The Concept of Empowerment - The Link between Empowerment and Motivation - Essay Example

?What is the difference between empowerment and motivation? Can empowerment work in isolation? How essential is staff training in the retail sector? Do the employees actually understand what empowerment is all about? Have the retailers benefitted from employee empowerment? Executive Summary Empowerment and motivation are two different constructs. Empowerment is not simply delegating authority or decision-making power. It should strengthen the feeling of self-efficacy which would naturally give rise to intrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation is self-owned and urges one to go beyond the defined tasks. This is essential in the retail sector which thrives on customer satisfaction. Empowerment however requires training and guidance which appears to be lacking in the retail sector. The employees tend to prefer direction to action which implies they lack intrinsic motivation. The management too may be unwilling to share critical information and relinquish power. Hence, the efficacy of empowerment is dependent on various factors and cannot lead to competitive advantage by merely empowering the employees. Empowerment Empowerment has varied definitions and approaches and may involve elements like individual employee perceptions, job structure and work environment, organizational structure and culture, managerial commitment and leadership, and training and reward systems (Anderson & Huang, 2006). Empowerment involves the behavior of the supervisor (cause of empowerment) and the psychological state of the subordinate (the effect). Empowerment is not merely a fad but a unique concept representing a new managerial approach and cannot be substituted for word like authority, delegation, motivation or self-efficacy (Lee & Koh, 2001). Empowerment is a continuing process occurring in a dynamic environment. It requires removing the conditions that give rise to feelings of powerlessness. It should create a work environment that strengthens the feelings of self efficacy (Anderson & Huang, 2006). They should be given autonomy and allowed to participate in decision-making. The employees should be freed from rigorous control imposed by company rules and regulations. Empowerment can lead to job satisfaction and loyalty, which positively impacts performance. However, empowerment requires the right leadership style and the managerial practices which can provide the right motivation. Motivation Motivation has been defined as an internal process that controls and regulates behavior, according to Hardre (2003). Barnett (1999) defines motivation as a psychological force that directs, initiates, and sustains human behavior over time. To ensure highest productivity and better performance, the importance of motivation has been recognized. However, motivation should spring from the inner self – it should be intrinsic and not induced by external factors such as pay and monetary incentives. Intrinsic motivation is positive, internalized and self-owned whereas extrinsic motivation is low quality and does not produce the valued outcomes. Empowerment and motivation Thus it can be said that empowerment is the authority to use discretion and take decisions while motivation is an inner urge to grow or perform. This is the initiative that Kokemuller (2001) refers to as the skills essential for jobs in the retail but something that is commonly missing. In favorable conditions the workers produce better and according to Ryan and Deci (2000) these include autonomy and competence. This implies that empowerment provides intrinsic joy and this induces the worker to perform better. Empowerment should be an individual motivation which should create an environment for augmenting motivation through the development of strong feeling of personal effectiveness (Anderson & Huang, 2006). Empowerment should foster a belief in the worker on his own effectiveness thereby enhancing intrinsic motivation. Empowerment enhances self-efficacy and even according to Maslow it is the highest in the hierarchy of needs. However, even if the workers are empowered, they must have inherent growth tendencies, they must have innate psychological needs to benefit from empowerment. Intrinsic motivation is an innate trait and the stimuli include the amount of decision-making involved (Tharenou, 1979). Employees’ perception of empowerment and motivation Cloke and Goldsmith (2002) argue that workers prefer direction to accepting responsibility, but managers too may be unwilling to release the control and allow the subordinates to make decision even though officially they may have ‘empowered’ the subordinates (Anderson & Huang, 2006). They tend to withhold critical information, resources and authority from the subordinates. This implies that there is a difference between delegating power to subordinates and enabling them. Authority brings with it accountability, risks and responsibilities which the subordinates often fail to recognize. Subordinates are also skeptical that their superiors would actually relinquish power. Moreover, the workers are often fearful of making mistakes and hence develop decision paralysis. Thus the purpose of empowerment is defeated. Employee empowerment among large retailers The UK food retailers face rising incidences of consumer complaints which need to be addressed to avoid negative media coverage (Leighton & Bent, 1997). Adequate staff training towards effective complaints handling can lead to competitive advantage. However, in addition to staff training, this also requires an open culture and empowerment. Empowering the front line staff at the retailers to deal with complaints handling could perhaps lead to competitive advantage. It could lead to quicker response to consumer demands and complaints, along with contribution to new ideas and methods (D'Annunzio-Green & Macandrew, 1999). Empowerment was provided at Deane-Draper Stores (leading retailers with 150 stores across England and Wales targeting the upper and middle income families) when the retailer was underperforming (Smith, 2001). While this was implemented at the retailers with a view to facilitate commitment to corporate goals the results could not be obtained. Management was decentralized and the hierarchical tiers were eliminated but guidance to the staff was not provided when needed. Besides, staff were not trained on refunds, exchange and discount policies. Thus empowerment without appropriate management control or staff training can be disastrous leading to dire financial implications. This suggests that there was no intrinsic motivation towards growth. They simply used the authority without discrimination. Empowerment was provided without any ground rules. Thus, as Cloke and Goldsmith have argued, it is not merely the submissive attitude of the employees. The role of the employers and the management is equally important in making empowerment work and ‘quick-fix’ strategies are rarely successful (D'Annunzio-Green & Macandrew, 1999). D'Annunzio-Green and Macandrew (1999) argue that empowerment is not just a simple solution to low employee motivation and commitment. It should be embraced as a long-term investment with the propensity to take risks and provide the right environment such as the organizational culture. An organization must be prepared for failures and learn from past mistakes to ensure sustainability. Conclusion The retail sector is competitive and competitive advantage can come through differentiation. This differentiation can be achieved through service. Service is employee-dependent and this requires training and equipping the employees with power to act. The management may empower but may have reservations about sharing information with the subordinates. The employees may be empowered, but may lack initiative or intrinsic motivation to perform beyond the defined tasks. Such employees would have a laid-back attitude and prefer to be directed as children. For empowerment to be effective, culture change is essential. Training is essential but again, training alone does not suffice. Appropriate management control along with the ground rules can make empowerment effective. References Anderson, RE & Huang, W 2006, 'Empowering Salespeople: Personal, Managerial, and Organizational Perspectives', Psychology & Marketing, vol. 23, no. 2, pp. 139-159 Barnett, CK 1999, 'Motivation Theories: Integration', retrieved February 23, 2011 from http://pubpages.unh.edu/~ckb/motivation.pdf D'Annunzio-Green, N & Macandrew, J 1999, 'Re-empowering the empowered - the ultimate challenge?', Personnel Review, vol. 28. no. 3, pp. 258-278 Hardre, PL 2003, 'Beyond Two Decades of Motivation: A Review of the Research and Practice in Instructional Design and Human Performance Technology', Human Resource Development Review, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 54-81 Kokemuller, N 2011, 'Skills Required for Jobs in Retail', retrieved February 23, 2011 from http://www.ehow.co.uk/info_7743687_skills-required-jobs-retail.html Lee, M & Koh, J 2001, 'Is empowerment really a new concept?', Int. 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