Sample Project

A Study on Employee Empowerment
Chapter 1: Introduction
1.1 Employee Empowerment:
 ‘It is not the tools you have faith in, tools are just tools, they work or
they don’t work. It’s the people you have faith in or not’ –Steve Jobs,
Apple.
 Employee Empowerment refers to a collection of theories and
practices which aims at giving workers the power to use more
judgment and discretion in their work and to participate more fully in
decisions that affect their working lives.
 It involves relocation of power from the owners and managers of an
organization to the lower level of employees.
 It serves as an alternative to the traditional organizational structures
where the lower level of employees were employed only for
execution.
 It is one of the most influential and popular concepts in the modern
world of organizational development and business management which
overcomes the condition of domination and advance the cause of
human freedom.
 It is used by companies ranging from small to large and from low-
technology manufacturing concerns to high-tech software firms to
Thakur College of Science and Commerce 1

enhance employee motivation, increase efficiency and gain

competitive advantages in the turbulent business environment.
 Employee Empowerment enables the employees to act proactive,
participate in decision making and manage their own work which
leads to positive individual outcomes as well as higher job satisfaction
and better performances.
 Empowered work relationships share power, responsibility,
communication, expectations and rewards in ways that are very
different from relationships in the traditional hierarchial organization.
 The current environment of competition and scarce resources in

business requires managers to behave differently in order to be
effective and help their organizations strive.
 Empowerment is a fundamentally different way of working together
where employees feel responsible not just for doing a job but also for
making the whole organization work better.
 In an environment with employee empowerment, teams work together
to improve their performance continually, thereby achieving higher
levels of productivity.

 The organizations are structured in such a way that people feel that
they are able to achieve the results they want, that they can do what
needs to be done, not just what is required of them and be rewarded
for doing so.
 The empowered workplace stems from a new relationship between
employees and a new relationship between people and the
organization. They are partners.
 Everyone not only feels responsible for their jobs, but feels some
sense of ownership of the whole.
 The work team is not just a reactor to demands, it is also an initiator
of action and the employee is a decision maker and not just
a.follower..Due to employee empowerment, everyone in the
organization feels that they are continually learning and developing
new skills to meet new demands.
 Empowerment is not a set of techniques, but rather a way of
constructing am inner understanding of the relationship between the
employer or manager and his employees.
 Employee empowerment begins with a shift within the manager-
understanding that to empower is not to lose control but to gain
control.
 Employee empowerment must take root in the behavior and mind set
of the whole organization, the manager and the employees.

Degree of Empowerment & Leadership with Organizational Benefits
 An example of employee empowerment is as follows:

In a traditional work environment, the employees look forward to one
person i.e. the boss for any guidance or solution. However in an
environment with employee empowerment, the employees look

forward to each other for the same. The employee empowerment

environment results into more of a discussion rather than more of
orders. The organization believes in enriching people’s jobsand giving
authority to exercise management over andtake responsibility for
outcomes of efforts.In order to realize authorisation, the
executives should ensure that staff having the proper mixture of
information, knowledge, power and rewards to figure
more sky-high. However, from a long perspective, rising incomes,
improved affordability and untapped markets gift promising
opportunities for automobile manufactures in Republic of
India.Empowerment therefore helps to form autonomy
for staff, permits the sharing of responsibility andpower in any
respect levels, builds worker vanity and energizes
the men for higher performance.
 At the individual level the private factors that square
measure facilitating empowerment are: difficult jobs,
enthusiasm,competence, maturity, vanity, etc. most of those
factors are often increased through coaching and development as
these square measure enjoying a chemical change role in promoting
employee authorisation and involvement.
 A new method of management is worker empowerment or
participative management involving the individuals accountable
for the work processes-the people who understand the processes best
is wherever quality starts.
 Some suppose that staff work just for monetary return.
If they're incapable to be an integral part of the organization, this
might be true permitting staff to have independence and

feedback among the organization is what makes

the authorization method successful.
 When employee empowerment is authorized, their confidence degree
and self-sufficiency can increase. This extra confidence could be
a sensible factor as a result of it creates job satisfaction and high levels
of productivity.
 However, in some cases, confidence levels are often taken too so
much and end up crossing the road into vanity. Arrogant
employees square measure tough to touch upon, do not take direction
well and might become insubordinate. operating during this kind of
work setting takes its toll on staff and they yet
again become disgruntled with their job and productivity levels
decrease.
 The study is clearly to understand the extent of freedom given to the
staff to do their jobs in effective manner. Finally, the analysis is
used the assorted applied mathematics tools to live the extent of
satisfaction of staff at analysis space.

1.2 Process of Employee Empowerment:
 Identify the reasons of empowerment:

Upper management starts the empowerment process. They must be
identify the reasons and benefit to relinquish authority and decision
making power to lower levels of the organization.
 Choose employees to empower: Employees must want to be
empowered Some employees are unwilling to accept additional
responsibilities and decision-making power regardless of potential
rewards. They need skills to make correct decisions and accomplish
additional responsibilities.
 Provide role information: The management must be define the role
and assigns responsibilities, authority, and decisionmaking power to
meet company and department goals and also define boundaries to

clarify decisions employees will and will not make. Also, specify
performance criteria and rewards for outstanding achievement
 Share company information: the management share the information
relating to organization issues. Explain company vision and values,
clarify priorities, share some sensitive information, list facts people
have and need, share good and bad information, and view mistakes
positively and teach decision-making and problem-solving skills it
help people to understand the need for change
 Provide training to employees: Teach them the basics of cost and
revenue. Open financial books and inform employees of the situation
so they can feel more related to the company. Let employees decide
how to handle clients, and give them discretionary power when
deciding what to spend in order to mend a certain problem.
 Inspire individual initiatives: An inspired employee is a highly
productive resource to a company and department. Management
should take initiation to motivate the employees through rewards.

1.2 Checklist on Employee Empowerment Level:
Here are some signs of an un empowered workplace. How many of you find it in
your workplace?
Put a checkmark next to them:
 People aren’t very excited about their work
 People feel very negative
 People only do what they are supposed to do
 Nobody says what’s on their mind
 People are suspicious
 People aren’t willing to help out
Unempowered employees have the following feelings. Check those that apply
to your workplace
 They don’t matter
 They should keep their ideas to themselves
 Not much of their skills and energy are needed
Empowered employees have the following feelings. Check those that apply to
your work place
 They feel they make a difference
 They are responsible for their results

 They are a part of the team

 They can use their full talents and abilities
 They have control over how they do their jobs
 They take initiative

1.4 The Pyramid to Circle Theory
 Since 1970, organizations all over the world have begun to replace the traditional
highly controlled, scarcely involved structure with a new organizational
environment characterized by high commitment, high involvement and self
management.
 One way to look at the shift toward empowerment is to think of two basic ways to
structure the organization.
 The Pyramid to Circle theory is based on employee empowerment where the
employee engagement in the organization changes from the traditional hierarchy
to a modern approach i.e. the traditional organization is the pyramid, while the
new, empowered organization can be thought of as looking more like a circle or a
network
 The Pyramid to Circle theory can be explained with the help of the following
diagram:
The Pyramid
 The bureaucratic revolution of the turn of the century began a tradition of job
specialization in the name of scientific management. This led to pyramidal
organizations with highly specialized functions, clear boundaries, limited job
descriptions and tight control by supervisors to make sure work got done
consistently and quickly.

 In the hierarchial, control-focused organization people at the very top plan and
thin, while lower level does the work.
Characteristics of the Pyramid:
 Decisions are made at the top

 Each person is clearly responsible only for their job
 Change is slow and rare and comes only from the top
 Feedback and communication between divisions is minimal
 Movement and communication between divisions is minimal
 If you do your job you can expect job security and promotions as the organization
expands
 People focus attention upward and the person above you is responsible for your
results
 Managers say how things are done and what is expected
 Employees are not expected to be highly motivated so it is necessary to keep tight
control over their behavior.

