Employee Empowerment Literature Review

INTRODUCTION

Even though employee empowerment does not have a concrete definition, it is still important for managers to practice empowering their employees. Employee empowerment is a practice that is still emerging in the 21st Century because a lot to organizations are now incorporating it their daily practices. Richard Branson practices it in a way that his employees are able to communicate with him in a positive way. Managers can benefit from this practicing empowerment but they can also be some drawbacks associated with it.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Organizations need their employees to feel like they are a part of the family in order for them to perform well and become an asset to the organization which is related to them feeling empowered. An

It will also show how the founder of Virgin Atlantic Richard Branson views his employees as being the most important asset of the company and how empowering the employees could also benefit the organization. Companies that invest in their employees' professional and personal development will gain competitive edge over their rivals and a more committed workforce, (Mike Jeram, National Secretary of Business and the Environment, Unison). This also brings us to recognizing the many benefits of having employees that are empowered. They include; improved communication between employees and managers, job satisfaction which leads to an increase in productivity and an employee’s commitment for achieving the organizational goals. Empowerment is a new strategy within organizations that managers have yet to

This also gives the employees the courage to speak up about any issues they are having or about any personal goals they are interesting in pursuing. This in turn can benefit the organization because once an employee is allowed to express themselves they feel empowered. The ideas the employees might have can be beneficial to the company’s success as well as their overall image. Management does not get a chance to see the full image that employees see daily with customer’s reactions and expectations because the employees deal with the customers on a day to day basis and therefore management has to make sure that they are happy. They get to see what needs to be improved and are able to take back any concerns the customers might be having. This also helps employees to build self confidence and esteem. They will be more willing to share information with their co workers as well as the individuals over them; e.g. manages or supervisors. The employees believe that they control their own success through their hard work and ideas which in turn benefits the success of the entire organization. This in result produces high quality and services for the organization. When an employer is not only interested in their employees achieving the organizational goals but are also interested in their personal goals such as opening a hustle outside of