Empowerment is a two-way street LO4481

Dave Birren, MB-5, 608-267-2442 (BIRRED@dnr.state.wi.us)
Fri, 29 Dec 1995 10:35 CST

Replying to Rol Fessenden in Learning to Learn LO4348:

Rol quotes Joe Hays in Learning to Learn LO4316:

"I am campaigning to eliminate the notion that empowerment is something
that is given. Though it may come about naturally and painlessly in some
evolutionary self-organizing way, it is most typically a frustrating and
excruciating process both for those who would be empowered and those who
would empower. Empowerment is something which is earned. It is something
which has to come to be desired and something which depends heavily on
personal confidence and competence (and in my case, at least, on mutual
trust, interdependence. and collaboration)."

Rol comments:

>I would even go so far as to say that people truly recognize when they are
>'ready' for the burden, and at that point, they _take_ empowerment. When
>anyone is waiting for empowerment to be given, they are -- practically by
>definition -- not ready for it.

I agree with Joe's implication that empowerment works both ways. Truly,
it can't work if the "lower" level people aren't ready for it. And
because it conflicts with traditional patterns of power relationships,
it's hard for the "upper" level people to accept. But I don't agree with
Rol's point that people can just "take" it, at least not without major
disruption to the organization. Just look at what happened to the captain
and crew of the Bounty.

Empowerment occurs when management realizes that staff need - and can
responsibly handle - the freedom to define and do their jobs, the
direction that only management can provide, and the support from all other
parts of the organization. Without any one of these - responsibility,
freedom, direction, and support - there's no empowerment.

--
David E. Birren                          Phone:   (608)267-2442
Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources     Fax:     (608)267-3579
Bureau of Management & Budget            E-mail:  birred@dnr.state.wi.us

"Our future is to be food - Wisdom's gift - for what comes after us." -- Saadi (Neil Douglas-Klotz)