The Circle
Change
Skills Customer Cooperation
Responsibility
The new organization form is called the circle or network, because it can be thought
of as a series of coordinating groups or teams, linked by a center rather than an apex.
Characteristics of the Circle:

 The customer is in the center
 People work cooperatively together to do what is needed
 Responsibility, skills, authority and control are shared
 Control and coordination come through continual communication and many
decisions
 Change is sometimes very quick as new challenges come up
 The key skill for an employee and a manager is the ability to work with others
 There are relatively few levels of organization
 Power comes from the ability to influence and inspire others not from
your position
 Individuals are expected to manage themselves and are accountable to
the whole the focus is on the customer
 Managers are the energizers,the connectors and the empowerer of their
teams

1.5 The road to employee empowerment:

 The shift from the pyramid to the circle is not an easy cycle of
development, In fact, being part of an organization moving from one
form to the other feels pretty crazy.
 Change happens everywhere and it is difficult to see the real reason for
much of it.People feel like they don’t have the time or energy to be
innovative or take any initiative
1.6 Changes to Create Employee Empowerment:
 Change management roles from supervisory to coaching. Coach
employees to identify and implement solutions to problems. Reward
proactive employees with recognition and a greater sense of investment
in the company. According to John Powers, writing as an Employee
Satisfaction Specialist for Nextel Communications, Inc., managers must
express willingness and ability to adapt from supervisory roles to
coaching roles.
 Grow employee empowerment through productive coaching. 1000
Ventures, an employee empowerment website, advises applying
coaching techniques, such as motivation, questioning and adapting your
management style to an employee's ability to function at a given level. If,
for example, you need to bring a new employee up to speed on a project,
begin by communicating basic information, building upon that
foundation with more in-depth knowledge. Interact with each employee
to determine how to help her to become invested in her position in the
company.
 Delegate to empower employees. Give your team members the
information and power to make decisions and to take action. If, for
example, your sales team struggles to offer incentives to prospective
customers, communicate to your team what offers you authorize them to
make. Train team members to make offers to clients in the most strategic
way. Effective delegation depends upon clear communication. Rely on
delegation as a preferred coaching method, according to 1000 Ventures.
 Communicate confidence in and set goals for employees. Express your
confidence and your expectations for solid performance to you

employees. Conduct regular employee reviews and staff meetings.

Inspire employees by setting realizable goals, according to Powers. Offer
performance incentives to raise the bar higher by realistic increments.
 Goal Sharing: Earlier, same goal or similar goal was separately tried by
different persons. Naturally, their performance was compared and
contrasted. So, the concept of the best employee or the worst employee
crept in. The slogan was you or me. If the goal is personal, this slogan
cannot be avoided. When the goal is common, the slogan must be, Let us
do it together. In other words, personal goals can be separately
contested. But common goal must be collectively achieved. For this
collective achievement, sharing of goals is very much necessary.
 Make sure everyone is on the same page.:Empowered employees have

the knowledge and the confidence to make decisions. To ignite that
knowledge and confidence in employees, make sure their individual
work goals are aligned with those of the company.
Employees who are able to connect their efforts to the overall work of
the company will find it much easier to make decisions that are in line
with the organizational vision. So help employees set relevant work
goals.
 Remove roadblocks and provide assisstance.: Eliminate any hurdles --

organizational policies, practices or habits -- that may keep employees
from feeling or acting empowered. If you don’t have a culture based on
open communication, for instance, employees may feel less inclined to
come forward with new ideas and strategies.

1.7 Advantages of Employee Empowerment
Improved Work Outcomes. Positive employee empowerment provides workers with

a sense of ownership of their work. If you work in this sort of atmosphere, you will
gain in self-confidence. This benefits both you and your employer, because you will
get in the habit of paying attention to details and making choices that move a project
toward the desired goal. As you learn to make your own decisions, your efficiency
improves, because you don't need to stop and consult a manager every time a decision
must be made.
Increased Employee Satisfaction:

Empowered employees usually find their jobs more satisfying. This is partly thanks
to the fact that you will find it much easier to enjoy tasks when you have a voice in
how they are done. Teamwork is important as well. As you, your manager and your
co-workers learn to share decision making, collaboration improves. This kind of work
environment makes it easier to trust each other and share ideas.
Cost Benefits.
For the employer, sharing decisions is an effective way of reducing costs. For
instance, at Toyota, the company experiences cost savings every time a worker
prevents a defective car from leaving the plant. Another gain for an organization is
improved employee retention. Replacing employees incurs recruiting, hiring and
training expenses. Reducing the rate of employee turnover leads to significant cost
reductions.
Career Development
You are naturally concerned with the future of your career. It is here that you may
realize the greatest advantage of employee empowerment. When the boss delegates
decisions to you , it gives you an opportunity to grow your skills and take on greater
challenges. You also get the chance to demonstrate that you are ready to take on

greater responsibility, and you gain confidence that your achievements will be
recognized. Being an empowered employee is ideal when you ou are seeking
promotions and increased compensation.
Quality of Work Employees have a need to feel like they are participating in the well-
being of the organization. They want to know that they are contributing to the
organization’s success and that they are making a difference in the world. In
organizations that provide employees with the freedom and flexibility to make a
difference, employees feel empowered to deliver high quality work. For instance,
HCL Technologies’ empowerment philosophy has enabled the company to provide
innovative, high quality service to their customers, resulting in revenues tripling and
customer satisfaction increasing by 73% in the last 5 years. Empowered employees
take personal pride in their work and responsibility for doing a good job. As a result,
organizations reap the benefits of empowered employees by delivering high quality
products and services.
Collaboration As employees are empowered and treated as vital components of the

organization, they gain self-confidence in their abilities to positively influence the
organization. Employees with healthy levels of self-confidence and self-esteem are
more willing to share information with others. They feel comfortable exchanging
ideas and collaborating with others in an honest and open manner. These behaviors
promote teamwork and active involvement in support of company-wide goals that
could not be achieved with a disjointed, non-connected workforce. As the famous
saying from Helen Keller goes, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so
much.” Collaboration often allows for an organization to achieve so much more than
any one individual can achieve on his or her own.
Productivity Employees who are granted the power to take charge at work feel an
increased sense of responsibility, accountability, and ownership for their work. They
work diligently to meet project deadlines and organizational goals. They feel
energized to do what it takes to get the job done and to do it right. All of these reasons
fuel an empowered employee to be more productive, providing better performance
results for the organization. For example, GE instituted a “work-out” program

intended to empower employees to identify and eliminate redundancy, waste, and

bureaucracy that exist in big corporations like GE. Employees felt energized to meet
the challenge and their creativity was unleashed as they restructured daily job
functions and processes. As a result, employee productivity skyrocketed and
transformed GE into one of the largest, most profitable companies in the world. Costs
Reduction of costs is another advantage of empowering employees. Many factors
contribute to this advantage. For instance, as employee satisfaction increases for
empowered employees, employees’ sense of loyalty and dedication to their job and
the organization also increases.
According to Wagner & Harter (2006), these actions result in longer-term employees,
less job transitioning, and improved retention rates, thus reducing employee turnover
costs.
 Many businesses that are looking to improve employee productivity and their
overall performance believe that empowering employees will help them achieve
this organizational goal.

 Employee empowerment has a positive impact on an organization’s quality of

work, employee satisfaction, collaboration, productivity, and costs
 Organizations that provide employees with the freedom and flexibility to make a
difference often see higher quality work from employees
 Employees in an organization that focuses on empowerment rate their satisfaction
levels as high compared to employees in organizations with a culture that
prohibits employee empowerment.
 As employees are empowered and treated as vital components of the
organization, they gain self-confidence and collaborate with others in order to
achieve more than one person could by working independently.
 Empowered employees feel a sense of increased responsibility, accountability,
and ownership for their work, resulting in increased productivity.
 Empowering employees reduces organizational costs such as employee turnover
costs, operational costs, and employee retention costsAll of these benefits enable
organizations to achieve an extra edge in order to outperform their competitors
and to gain market share.
 Boosts productivity and reduces costs:An expert from an educational foundation
once said that employees usually have great ideas when it comes to boosting
productivity and reducing costs.But companies have to know how they must ask
for such ideas and pay attention to the employees as well.
Often it will take an employee who is stepping outside their territory and show the
benefits of empowering employees.

Employees who are confident about their input and think it has been valued, will
listen to it, act upon and will be likely to share the idea
benefiting the employer and the employee.
 Having better service: Another expert who has written several blogs once
mentioned that empowered employees are those who can provide exceptional
services.
He is also experienced in this field and thinks that empower employees do have
the power to make such decisions without taking help from the supervisor.
They also have the right to go and do something else, bend those rules and do
what they can see and fit if they know that it is the correct thing to do for their
customers.
Apart from any other feeling, the empowered employees will be able to create the
feelings of a true customer service which will yield customer loyalty.
Companies which give their employees the freedom to make such decisions may
end up becoming more successful in the near future.

