Empowerment: Theoretical Background and Applications

Abstract
In transitioning from traditional hierarchical management structure to a
more open, democratic and participative approach, a key issue many
organizations face is empowering their employees. Empowerment is defined
for purposes of this paper as the ability of employees to " . . . use more
judgment and discretion in their work and to participate more fully in
decisions affecting their working lives." (Potterfield, 1999, p. 2). This
paper includes an analysis of the theoretical background of empowerment and
why it is important to the teams-building process, a brief discussion of
empo…