This presentation discusses empowerment as both a leadership trait and strategy motivation strategy.

1. Dr. Gregory S. Waddell

2. “We're all capable of doing much
more." . . . It's institutions and
concepts that limit us and keep
us down. We're . . . like a
bonsai tree, a tiny plant kept tiny
because of the way we're
planted. If we had a better place,
we would be tall and moving
toward the sky.”
– M. Yunus, Director General del Banco Grameen, Bangladesh, Citado en
Rosen, 2000, pp. 348-349.
Release the Potential

3. “Controlling leaders tend to categorize and limit
potential of employees establishing bureaucratic,
paper-shuffling cogs in the hierarchy.
– Timothy Stagich, Collaborative Leadership & Global Transformation
Release the Potential

4. “Controlling leaders tend to categorize and limit
potential of employees establishing bureaucratic,
paper-shuffling cogs in the hierarchy.
Transformative leaders build confidence and release
the unlimited potential of employees by helping
these individuals realize their special abilities and
contributions to the organization.”
– Timothy Stagich, Collaborative Leadership & Global Transformation
Release the Potential

5. Release the Potential
“He gave some as apostles, and some as
prophets, and some as evangelists, and
some as pastors and teachers, for the
equipping of the saints for the work of
service, to the building up of the body of
Christ.”
– Ephesians 4:11-12, NASB
equipping

6. Definition
Creating an where others are
and encouraged to make in
ways and to that they are in
of the for which they have
accepted
(Heathfield, 2006; Page & Czuba, 1999; Honold, 1997, p. 203)
environment
equipped decisions
autonomous feel
control outcomes
responsibility.

7. Leader
Follower
The 3 Dimensions of Empowerment
Structure

8. Leader
Follower
The 3 Dimensions of Empowerment
Structure

9. The Leader . . .
• Influences through context.
• Creates an atmosphere of inclusion.
• Doesn’t take back the power.
• Supports employee empowerment.
• Communicates a clear mandate.
• Equips people for success.

10. The Empowering Leader . . .
influences
through
context.

11. The Empowering Leader . . .
creates an
atmosphere of
inclusion.

12. The Empowering Leader . . .
gives and doesn’t
take back power.

13. The Empowering Leader . . .
supports employee
empowerment.

14. The Empowering Leader . . .
Communicates a clear mandate.

15. The Empowering Leader . . .
equips people for success.
• Training
• Resources
• Information

16. Follower
The 3 Dimensions of Empowerment

17. Empowered Followers . . .
• Practice open communication;
• Know how to work in teams;
• Listen to the voice of wisdom;
• Tolerate ambiguity;
• Encourage themselves;
• Accept responsibility.

18. The Empowered Follower …
Practices open
communication.

19. The Empowered Follower …
Knows how
to work in teams.

20. The Empowered Follower …
listens to the voice of wisdom.
Wisdom shouts in the street,
She lifts her voice in the square;
(Proverbs 1:20)

21. The Empowered Follower …
is able to
tolerate
ambiguity.

22. The Empowered Follower …
is skilled at
self-encouragement.

23. The Empowered Follower …
accepts responsibility
coordinationcoordination autonomyautonomy
controlcontrol
Source: Keidel, R. W. (1995). Dimensions of organizational design. [Chart]
In Seeing organizational patterns. San Francisco: Barrett-Kroehler. p. 6

24. The 3 Dimensions of Empowerment
Structure

25. The Old Mechanistic Structure
• centralized
• information hoarding
• fixed rewards
• silo-structured
• unaligned

26. The Empowering (Organic) Structure
• decentralized
• information sharing
• contingent rewards
• team-structured
• aligned

27. The Empowering Organization …
is decentralized.

28. The Empowering Organization …
• mission
• goals
• mandate
• logistical
• performance
shares information widely.

29. The Empowering Organization …
rewards excellence.
Differentiation . . .
“the mother’s
milk of building a
performance
culture.”
– Bossidy & Charan, 2002

30. The Empowering Organization …
accomplishes its work through teams.

31. Fuente: Jay R. Galbraith, Designing Organizations: An Executive Guide to Strategy, Structure and
Process, Rev. ed. (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2002), 10.
The Empowering Organization …
is strategically aligned.
Strategy
Structure
ProcessesRewards
People

32. Sources Cited
Waddell, Gregorio. 2006. “Organizational Empowerment.” Wikipedia article.
Katzenbach, Jon R. and Douglas K. Smith. The Wisdom of Teams: Creating
the High-Performance Organization. New York: HarperCollins, 2003.
ISBN: 0060522003
Miller, Calvin. The Empowered Leader: 10 Keys to Servant Leadership.
Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, 1995
Menon, S. T. Employee Empowerment: Definition, Measurement &
Construct Validation. Canada: McGill University, 1995
Rosen, Robert, Patricia Digh, Marshall Singer and Carl Phillips. Global
Literacies: Lessons on Business Leadership & National Cultures. New
York: Simon & Schuster, 2000.
Stagich, Timothy. Collaborative Leadership & Global Transformation.
Bloomington, IN: Authorhouse, 2001.

33. Thank you . . .
Gregory S. Waddell, DSL
Professor of Leadership Studies
& Course Designer
901-581-5735
DrGregWaddell@gmail.com