 Can embrace change: Empowered employees are always free to change and
challenge the status quo that is considered quite critical for companies that are
changing fast and are driven by environment and technology.
Companies and employees are feeling comfortable about questioning their status
quo, these companies will most probably stay stagnant since companies may
swiftly get past them.
By establishing an environment where the employees are feeling free to question,
offer and challenge new ideas may avoid such a problem and help the employers
and employees in the same process.
 Improves the quality of work: When you empower your employees, you make
them feel like they have been participating in the organization and helping it grow.
They also want to know what they are contributing towards and if the success of
the organization is growing or not.
The employees are hence given the flexibility and the freedom to help make a
change in their working environment. They feel empowered and deliver work of
very high quality.
Not just that, empowered employees also take a personal ride in their work and do
take the responsibility for doing a good and proper job.
As a result of this, the organization will reap such benefits of employees by
delivering higher quality services and products.
 Collaboration: Since employees have been treated and empower as essential
components within the organization, they gain a lot of self confidence as well as
their abilities to influence the organization.
They will be a lot more comfortable when it comes to changing and giving each
other new ideas, collaborating with other people and in a manner that is honest
and open.
Their behaviour will also promote and boost team work and increase involvement
to support the company wide goals which cannot be achieved in any work force
that is not connected to one another.
Collaboration will allow the organization to achieve a lot more than any individual
can achieve on their own.

 Communication is boosted: Employees do not like feeling as if they are the last to
get to know when any important changes have been made inside the organization.
In order to combat that, managers should be willing to work on themselves and
communicate within the reaches of appropriateness, the staff and keeping them
informed when it comes to environment and jobs.
The management has to be receptive when it comes to input of employees and
gives them a better sense of control over strategic and financial decision.
Once the culture takes root, the employees will become more comfortable and
share their ideas with management and improve the morale of the workplace. In
return, the employees shall become more receptive to any positive coaching from
their managers.
 A turnover that is reduced: It has been understood over the years that people will
leave their bosses and not the company they are working for.
The reason behind this are the managers who put emphasis and focus on the
process and their results. The trait will get you more than any stifles
empowerment.
The employees should also not feel handcuffed when it comes to being afraid of
making any bold moves.
The more these employees feel about their actions and have a positive impact on
the organization, the more they will feel connected towards their employees. This
will also begin with management and serve as the voice and face of the
organization.
The more free a manager is when it comes to giving important decisions and
tasks, she will focus much less on the operations and strategy that will have to
work on business planning.
 Clients are much happier:

When the clients have been given a lot of power, they feel very happy and
satisfied with their position. They become more enthusiastic and feel better. This
happens to be a key area when financial improvements have been realized from
empowering their employees.
The clients always communicate with the attentive and friendly staff, regardless of
their enterprise!
And the empowered personnel will take a much more personal approach with their
clients and focus on creative and better ways to solve problems that appear much
less tied to the policy of the company.
In turn, the company will feel increased concern and improve retention and
loyalty.
 Other points: There are several businesses that find enough productivity in their
work as well as overall performance and believe that employees will help them
achieve the organizational goal in the near future.
The employee empowerment activities will also have a positive and good impact
on the quality of work, the satisfaction of employees, its costs and its productivity.
The organization will also provide its employees with flexibility and freedom and
will make a difference and a much higher quality of work from their employees.
Employees in every organization are focusing on the rate of employment, levels of
satisfaction and have often been quite satisfied with the performance themselves

1.8 Limitations to Employee Empowerment
 Increased Arrogance
When employees are empowered, their confidence levels tend to increase. This
additional confidence is a good thing because it creates happier workers and
productivity levels soar.
However, in some situations, confidence levels can be taken too far and end up
crossing the line into arrogance. Arrogant employees are difficult to deal with,
don't take direction well and can become insubordinate.
Working in this type of work environment takes its toll on employees and they
once again become dissatisfied with their job and productivity levels decrease.
 Confidentiality and Security Risks
One way that employers empower their employees is by sharing important
information with them. This free exchange of ideas and information makes the
employees feel appreciated and important, which ends up empowering them.
However, when information is freely exchanged with people throughout the

company, there is an increased risk of confidential and security-related data being

leaked to parties that shouldn't have access to that type of information.
For competitive businesses, these potential leaks could prove devastating to their
operations.
 Lack of Experience
A benefit of having empowered employees is that they take on more responsibility
within the company.
As they take on more responsibility, they begin working independently with little
to no supervision. Businesses like this because it saves them money by decreasing
their managerial workforce.
However, unlike managers and supervisors who are educated and trained in
making sound decisions, empowered employees often lack this type of experience.
This lack of experience lends to an increase in mistakes and unnecessary company
risks.
 Interpersonal Relations Suffer
Some employees confuse empowerment and being able to make their own
decisions with having the authority to do whatever they want.
As employees are allowed to take on additional responsibilities, some may end up
taking things too far. If this happens, interpersonal relations within the company
will suffer and incidents involving conflict will rise.
Over time, tensions increase and a hostile work environment may surface.
This type of situation is bad for both the business and the workforce.
than any stifles empowerment.The employees should also not feel handcuffed
when it comes to being afraid of making any bold moves.The more these
employees feel about their actions and have a positive impact on the organization,
the more they will feel
 Abusing power:
Most empowered employees tend to abuse their power when they have been given
the power to make decisions the way they want to.
But there is a slight chance and a huge possibility of these employees and them
taking advantage of the empowered for better and even more personal gain.This

also means that the employees may become less responsible for efficient based
decisions they have madeFor example, the employee may want to spend some
time on non work related things such as breaks and committee meetings.Even
when empowerment could provide you with subordinate employees as well as job
satisfaction, it could deprive their managers at the same time.
 Additional costs of training:
Empowering employees may need you to have a proper training program for
educating employees regarding assertiveness, leadership skills as well as group
dynamics.
Even though the training is beneficial, the extra costs as well as time could be
incurred by the business in order to make it happen.
Additionally, the training program will guarantee that the employee empowerment
process will get you positive results.
Poor knowledge and understanding:
Even though the capacity to make decisions could be considered laudable, it
comes with a few negative points as well.
Employees will not have enough knowledge regarding various decisions of
business which can undermine the success of company and may cause more
interrelation conflicts.
Having little knowledge could be due to lack of enough training or maybe because
an employee could be competent when a task has been assigned.
For example, when a team leader is in charge of such sales and feels the need to
contribute towards the IT department, will operate and make poor decisions at the
same time. The team leader will also have conflict with the department
employees.
 Arrogance:When employees have been given enough power, their confidence
level is highly increased. Though it could be a great thing to be confident, the sad
part is that too much confidence is not a great thing either.
Confidence levels in this case are far too high up and they also cross the line into
becoming arrogant. People who are arrogant are quite difficult to handle and don’t
take up the direction properly which does become insubordinate in the future.

When you are working with such a kind of environment, it could take a toll on all
employees and once again become all dissatisfied with the productivity levels and
job.
 Risks of security and confidentiality:
One way that all employees empower is that the employees end up sharing
information that is not supposed to be shared with others.
The exchange of ideas which are free and the information which makes the
employees feel very important and appreciated will end up helping and
empowering them a lot too.
However there is a lot of information that has been exchanged freely with people
through the company and has a boosted and increased risk when it comes to
security and confidentiality and is leaked to all parties that usually don’t have any
access to that kind of information. and customer satisfaction improves within an
empowered culture.

1.9 Responsibility of HR in empowering employees:
Responsibility 1: Participate in Planning and Development

In the modern marketplace, human resource executives serve as strategic partners.
They participate in the identification, development and execution of corporate
objectives. In this capacity, HR executives align the work of their business unit to
achieve company goals. The participation in company planning allows human
resource leaders to gain a profound understanding of the organizational activities
needed to aid in the sustainable growth of the enterprise.
Responsibility 2: Provide Employees With Career Assistance

Periodically, human resource leaders conduct staff member evaluations. Today, HR
professionals take an active role in helping employees advance their careers. Instead
of simply grading employees on a checklist of performance points, modern human
resource specialists help workers identify areas for improvement and develop specific
action steps.
By helping employees with career development, modern HR professionals gain

deeper insight into available human capital and the availability of internal candidates
for potential role succession. This helps organizations gain a marked advantage in
filling future roles and meeting forthcoming market demands.

