Elements of Enterneering®/Culture/Empowerment
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The term 'empowerment' is frequently used in the corporate context and is far too often equated with a cool tool or a current trend of the New Work movement. Linguistically speaking, empowerment means something like 'self-empowerment' (giving oneself the power) or 'strengthening of autonomy'. This makes it clear that it is a profound basic attitude towards enterprise design and a basic concept for various forms of work. Contrary to common assumptions, empowerment is not limited to leadership tasks, nor is it a special award or incentivisation for individuals. It is a matter of attitude – the core of the corporate philosophy that promotes values such as self-determination, freedom and participation.
Empowerment entails companies giving their employees extensive and, in some areas, complete personal responsibility for designing and executing work processes. The associated empowerment within the organisational units leads to progressive decentralisation and flat decision-making structures. This strengthens the self-organisation and independence of the workforce. This is also accompanied by a shift in authority and decision-making power. Empowerment implemented this way requires not only a high degree of trust but also a corporate culture that is aligned with it, and the necessary talent.
WHY?
Changing empowerment fundamentally in an entire organisation is expensive and associated with risks. Companies with a consistent economic mindset must be convinced that changing forms of work and organisational structures pay off for them, before implementing such change. What are the possible reasons behind these considerations?
TALENT
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AGILITY
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CUSTOMER CENTRICITY
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LEARNING
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HOW?
The appropriate level to which empowerment is to be increased depends heavily on the maturity of the individuals and the organisation, necessitating a gradual approach, supported by organisational and skill development measures. Empowerment is closely linked with effective talent management, proper delegation, regular feedback and the appropriate macro-management by leaders. The more firmly these elements are anchored in the company and the more experienced individuals are in them, the faster and more successful the increase in empowerment will be.
TALENT MANAGEMENT
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DELEGATION
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FEEDBACK
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MACRO-MANAGEMENT
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Self-organisation and autonomy do not mean chaos and anarchy! It is essential for every company to strike the right balance and implement a suitable form of organisation. The greater the freedom of decision-making in self-organised teams, the clearer the limits and thresholds for authority to be implemented. Although a large proportion of decisions are made autonomously in teams with a high level of empowerment, entrepreneurs still bear the overall responsibility for them. In addition to a suitable organisational form, this requires the necessary talent among managers and a corporate culture such as that described by Enterneering®. Caution is advised when implementing trendy organisational phenomena. Over-supported or poorly reflected adoption of current or new organisational trends can lead to unintended and expensive downstream challenges, as shown, for example, by the radical shift to an agile operating organisation that has taken place in many companies [🡕].
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