the visit.

Leadership
Yet another vitally important method of enhancing employee empowerment is that of enhancing the leadership skills amongst the employees. It is normally said that good leadership qualities are very similar to good parenting. The object is thus to create an environment where employees not only enjoy to utilize their own strengths, but as members of a team also ensure that they become effective and contributing members of the respective organization.

The above briefly described methods of enhancing employee empowerment provide for a truly functioning workplace that is run by empowered staff, who in utilizes some of the most effective and client/customer focused system in enhancing the productivity of the organization, as well as well as their own human potential.

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