Responsibility 3: Find and Recruit Employees That Advance Company

Objectives
Today’s human resource executives do more than post ads and interview job
candidates to fill open positions. Modern HR executives formulate employer brands
designed to attract the right job candidates.
In this responsibility, human resource leaders work to promote their respective firms
as highly favorable workplaces. HR executives often earn this kind of accolade for
organizations by creating a positive culture and providing satisfactory compensation
and benefits as ways to attract ideal work candidates.
Responsibility 4: Serve as Leaders of Change

Modern human resource leaders frequently lead change initiatives for their
organizations. As a result, current HR executives yield strong project management
skills in their corporate toolboxes. The professionals are skilled at helping
organizational stakeholders make the connection between change initiatives and
strategic needs, minimizing change resistance and employee unrest.
Shaping organizational culture, managing staff member satisfaction and weighing the
success of change initiatives are all a part of the human resource professional’s scope
of responsibility in the modern workplace.
Responsibility 5: Advocate for Employees

While fulfilling their roles as employee advocates, HR executives play an integral part
in the success of organizations. In this regard, human resource professionals
contribute to building a work environment where employees feel satisfied and
motivated.
To promote this outcome, HR leaders deploy effective practices such as employee

empowerment, goal setting and open communication, resulting in a positive culture
that leads to the workforce delivering better consumer experiences.
Responsibility 7: Ensure No Cyberbullying At Work

Traditionally, workplace intimidation took place solely in the office. Today, however,
the connectivity of the Internet extends the influence of bullies to victims’ personal
workstations and homes, an activity called cyberbullying. Employees and supervisors
know that this can happen in the workplace, yet dealing with office
cyberbullying may prove challenging. Despite this, contemporary human resource
executives strive to eliminate this kind of negative activity in the workplace.
Modern HR professionals are leaders in their organizations. The specialists sponsor

the organizational mission, vision, values and goals among staff members, and they
monitor and adjust organizational activities to ensure the success of various
initiatives. Human resource specialists contribute to enterprises by managing the most

important asset of any organization, the people who complete the daily tasks that
result in productive outcomes. Their work aids in the global success of their
organizations.
1.10 Empowerment from Employer’s perspective:
 Influence through context: The employer influence through context

implies trust in a higher principle or guiding force and belief in the
creative potential of human nature. It is a matter of trusting the
process. It is not "giving power," but creating a context where
empowerment is released and nurtured. Leaders define the context and
standards at every level by giving people freedom to act and innovate,
thereby developing leadership and producing proactive employees,
giving them a competitive edge.
 Create a feeling of inclusion: Develop an atmosphere of inclusion
across all levels, making sure that everyone has a voice and that their
voices are heard. Leaders welcome dissent as a source of objectivity
and innovation. New ideas must be allowed in the decision-making
processes generate solutions superior to those achieved through the
exercise of positional power.
 Support employee empowerment: Support of superiors is critical. Fear
of reprimand or sanctions—because a decision didn't work out—will
kill efforts to empower. This is not delegating. Delegating is assigning
a task to someone. Empowerment is giving responsibility and the
freedom to choose the means of accomplishment. It means the leader
moves from "boss" to "coach." However, the objective must be clearly
understood
 Articulate the common purpose: The employer needs to create the
vision and clarify goals. A lack of clarity about desired outcomes and
role expectations is disempowering. Being accountable for specific
expectations is better than not knowing where you stand. It is critical
for the leader to clearly define the common purpose, goals, and
limitations. If not, employees will be hesitant. Pass the ball and let the
associate run with it—but run within the ball field. Stay inbounds.
Responsibility for and commitment to a clearly articulated mission is
essential.
 Equip people for success: Equip people for success to insure a good
chance of success. This involves training, resources, and information.
Too often employees are given responsibility for which they are not
equipped. This entrapment brings the feeling of being set up. Consider
setting up an unallocated resource pool for solving unforeseen
problems. Leaders provide their people with all the information they

need by making information readily available to people at all levels

through more channels.
1.11 Empowerment from Employee’s perspective:
 Open communication: Open communication is a willingness to put our

thoughts on the table; to be exposed to scrutiny; to own up to one’s
ideas, assumptions, biases and fears; and help others to do the same.
Corporate cultures that promote creativity are characterized by direct
interaction and openness—a climate where ideas are owned and
challenged through honest dialogue. It may not be comfortable but it
is a necessary condition of empowerment.
 Willingness and know-how for working in teams: It is a collective

change that comes by learning respect for the contributions of others.
Empowerment is not a Win-Lose paradigm where an increase in the
power of one results in a decrease in the power of others. In MMC’s
Team-Building course, participants learn to value the uniqueness of
the other players. By discovering and emphasizing the gifts of each
individual, the experience of empowerment increases for everyone on
the team.
 Gain wisdom to be fully empowered: To move from dependence on
superiors for decisions, one must move beyond data, information, and
knowledge to make appropriate decisions. Data is a collection of
categorized numbers. Information is the meaning extracted from data.
Knowledge consists of sets of information put in context, and wisdom

is merging knowledge with universal principles for application to real-

life situations. This requires a higher level of involvement than the old
scientific management paradigm that treated employees like machines.
In empowered organizations, employees across the board are
committed to thinking and acting for success of the organization, as
does top management, but more effectively. Wisdom is the result of
thinking about the future, recognizing trends and anticipating events
or outcomes that may affect the organization and from interactions
with customers, suppliers, and others with whom employees interface
directly.
 Tolerate uncertainty: Empowerment can be threatening. Expect some
employees to resist empowerment. This is especially true when not
only the outcomes, but the means and ways have always been clearly
defined for them by others. Decisions about how to get things done,
when left to the employee, is disquieting for the leader. This
uncertainty is a change from working in an established routine where
employees adhere to the rules and procedures. Under pressure,
employees tend to run to the leader seeking resolution and closure.
Leaders who do not understand the dynamics of empowerment, out of
misdirected compassion or because it makes them feel more powerful,
often succumb to these requests by telling them what to do. This is
disempowering and reestablishes dependence. If employees are
encouraged to think for themselves, goals and boundaries need to be
clearly defined.
 Resilience and courage come from within: The source of confidence is
not in others but in one’s own inner strength. Empowerment means to
be forward thinking enough to live with mistakes and failures without
being impaired. Those living with self-doubt will be unlikely to accept
the challenge of empowerment because, for them, more responsibility
means more chance of failure, and failure threatens their sense of self-
worth. Empowerment is very personal. Acceptance of higher levels of
responsibility is inherent in an empowering context.
 Accept responsibility for outcomes: Empowerment goes beyond
delegation, and encompasses the burden of responsibility. They cannot
blame upper management, suppliers, other department heads, or
anyone else for failure to produce desired results. This enables them to
learn from their mistakes. Empowered employees are willing to have
their performance measured by objective written assessments because
these are opportunities for feedback and improvement.

1.12 Empowerment from organization’s perspective:
 Decentralization: This means giving employees the authority to make

timely decisions. Individual empowerment cannot occur within a
highly centralized system of control because such systems reserve
decision-making power for the few who occupy the center, thus
inhibiting individual initiative. People are not motivated to change
when they don't have authority to do anything with what they have
learned.
 Information sharing: Information sharing is empowering. Employees
need information about the organization’s mission and goals,
information needed to meet team objectives, and information about
their individual performance. In empowering organizations,
information is no longer the property of individuals, but now belongs
to the entire group. As information is more openly shared, the
organization will begin to function less on the basis of opinion and
bias and more on the basis of facts. Systems must be in place to enable
access to both general information about the organization and also
specific information about the performance of their particular
department or team.
 Contingent rewards: Empowerment works best when a reward system
distinguishes between employees based on performance. Empowering
organizations reward employees who make decisions that contribute
to the accomplishment of the organization's purpose and goals. Make
sure that what is rewarded reflects goals of the organization. To
automatically punish failure inhibits empowerment. It is better to
reward employees for attempting new ideas, even ones that fail.
 Teams development: when individuals move outside themselves and
become concerned with the success of all other members. This means
that employees become concerned, not only with the success of their
immediate responsibility, but also with success of the other members
of the team. Then the group becomes a unit where the development of
one member increases the power of the team
 Alignment: Empower people in an unaligned organization can be
counterproductive. If people do not share a common vision, and do not
share common goals, empowering people will increase organizational
stress and make it impossible to maintain coherence and direction. An
organizational commitment to empowerment would be foolish if
leaders did not share the same visions and goals. Empowered
organizations must structure processes, goals, people, and reward
systems aligned with each other.

1.13 Characteristics of an empowered culture:
 Top management is committed to supporting an employee

empowered culture. This includes developing an organizational
definition of empowerment that may include well defined boundaries
and management training on how to coach empowered employees.
 Employee empowerment is centered on the needs of the
customer. When employees are empowered to make decisions that
help the customer, they are contributing to the strategy and business
objectives of the organization.
 Management hands over a level of the decision making power to
front line employees. This act of delegation may be something as
simple as allowing an employee to make service recovery decisions.
 Employees are trained to take on these new customer focused
responsibilities. Training may include customer service, problem
solving, negotiation and conflict resolution skills.
 Empowered employees are given access to information and data
that can be used in their decision making process. This
information might include feedback from customer satisfaction
surveys or customer comment cards that can help make informed
customer-focused decisions.
 Managers have trust and confidence in employees to make the
right decision. A manager that second-guesses an employee’s
decisions can impact an employee’s confidence in their decision
making ability.
 Authority and decision making responsibility comes with specific
expectations and boundaries. For example, an employee may be
empowered to correct a situation for a customer up to a certain dollar
amount.

