Page 266 - leadership-experience-2008

CikguOnline
CikguOnline
Leader’s Self-Insight 8.3 Getty Images

Are You Empowered?

Think of a job—either current or previous job—that was 9. Made me responsible for
important to you, and then answer the questions below what I did. _______ _______
with respect to the managers above you in that job. 10. Encouraged me to figure out
Indicate whether each item below is Mostly False or the causes and solutions to
Mostly True for you. problems. _______ _______
In general, my supervisor/manager:
Scoring and Interpretation
Mostly Mostly
Add one point for each Mostly True answer to the
False True
10 questions to obtain your total score. The questions
1. Gave me the support I
represent aspects of empowerment that an employee
needed to do my job well. _______ _______
may experience in a job. If your score was 6 or above,
2. Gave me the performance
you probably felt empowered in the job for which you
information I needed to do
answered the questions. If your score was 3 or below,
my job well. _______ _______
you probably did not feel empowered. Did you feel highly
3. Explained top management’s
motivated in that job, and was your motivation related to
strategy and vision for the
your empowerment? What factors explained the level of
organization. _______ _______ empowerment you felt? Was empowerment mostly based
4. Gave me many on your supervisor’s leadership style? The culture of the
responsibilities. _______ _______ organization? Compare your scores with another student.
5. Trusted me. _______ _______ Each of you take a turn describing the job and the level
6. Allowed me to set my own of empowerment you experienced. Do you want a job in
goals. _______ _______ which you are fully empowered? Why or why not?
7. Encouraged me to take con-
Sources: These questions were adapted from Bradley L. Kirkman
trol of my own work. _______ _______ and Benson Rosen, “Beyond Self-management: Antecedents and
Consequences of Team Empowerment,” Academy of Management
8. Used my ideas and sug- Journal 42, no. 1 (February 1999), pp. 58–74; and Gretchen
gestions when making M. Spreitzer, “Psychological Empowerment in the Workplace:
Dimensions, Measurements, and Validation,” Academy of
decisions. _______ _______ Management Journal 38, no. 5 (October 1995), pp. 1442–1465.

a deep sense of importance and meaningfulness, such as people who work for a so-

cial cause or mission. However, people can find a sense of meaning and importance
no matter what type of organization they work in if leaders build an environment in
which people can flourish. Researchers have found that highly successful factories

in less-developed countries, such as Morocco or Mexico, for example, have leaders
who treat people with care and respect, engender a culture of mutual trust, and
build on local values to create a community of meaning. When people feel that
71
they’re a part of something special, they are more highly motivated and committed
to the success of the organization and all its members. One path to meaning is
through employee engagement, which researchers have found contributes to stron-
ger organizational performance. An engaged employee is one who is emotionally
connected to the organization, who is fully involved in and enthusiastic about his
or her work, and who cares about the success of the organization. 72
A Gallup Organization study found that the single most important variable
in whether employees are engaged is the relationship between employees and
their direct supervisor. A leader’s role is not to control others, but to organize
73
the workplace in such a way that each person can learn, contribute, and grow.
Good leaders create an organizational climate that allows people to become fully

247