Human Resources – Power Your Brand with Employee Empowerment

 

Are you investing in marketing, but not getting the anticipated return on your investment?

If you’re disappointed by your ROI, remember marketing may or may not be the problem. Why? Consider there are two basic reasons for poor profits – again, that’s profits not revenue. The reasons include failure to adapt to a dynamic marketplace and failing to solve the internal factors that impede the control of costs, performance and quality.

To research the problem, assess each of the following:

1. Marketing and sales approach
2. Human resources management
3. Operations and processes

Naturally, if you conclude marketing isn’t the problem, this means that your company isn’t managed at optimum levels.

A  lesson I’ve learned as a management consultant: Marketing doesn’t work when a company isn’t well-run. Two symptoms are poor company image and low customer satisfaction. Therefore, look internally. You need for your employees to be productive. But in such cases, they’re not.

So consider a University of Iowa study, “Antecedents and Consequences of Psychological and Team Empowerment in Organizations: A Meta-analtyic Review.” Published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, it was co-authored by researcher Scott Seibert, professor of management and organizations in the Tippie College of Business; and UI doctoral students Gang Wang and Stephen H. Courtright. They reviewed the results of dozens of other studies.

The report’s conclusions about employee-empowerment:

• Morale is higher
• Performance is stronger
• Job satisfaction is enhanced
• Less turnover
• Reduced stress

“Empowerment is an effective approach for improving employee attitudes and work behaviors in a broad range of industries, occupations and geographic regions,” said Profess Seibert.

To summarize, he recommends:

• Managers sharing information
• Including employees in decision-making
• Providing HR training
• Paying well
• Recognizing employee contributions
• Showing leadership
• Providing good feedback
• Helping workers to find meaning in their work with challenging responsibilities

“Managers in these studies reported that empowered workers were more innovative and more willing to take the initiative to solve problems on their own,” said the professor. “Employees said they were more engaged in their work when empowered, that they felt like they had an influence and an impact on the business around them.”

My sense about empowerment:

Empowerment is a lot more than lip service. Give it sufficient consideration.

Employees deserve an opportunity for empowerment. But always remember it’s a privilege, not a right. Trust is important. You need employees who demonstrate initiative and performance. Recruit for such attributes.

Give your employees parameters, not a blank check to do whatever they feel like doing. Explain your expectations – paint a picture they can visualize. Show them the big picture facing the company and their department – then, explain operational costs and why their roles are important. Set reasonable goals and deadlines. Understand the difference between micro-managing and hands-on managing. Continually monitor and recognize everyone’s progress.

Don’t forget to make work fun.

Be assertive and thorough. Avoid the dangers that result when managers poorly implement empowerment initiatives. Yes, when it works, empowerment leads to profits. Remember you’re the boss and ultimately responsible for organization’s performance.

From the Coach’s Corner, here are more resource links:

• 21 Quick Tips to Avoid the Dark Side of Management
• Boss Checklist: 16 Strategies for a Competitive Edge

“I’ve always found that the speed of the boss is the speed of the team.”
- Lee Iacocca

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Author Terry Corbell has written innumerable online business-enhancement articles, and is a business-performance consultant and profit professional. Click here to see his management services. For a complimentary chat about your business situation or to schedule him as a speaker, consultant or author, please contact Terry.