 Employees are provided mentors. Mentors should be someone who

has successfully done something that the employee is learning to do.
For example, if an employee is learning to be empowered to perform
service recovery, their mentor should be someone who has learned the
critical thinking skills to assess different situations and come to
reasonable conclusions.
 As employees develop their skills, they are provided positive
reinforcement and coaching as they maneuver different decision
making scenarios. We all make mistakes when we first begin
making decisions so it is important to provide good coaching and
positive reinforcement.
 Compensation and performance expectations are aligned around
customer needs. This reinforces an employee’s motivation to make
the right decisions.
 Assess social styles to match employee competencies with job
responsibilities. Using an effective assessment tool like DISC or
Myers Briggs can help identify employee strengths.
 Employees are provided the appropriate tools and equipment to do
their job. Some employees are very vocal about their needs but
others will work with aging equipment and never speak up. Assessing
changing
technology and equipment should be part of an organization’s

strategy for empowered employees.
 Have a plan to implement an empowerment environment.
Implementation should be mapped out and a timeline for all aspects
should be written so all understand the timing and process of
implementation.Lastly, organizations with strong empowerment
models show that productivity

Chapter 2: Literature Review

Erstad Margaret (1997): Empowerment and organizational change. The

article on Empowerment and organizational change focuses on the
meaning of empowerment that it refers to a change strategy with the aim
of achieving the objectives of both the organisation and the employee.
The author talks about creation of a new management culture and
empowerment as a strategy to bring about a change in the organisation.
Karakoc N. (2009): Employee Empowerment and Differentiation in
Companies. The author has conducted a study on employee
empowerment and differentiation in companies. The study indicates that
employee empowerment plays an important role both in customer and
employee satisfaction. The study has determined various contributions of
employee empowerment like creativity, motivation and job satisfaction.
Markos, S., & Sridevi, M. S. (2010) Employee Involvement in
Organisation. The author has used key words like Employee engagement,
Employee commitment, Organizational Citizenship Behaviour and Job

satisfaction. The author has highlighted various facets of human resource

development with particular reference to Employee Engagement in an
organisation. The author feels that it is very important to address these
facets of human resource failing which the employees will fail in fully
engaging in their respective jobs which leads to mismanagement.
Mehfuz Judeh (2011). An Examination of the Effect of Employee
Involvement on Teamwork Effectiveness. The researcher has conducted a
study on the effect of employee empowerment on Teamwork
effectiveness in Jordanian glass and ceramic industries listed in Amman
Stock Exchange. The findings of the study reveal that there is a
significant effect of employee involvement on teamwork effectiveness. It
is also felt that the study has created an awareness among the Middle East
countries on the effectiveness of employee involvement in the
organisation.
Sarbapriya Ray, Ishita Aditya Ray (2011): Human Resource Management
Practices and Its Effect on Employees’ Job Satisfaction. The author
discusses human resource practices and its effect on employees ‘job
satisfaction in iron and steel firms in India. It has been examined that
factors like performance appraisal, employee involvement in decision
making, empowerment, training and development have a direct impact on
organizational performance. It has also been found that these factors have
a substantial impact on customer satisfaction.
Hassan Tutar et al. (2011): The effects of employee empowerment on
achievement motivation and the contextual performance of employees.
The authors have investigated the perceived employee empowerment on
achievement motivation and performance of employees. The study has
revealed that the perceived employee empowerment has a positive impact
on the achievement motivation and contextual performance of employees.

Swarnalatha C., Prasanna T.S (2012). A study on employee

empowerment to motivate the employees in health care industry in a
private multi-speciality organization. The article focuses on employee
empowerment to motivate the employees in health care industry in a
private multi-speciality organisation. The authors have defined the term
empowerment as enabling or authorizing an individual to think, behave
and take decisions independently in autonomous ways. It is the process of
passing of authority and responsibility to the lower level from the higher
levels in the organisations. It evidences the fact that employees gain more
confidence in their abilities when they are given empowerment.
Gaudreau Meyerson, Blanchard Dewettinck (2012): Effect of
Empowerment on Employees Performance. This study emphasizes on the
effect of empowerment on employees’ performance. The authors have
analyzed that employees readily accept their delegated tasks and have
better competencies when they are empowered.
Augustine O. Isimoya, Bamidele E. Bakarey (2013): Employees’
Empowerment and Customers’ Satisfaction in Insurance Industry in
Nigeria. The study was conducted on Employees’ empowerment and
customer satisfaction in insurance industry in Nigeria. The relationship
between employee empowerment and customer satisfaction has been
tested which confirm that there is a strong relationship between employee
empowerment and customer satisfaction. It is proved that employee
empowerment helps in staff retention, loyalty and commitment.
Muhammed Arif KHATTAK et al. (2013): Relationship between
Employees Involvement and Organization Performance in Milieu of
Pakistan. The research article measures the relationship among the
employee involvement and Organisational performance in Pakistani
organisations. A detailed study has been conducted on three main

components of employee involvement namely, empowerment, team

orientation and capacity development. It is proved that organisations who
delegate authority to its employees perform better.
Ovidiu-Iliuta Dobre (2013): Employee motivation and organizational
performance. The article highlights employee motivation and
organizational performance. It analyses that employee motivation and
organizational performance are inter-related to each other. Empowerment
and recognition foster employee motivation. It also signifies that
monotonous job creates dissatisfaction among the employees hampering
the organizational performance. Deepa S, Shree Kala Kurup (2014). A
Study On Empowerment Factors In ITES/BPO Organisations Based In
Chennai Region The study is made on employee empowerment factors in
IT based sector with a conclusion that empowerment certainly facilitates
customer satisfaction. The study further explains that employee
empowerment has three important elements namely the organizational,
individual, and occupational elements for the sector. It also identifies the
relationship between an employee empowerment and the level of
organizational commitment. It has been found that there exists a positive
relationship with organizational and individual elements except
occupational elements. Rhodah Nyasani Makinda, Josephat Kwasira
(2014). An Assessment of Employee Empowerment on Organizational
Performance, A Survey of Selected Banks in Nakuru Town. The paper
discusses assessment of employee empowerment on Organizational
Performance in selected Banks in Nakuru Town in Kenya, East Africa.
The study points out that due to lack of employee involvement the
banking industry in the region has faced several problems which have
become obstacles in competitiveness, opportunities for growth and in the
overall organizational performance.

Abdul Ghani Kanesan et al. (2015): Psychological Empowerment, Job

Satisfaction and Commitment among Malaysian Secondary School
Teachers This study was carried out by the Authors in Malaysia to
identify the influence of psychological empowerment on job satisfaction
and Organisational commitment among Malaysian Secondary School
Teachers. It was found that self-determination and impact dimension of
psychological empowerment has a significant influence on intrinsic job
and extrinsic job satisfaction.
B. Elamurugan, A. Mathiazhagan, R.H. Latha (2015): The Effect of
Organizational Citizenship Behaviour on Employee Empowerment
among the Employees of Indian Cements, Chennai. The purpose of the
study is to support organizational support behaviour on employee
empowerment in Cement Industry in Chennai. An effort has been made
by the researchers examine the issue of oranisational citizenship
behaviour on employee empowerment and ensure its enforcement.
Dr. Rukhsana Rehman et al. (2015): The Impact of Health Professionals
Empowerment as a Shared Responsibility to Enhance Job Satisfaction
within Health Sector of Pakistan. . The study reveals that employee
empowerment has become part and parcel of recent business philosophy.
M. Maran et al. (2016): Competency Enhancement and Employee
Empowerment in a TPM Organization- An empirical Study. The results
of the study indicate prevalence significant competency enhancement in
the firms where employee empowerment was found. The study concludes
that employee empowerment makes an employee fit and potentially
competent in performing their duties as well as for the future challenges
in the organization.
Chapter 3: Research Methodology

 Employee empowerment is of utmost importance in a company where employee

turnover rate is high.
 The objective of the project is such that both primary and secondary data is
required to achieve them.
 The primary data is collected through questionnaire mode and the source of
secondary data is through various newspapers, magazines, websites and research
papers.
3.1 Data Collection:

 Primary Data: The primary data was collected to understand the employee level
of understanding with reference to employee empowerment.
The questionnaire is designed in such a way that the employees’ understanding of
the empowerment given to them in the organization is measured.
 Secondary Data: The purpose of collecting the secondary data was to
understand the recent developments in the field of employee empowerment and
also to get an understanding of its actual impact on the employees and the
organization as the whole.
3.1 Objectives:
Employee empowerment is giving employees a certain degree of autonomy and
responsibility for decision-making regarding their specific organizational tasks. It
allows decisions to be made at the lower levels of an organization where employees
have a unique view of the issues and problems facing the organization at a certain
level.
 Below are five objectives engagement studies must deliver to effectively guide
engagement and retention in the organization:
 When people are self-determining and self-managing at work, they have a greater
sense of job satisfaction. With this comes increased motivation and drive to do a
great job. So staff are more effective in their roles and more productive; not to
mention happier.

