A Quick Introduction to Empowerment at Work by Cultivate
Empowerment has been defined and dissected in a multitude of literature and research. It has been discussed through the lens of innovation, creativity, organizational studies, education, and sociology, among others.
Much like in its broader societal context, empowerment in the workplace is a transformative force that can reshape cultures, elevate employee experience, and drive growth within organizations.
But what exactly does empowerment mean in the workplace setting?
Defining Empowerment at Work
When we talk about empowerment here at Cultivate, we mean employee empowerment–which is further defined as the experience of self-determination that arises from the fulfillment of five essential needs, namely:
the need to feel skilled and capable in their roles;
the need to feel connected to the purpose of their work;
the need for autonomy and agency in decision-making;
the need to feel a sense of community and belonging; and,
the need to feel engaged and intrinsically motivated to work together.
Empowerment as an Experience
“Viewing empowerment as an experience allows us to measure empowerment through self-reports from employees.”
In the workplace, we may hear people say any or all of these:
"I feel like our boss is micromanaging me."
"My manager trusts my judgment and abilities to do my work well."
"I don't think I belong in any community here in the company."
"I have a reliable support group among my peers at work."
Such statements provide insight into the state of empowerment within a company.
We can better understand these types of statements in the context of empowerment by examining them through the lens of Cultivate’s SPACE Model of Organizational Empowerment, which lists five dimensions of empowerment at work–Skill, Purpose, Autonomy, Community, and Engagement (SPACE). Wherein:
Skill is when the employee is confident and has mastery in their work.
Purpose is connecting to the organization's or team's mission and being recognized for their contributions.
Autonomy is the experience of individual choice and agency in decision-making.
Community is feeling genuine connection, belonging, and significance to others.
Engagement is the intrinsic motivation and full participation in the work.
We can consider these dimensions the minimum requirements for empowerment in the workplace setting.
Solutions from Two directions
The SPACE framework allows leaders, managers, and employees to not only evaluate experiences of empowerment and disempowerment in the workplace but also to systematically support employee empowerment throughout the organization.
To support empowerment at work, first, determine which dimensions of empowerment need to be addressed. From there, tackle the issue by enabling change from two main directions: bottom-up and top-down.
The first approach is the bottom-up, where change starts from the employees or managers. Individual employees and managers can apply the SPACE model by asking themselves questions like: What can I do to meet my needs and the needs of my colleagues within any of these dimensions? What needs and ideas can I discuss with my manager/ leadership in order to advocate for more support in these areas?
“Individuals can empower themselves and empower each other in the workplace. Consequently, they can be empowered by their managers and leaders within a pocket of the company, even if the organization as a whole is not particularly empowering.”
However, approaching an empowerment challenge from this perspective has its limitations. When the responsibility for meeting people's needs falls on individuals who lack authority or access to resources, the results might be hindered by existing positional power and privilege.
This is why it's crucial to also address empowerment from the top-down, with leadership leveraging their authority and resources to prioritize empowerment and meet employees’ needs throughout the organization. Here, we pose the question: what could the organization do to help meet their employees' empowerment needs?
Notably, organizations that actively support employee empowerment see significant positive effects. They have fewer barriers that inhibit the efforts of Cultivators as they try to take action within the organization. These organizations have more consistent empowerment across teams, roles, and demographics.
Support Empowerment in Your Organization
Overall, the specific and sustained efforts to fulfill employees' empowerment needs – by shifting the organizational structure, investing resources, improving working conditions, building connections, and more – result in higher levels of empowerment and all of its attendant benefits, such as increased satisfaction, retention, creativity, and innovation throughout the organization.
Cultivate helps companies meet their employees' empowerment needs and create more empowerment workplace cultures by helping leaders identify the current state of empowerment across the organization and drive improvements and by helping individual employees and managers develop tools, skills, relationships, and knowledge they can use to empower themselves and each other. Reach out here.