 Greater autonomy also stimulates creativity and helps generate ideas, bringing
more innovation to the business. This fuels the development of new products and
services, or enhances business processes, all of which helps drive business
success.
 Empowerment can bring greater customer satisfaction too, especially where
customer-facing employees have the authority to make decisions.
 When staff try out new ideas and perhaps test new skills, then they grow and
develop. They learn, improve themselves and become more proficient. In turn,
this makes them happier, more enthusiastic and better prepared to face the
obstacles and challenges they face.

Chapter 4: Data Analysis, Interpretation & Presentation
 Data interpretation refers to the implementation of processes through which

data is reviewed for the purpose of arriving at an informed conclusion. The
interpretation of data assigns a meaning to the information analyzed and
determines its signification and implications.
 The purpose of analysing data is to obtain usable and useful information.
 The analysis, irrespective of whether the data is qualitative or quantitative,
may:
i. describe and summarise the data
ii. identify relationships between variables
iii. compare variables
iv. identify the difference between variables
v. forecast outcomes

4.1 Data Interpretation & Analysis:

1. How are the conditions for work at the premises of the office?
a. Good
b. Excellent
c. Can be better
Work Conditions
10%
30%
Good
Excellent
Can be better
60%
Analysis & Interpretation:

From the above interpretation it is evident that:
 10 percent of the employees feel that the work conditions can be
improved from the current state while
 30 percent of the employees feel that the work conditions are adequate
while
 60 percent of the employees are satisfied with the work conditions at
the premises

2. Why is employee empowerment important?

a. Drives Performance
b. Disciplines the employees
Importance of Employee Empowerment
Disciplines Employees
20%
Drives Performance
80%

From the above analysis it is evident that
 80 percent of the employees believe that employee empowerment
helps in driving the employees’ performance at work while
 20 percent of the employees believe that employee empowerment
disciplines an employee.

3. How is employee empowerment measured?

a. Through Employee Surveys
b. Through Profits of the organization
70%
60%
50%
40%
Employee Surveys
30% Profits of the organization
20%
10%
0%
Measurement of Employee Empowerment

 While 60 percent of the employees feel employee surveys as a
parameter for employee empowerment while
 40 percent of the employees believe that the profits of an organization
depend on employee performance due to employee empowerment.

4. When should an organization practice employee empowerment?

a. During the time if an emergency
b. Create dummy emergency situations to bring out the best in them
c. Can be both
When should employee empowerment be practiced?
30%
During the time of emergency
Create dummy emergency
situations
50% Can be both
20%

 While the majority of the employees’ answer was as both the
situations could be used to measure employee empowerment,
 30 percent of the employees felt that employee empowerment could
be measured at the time of emergency while
 20 percent felt that it could be by creating dummy situations.

5. What is employee empowerment ?

a. The extent to which employees are given authority on their job
b. The extent to which employees feel responsible towards their job
c. Can be both
Employee Empowerment
Authority
25%
Both Resposiblty
61% 14%

 While 25% of the employees feel employee empowerment is the
authority given to them,
 14% of the employees are of the view that it is the responsibility given
to them.
 61% of the employees involved in the survey believe that employee
empowerment is both i.e. authority as well as responsibility towards
their job.

6. What is the role of management in employee empowerment?

a. Encourage managers to be good leaders
b. Encourage knowledge sharing among employees
c. Both of the above
Role of management in employee empowerment
Both
40% Encourage managers to be good leaders
30%
Encourage knowledge sharing among employees

30%

 While most of the employees i.e.40 percent believe that both good
leaders and knowledge sharing play a vital role in employee
empowerment,
 30 percent of the employees think that managers should be
encouraged to be good leaders while
 The rest 30 percent of employees feel that employees should be
encouraged to share knowledge amongst each other.

7. Do you believe in employee empowerment survey?

a. Yes
b. No
Employee Empowerment Survey
45%
Yes
No
55%
Analysis and Interpretation:

 While 55% of the employees feel that employee empowerment survey
is essential,
 45% of the employees are of the counter view that it is not essential.

8. What indicates a positive employee empowerment?

a. Employee Satisfaction
b. Employee Freedom
c. Employee Performance
Positive Employee Empowerment

Employee Satisfaction Employee Freedom Employee Performance
30% 30%
40%

 While Employee Freedom accounts for 40 percent of the employee
count,
 30 percent of the employees believe that employee performance leads
to an indication about employee empowerment and
 30 percent of employees believe employee satisfaction to indicate a
positive employee empowerment.

9. Employee empowerment means giving employees a certain degree of

autonomy and responsibility for decision-making regarding their
specific organizational tasks.
a. Agree
b. Disagree
Degree of autonomy & responsibility
Agree
Disagree

All employees agreed that Employee empowerment means
giving employees a certain degree of autonomy and responsibility
for decision-making regarding their specific organizational tasks.

10. Who should be involved in employee empowerment activities?

a. Management
b. Entire Organization
Employee Empowerment Activities

Employee Empowerment Activities
10%
90%
Management
Entire Organization

 While 90 percent of the employees interpret entire organization to be
involved in employee empowerment activities,
 10 percent of the employees believe management to be solely
responsible for employee empowerment activities.

11. Do you know what is expected of you at work?

a. Yes
b. No
c. Not clear completely
Role Clarity
Not Clear
15%
Yes
45%
No
40%

 While 45% percent of the employees are clear about their role in the
organization
 40% of the employees do not know their role in the organization
 15% of the employees are still not clear on it

12. Is there anyone at work who encourages your development?

a. Yes
b. No
Encouragement at work
No
Encouragement at work
Yes
45% 46% 47% 48% 49% 50% 51% 52%

 52% of the employees receive encouragement at work
 48% are void of getting encouraged
13. In the last six months, has someone at work talked to you about your
progress?
a. Yes
b. No

Progress Track
No
40%
Yes
60%

 60% of the employees received an opinion on their development in the
organization in the previous 6 months
 40% of the employees did not receive any such track on their progress
14. Does your supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about you as
a person?
a. Yes
b. No

Care at Work
No
25%
Yes
75%

 75% of the employees have someone who cares about them as a
person at work
 25% of the employees are not fortunate enough at work
15.Do you have the materials and equipment to do your work right?
a. Yes
b. No

Facilities at Work
60%
50%
40% Facilities at Work
30%
20%
10%
0%
Yes No

 55% of the employees are equipped with adequate materials and
equipments at work
 45% of the employees do not have adequate facilities at work

16.Does the mission/purpose of your company make you feel your job is
important?
a. Yes
b. No
Mission of the company & Importance of job

No
23%
Yes
77%

 77% of the employees feel that their job and mission of the Company
are relevant
 23% of the employees feel that their job importance is not connected
with the mission of the company

17.Does your boss trust you in delegating his powers to you?

a. Yes
b. No
Trust by boss
Yes No
50% 50%

 50% of the employees feel that their boss trusts’ enough on them to
delegate his powers at times
 The rest 50% of the employees feel that the delegation of power by
boss is not trust but any other motive

18.Do you trust your immediate superior when he delegates power to

take immediate decision during his absence
a. Yes
b. No
Trust in Superior
Yes
40%
No
60%

 40% of the employees feel trust their superiors
 The rest 60% of the employees do not trust their superiors enough
19.Are there open avenues of communication across all levels of
the organization?
a. Yes
b. No
c. Not Really

40%
35%
30%
25%
40%
20%
30% 30%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Yes No Not Really
Freedom of Communication

 40% of the employees are of the opinion that there are open avenues
of communication across all levels of the organization
 30% of the employees are of the opinion that the avenue for
communication are not open for all levels
 The rest 30% of the employees are not sure for the same.

20.Do you feel valued as a team member?

a. Yes
b. No
Feeling Valued
No
Yes

 While 60 % of the employees feel valued at work
 40% of the employees feel unworthy in a team

4.2 Questionnaire:
1. How are the conditions for work at the premises of the office?
a. Good
b. Excellent
c. Can be better
2. Why is employee empowerment important?

a. Drives Performance
b. Disciplines the employees
3. How is employee empowerment measured?

a. Through Employee Surveys
b. Through Profits of the organization
4. When should an organization practice employee empowerment?

a. During the time if an emergency
b. Create dummy emergency situations to bring out the best in them
c. Can be both

5. What is employee empowerment ?

a. The extent to which employees are given authority on their job
b. The extent to which employees feel responsible towards their job
c. Can be both
6. What is the role of management in employee engagement?

a. Encourage leaders and managers to be good listeners
b. Encourage knowledge sharing among employees
c. Both the above
7. Do you do an employee empowerment survey?
a. Yes
b. No
8. What indicates a positive employee empowerment?

a. Employee Satisfaction
b. Employee Freedom
c. \Employee Performance
9. Employee empowerment giving employees a certain degree of

autonomy and responsibility for decision-making regarding their
specific organizational tasks.
a. Agree
b. Disagree
10.Who should be involved in employee empowerment activities?

a. Management
b. Entire Organization

11.Do you know what is expected of you at work?

a. Yes
b. No
c. Not clear completely
12.Is there anyone at work who encourages your development?

a. Yes
b. No
13.In the last six months, has someone at work talked to you about your
progress?
a. Yes
b. No
14.Does your supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about

you as a person?
a. Yes
b. No
15 Do you have the materials and equipment to do your work right?

d. Yes
e. No
16 Does the mission/purpose of your company make you feel your

job is important?
a. Yes
b. No

17 Does your boss trust you in delegating his powers to you?
a. Yes
b. No
18 Do you trust your immediate superior when he delegates power to

take immediate decision during his absence
a. Yes
b. No
19Are there open avenues of communication across all levels of
the organization?
a. Yes
b. .No
c. Not Really
20.Do you feel valued as a team member?

a. Yes
b. No
c.

Chapter 5: Findings & Suggestions
5.1: Companies Adopting Employee Empowerment in India

 Companies are available every kind. There are some who keep a hawkish eye
over its staff, ban even the utilization of mobile phones in workplace, and
there are some who mandate on sombrely silence and colonial
formalities within the workplace.
 But at the opposite finish of the spectrum there are some institutions, which
permit staff to figure from home and believe a
schedule that is additional result-oriented than maintaining a military
discipline.
 These firms with a personality's face reach bent its staff within the time of
crisis, supporting them and even taking care of the medical expenses of
the even the members in their family.
 Gone are the times once staff solely explore for high paying jobs during
a pitiless workplace discovered.
 Even high-paid staff agree that money doesn't matter once an
exact purpose, it's job satisfaction and a cordial workplace atmosphere that
ultimately makes a distinction.
 At a time once work-related stress is taking a toll on the lifetime
of staff, it'srefreshing to envision some corporations withdraw of the way
to build their workers love the work they are
doing and conjointly guarantee they have an excellent work-life balance.
 Employees in these employee oriented corporations love the companies they
work for a number of positive factors.

 A friendly operating atmosphere, special health care facilities, versatile work

hours, work from home choices, women-friendly policies and support among
the team members keep staff extremely motivated in these employee
oriented corporations
 In a survey conducted by excellent spot to figure Institute and therefore the
Economic Times, seven hundred corporations across twenty sectors were
surveyed. The responses 1.8 hundred thousand staff showed that MNCs
were higher than Indian corporations in terms of best workplaces.
 IT corporations accounted for a fourth of the highest a hundred best
workplaces, creating it a most well-liked selection among job seekers
 The following are live examples of Companies in India that employees would
prefer to work for
I)
Regional Maritime Security Initiative
Information about RMSI A global IT company providing

engineering and software solutions
Areas of Operation: India, Middle East, Canada, UK, Australia and
USA
Year of Foundation: 1992
Chairman & Managing Director: Rajiv Kapoor
 RMSI, a worldwide IT services company providing geospatial
and software systemservices to purchasers across the world has
surpassed Google, that has been topping the most
effective leader charts for the past five years.
 In 2009, RMSI was hierarchic the most effective company to
figure for in India..
 A versatile work setting, high level
of authorisation and responsibility where every worker owns
his space of domain/function, employees’ involvement in
company’s business selections, leadership development through

mentoring and training, skills/competency development

initiatives, company social responsibility program, multi-
cultural exposure through onsite work opportunities area
unit the large takeaways.
 People area unit revered and valued, performance is
nurtured, creative thinking and excellence area unit inspired,
leadership and cooperation area unit rewarded.
 The management team is straightforward, honest
and extremely approachable, that makes
it straightforward for individuals to figure along mutually team
and specialize in the business and purchasers.
 Various reward and recognition programs make sure
that innovation, creativity, leadership and team work is
rewarded together with individual contributions
means growth methods area unit created for prime performers.
Parenting, relationship direction, developmental
psychology workshops facilitate build a bond with families
of staff.
 The music band, photography club, painting, acting, movie
making, guitar classes, zumba lessons, sports tournaments helps
employees hone their skills and develop an overall personality.
II)
Information about Nestle: Nestle is one of the largest food and

beverage companies in the world
Areas of Operation: India, African Continent, Asia, USA and others
Chairman & Managing Director: Suresh Narayanan
By increasing the responsibility levels and ability sets of

their staff, Nestle has been able to cut back accidents, waste,

unplanned stoppages, quality defects and client complaints, and
improve productivity.
For example: Nestlé Continuous Excellence (NCE) has helped its

Nanjangud manufacturing plant in Asian nation, where it produces
instant coffee and health beverages to the following:
i. reduce laminate waste by 35% and powder waste by 87%;
ii. reduce shift-end cleaning times by 44%;
increase mean time between operational failures by 68%;
iv reduce minor operation stoppages by 25%;
v improve line performance by 8%.
III)
Information about Google: Google LLC is an American
multinational technology company that specializes in Internet-related
services and products
Areas of Operation: Throughout the globe
CEO: Sunder Pichai
 When it comes to facilities, working environment and benefits,
work-life balance, very few companies can compete with Google.
 The company makes sure the employees get the right environment
to grow to their true potential.With a creative and colourful
ambience, offices are designed to promote fun-filled innovation as
the company believes it is crucial for employees to think creatively
and give their best.
 The employees have access to the best and brightest IT specialists
to help get their jobs done. The TechStop is Google in-house tech
support shop, it provides Google employees guidance with all
hardware and software needs and problems at any time.
 The employees at Google get to use the company's products to get

work done, and beta-test products that haven't been released to the
public yet.
 Employees have access to fully equipped gyms across offices in
India with trainers and customised health programs.
 Employees can play table tennis, pool, football, air hockey and
other games in the recreation area, or go to one of the several sleep
pods for a quick nap.
 Google has numerous special facilities which helps it’s employees
maintain a work-life balance. Every week on Friday, Google hosts
TGIF (Thank God It's Friday) after 4 p.m. where everyone mingles
and works together. This gives an open platform to employees to
collaborate more.
 Furthermore, Google encourages its employees to pursue their
passion, be it in music or drama or some other form of art.
 Women’s empowerment is another focus area.

 Google offers academic scholarships to future leaders in
technology and supporting employee resource groups like
Women@Google.
 Food at Google offices is another attraction. Three meals and
unlimited snacks from the cafeteria are totally free of cost. Meals
are made as healthy as possible along with an elaborate menu.
 Involving families, Google hosts its annual 'bring your children to
work' day. On this day, the company organises engagement
activities for children.
 Additionally, new employees at Google can even bring their
parents to work on a designated day.
IV)
Information about Marriot Hotels India: Marriot Hotels India is a

hospitality brand in India

Areas of Operation: India

Area Vice President: Niraj Govil
 Marriott calls it staff ‘associates’. On their birthdays or
anniversaries, the hotel staff are allowed a meal for 6 in any hotel or
a getaway to experience their own welcome at its best.
 Taking care of our associates is at the center of Marriott’s core
values, that reflects the company’s work-life commitment.
 Marriott's history of taking care of its staff dated back to its period
of time, once its founder, JW Marriott, counseled the
company's staff separately on their personal issues at his 1st hotel.
He valued their presence, kept them updated concerning the
newest happenings in Marriott and gave them wonderful coaching.
JW Marriott forever ensured that staff who joined the hotel felt
themselves a member of the Marriott family.
He created managers accountable for the satisfaction of their
subordinates.Apart from providing a competitive pay package,
Marriott strives to relinquish its staff an honest work life.
 The company values sensible leadership offers higher growth
opportunities, a friendly work surroundings and coaching facilities.
 Open communication, trust among operating groups, and a
relentless specialize in winning thecorrect method are different key
aspects.What keeps staff happy are the hotels’ discount policies,
talent development program, international exposure, open door
policy, cross department exposure, performance incentives
and rewarding high performers boosts the morale of staff.
 Access to a gymnasium, recreation, discount on food and beverages,
room stay, assignments domestically and internationally,
international placements and insurance are different advantages.
 Demonstrate Your Trust

5.2: Suggestions:
The best way to gain employee loyalty
is by showing your staff that they have
your trust. Clarify the ends instead of
the means, and let your staff go about
projects in their own way. They might
not accomplish everything exactly as
you would have, but they will get the
job done with their own flair.
 Communicate a Clear Vision

As a boss and a leader, it’s your job
 Don’t Avoid Small Talk
to get everyone on the same page.
Make a habit of sitting down with
People that do not know what they
your employees and engaging in one-
are supposed to be doing won’t be
on-one conversation.
able to accomplish their jobs very
You can have these talks in your
well at all.
office, in the break room or at a
Clearly define the roles of your
coffee shop down the street.
staff so they know their duties and
Intentionally ask about their work
don’t step on each other’s toes.
progress, such as accomplishments or
even complaints, but also make an
effort to get to know your staff on a
personal level.
Ask about what’s going on with their families, or lives in general, to show that
you care about them as human beings. This will lead to a friendlier and more
productive office environment. It will also help you grow as a leader.
Two-thirds of people agree that their boss had some kind of impact on their
career—make sure it is a positive one.
 Encourage Self-Improvement
When your employees learn new skills it’s better for the company as a whole.
Some companies will even support continued education or classes outside of
the workplace that enhance personal growth.
If you can’t support your employees through financial support, at least be
flexible with their schedules to a certain degree. Allowing your salesperson or
HR representative to leave half an hour early every Thursday for community
orchestra practice can do wonders for their well-being and work ethic.
 Leave Your Office Door Open
You want your employees to know that their opinions are valued in order to
truly empower them. A simple gesture such as leaving your office door open
can do wonders to communicate this.

Adopting an open door policy shows employees that you care about what they
think while enabling them to give their input and play an active role in your
company.
 Support Vacation Time
This might seem counterintuitive, but you are going to get a lot more out of
your employees if you work to keep them from burning out. Learn to spot
the symptoms of burnout, and avoid getting anywhere close by actively
supporting vacation time.
Your employees will actually be more productive and better at their jobs if
they are well-rested and rejuvenated.
You don’t have to mandate full weeks off at a time, but you should foster an
environment where a long weekend here and there is not only tolerated but
actively supported.
 Delegate More Than Just Work
As a boss or manager, it’s inevitable that you’ll have to delegate work, but
make sure that’s not the only thing you’re passing down. Ask a staff member
to lead an important meeting, even if it’s just while you step out to take a
phone call.
Share the projects that people and customers notice. This will show employees
that they have a real effect on the business.
 Learn Flexibility
Life happens. Be flexible with your employees as things come up.Perhaps try
a different schedule that allows a parent to drop their kids off at school in the
morning. As an added bonus, they’ll be able to avoid rush hour traffic and put
in even more work.
Or allow an employee to work from home (WFH) in order to take care of a
sick parent if the job allows. If long WFH periods don’t work for your
company, experiment with one WFH a week or a couple each month. You
might even find that your employees are more productive when working from
an environment they choose.

 Inspire Creative Thinking

Just because you have been doing a task one way for your entire career does
not mean that’s the best way to accomplish it. There are always problems to be
solved and better ways to do things, so use the minds around you and
encourage your employees to share creative business solutions.
Putting the challenge in the hands of your employees will not only save you
some headache, but it’s also likely that you’ll come out with a better end
result. They do say that two heads are better than one.
 Show You Appreciate Their Efforts
Sure, your employees are paid to show up every day, but it’s always helpful
to receive some encouragement.
Whether it’s a sales call that was handled exceptionally well or a report that
was put together flawlessly, let your employees know when they are doing a
good job.
This will ensure continued high-quality work in the future, and they will feel
more job satisfaction.
Chapter6 :Conclusion

 At the end I would like to conclude that employee empowerment plays a very
important role in the development of an individual as well as the organization.
 The organization cannot be separated from employee empowerment in today’s
liberal era.
 If an organization wants develop and grow as well as wants a decreased
turnover rate, employee empowerment plays a pivotal role in it
 Employee Empowerment: A key to Employee Engagement:
 Engagement and Empowerment
 Engagement and empowerment are two words that get tossed around
organizations and OD circles. These words are often confused.The best way to
demonstrate the difference between these words is to contrast two scenarios
 Engaged but not Empowered
 Here the customer service person is fully on board with the goals of the
organization. She knows her job and wants to help the customer.
Unfortunately, she is constrained by numerous rules that tie her hands from
fully providing service. For example, she may not be able to issue a refund
until the incorrect merchandise has been returned and verified to be in good

shape. She may have to get "approval" from a superior to authorize a

shipping waiver. There can be numerous administrative hurdles that keep this
engaged customer service employee from having the power to execute her job
to the satisfaction of her customer. If she is talking to a customer with a faulty
chain saw, she might say, "That is a shame you are having a problem with
your chain saw. I need you to take the saw in to one of our service centers in
your area to verify this is not an operator type of problem before I can have
you send it to me and get you a replacement saw."
 Empowered but not Engaged
 In this case, the customer service rep has the power to do anything she thinks
is useful, but this particular person is not connected well to the business goals.
She really does not care if the organization does well; all she wants to do is
make the customer feel great. In this case, when a customer complains about
his chain saw not working properly, she might say, "Oh I am sorry you have
had that problem. Let me send you a full replacement chain saw, and I will
also include a carrying case (valued at $60) and some coupons for 6 free
chains (valued at $80 total)."
 It is obvious that neither of these conditions is the best situation for the
employee and the organization. We need to have employees who are fully
engaged in the business and fully empowered to accomplish their tasks.
 Engagement
 In "Smart Trust," Stephen M.R. Covey reported on some research showing
that in the average company there are two engaged employees for every one
disengaged employee. In this case, much of the inherent power of the
individuals is leaking out and not available to the organization. Contrast that
situation with world class organizations where there are nine engaged
employees for every one disengaged employee. You can see the huge
difference, and that difference goes quickly to the bottom line.
 Having people engaged in the business means having them truly understand
the vision for the organization and fully comprehend their role in making that
happen. Beyond understanding, to be fully engaged, a worker needs to be fully

committed to accomplishing her role, not just involved in the work. Someone
once said that the difference between involvement and commitment is like the
difference between eggs and bacon. In the case of the eggs, the chicken was
involved; in the case of the bacon, the pig was committed!
 Empowerment
 Empowerment is more closely related to trust. Employees bring their own
internal level of empowerment and confidence in their abilities to do their
jobs. Managers can increase empowerment through clear communication and
a trust-building management style. Unfortunately, managers can decrease an
employee's empowerment and confidence level through negative
communication or too many restrictions.
 The extent to which people engage their personal power for the benefit of the
organization, and the level of freedom they are given to do things right, will
determine the level of empowerment experienced by the organization. In OD
circles, we use the term "maximum discretionary effort." The goal of
empowerment activities is to solicit maximum discretionary effort from all
people. How can we accomplish that in the real world?
 First, it is important to realize that what empowers me is probably somewhat
different from what empowers you. For an organization to obtain the highest
level of empowerment, there needs to be a matching effort between each
individual and the conditions that will create a culture that extracts maximum
discretionary effort for that person. It sounds complicated, but it is really a
process of knowing the people who work for you.
 The secret to create a culture of higher empowerment is trust. As trust
increases, people naturally feel more empowered because they are allowed to
make decisions based on a firm understanding of the goals, but they can
accomplish those goals in their own unique way.
Bibliography

https://www.researchgate.net/publication
http://library.oum.edu.my
https://content.wisestep.com/employee-empowerment
https://www.snacknation.com
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/314197403_Employee_Engagement_A_
Literature_Review_KBS_Working_Paper_No_19
http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in
https://www.worldwidejournals.com

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A Study on Employee Empowerment

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enhance employee motivation, increase efficiency and gain

 The current environment of competition and scarce resources in

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Degree of Empowerment & Leadership with Organizational Benefits

 An example of employee empowerment is as follows:

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forward to each other for the same. The employee empowerment

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feedback among the organization is what makes

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1.2 Process of Employee Empowerment:

 Identify the reasons of empowerment:

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1.2 Checklist on Employee Empowerment Level:

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 They are a part of the team

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1.4 The Pyramid to Circle Theory

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Characteristics of the Pyramid:

 Decisions are made at the top

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Skills Customer Cooperation

Characteristics of the Circle:

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1.5 The road to employee empowerment:

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employees. Conduct regular employee reviews and staff meetings.

 Make sure everyone is on the same page.:Empowered employees have

 Remove roadblocks and provide assisstance.: Eliminate any hurdles --

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1.7 Advantages of Employee Empowerment

Improved Work Outcomes. Positive employee empowerment provides workers with

Increased Employee Satisfaction:

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Collaboration As employees are empowered and treated as vital components of the

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intended to empower employees to identify and eliminate redundancy, waste, and

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 Employee empowerment has a positive impact on an organization’s quality of

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benefiting the employer and the employee.

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 Clients are much happier:

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1.8 Limitations to Employee Empowerment

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company, there is an increased risk of confidential and security-related data being

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1.9 Responsibility of HR in empowering employees:

Responsibility 1: Participate in Planning and Development

Responsibility 2: Provide Employees With Career Assistance

By helping employees with career development, modern HR professionals gain

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