Tweet

Empowerment and Other "Programs"

Guest post by: Robert Whipple

Article Overview: Be careful when management wants to do another "program." Short term bursts of energy may be well intended, but they actually sap the energy of an organization. This paper describes the pitfalls and gives some antidotes.

Empowerment and Other "Programs"

Overused words become a problem when their original meaning becomes twisted and obscured. For a time in the mid-nineties, this was the case with the word "empowerment." Originally, it was a helpful way to describe using one's personal power to engage in the business. As managers, consultants, HR, and training personnel started using the word in every imaginable context to describe different things, it became an albatross.

Whenever a manager would say they had a program and they were "going for empowerment," it was time to raise the caution flag. People would ascribe all kinds of meanings to the word that were confusing and detrimental. For example, some people believed empowerment meant everyone got to do what they wanted and nobody was really in charge. Imagine the chaos.

Recently the stigma has worn away and the word can again find a helpful place in our vocabulary. However, the lesson is useful. Be alert for words becoming overused.

Program of the Month

Be sensitive to the word "program" and avoid using it. It is so easy to describe a thrust that includes much training and effort as a program. The subconscious mind interprets this as a short-term thing that can be either ignored or complied with begrudgingly. A more helpful way to describe it is a new dimension - a permanent enhancement to our set of beliefs. If you substitute the word "initiative" for "program," you will be better off.

If you view everything in the context of a learning organization, where people are growing all the time, you can reduce a problem called "program-of-the-month." Programs are started abruptly with great fanfare. Significant time and energy are invested in generating a training program. Trainers use the words "put everyone through the program," which is another red flag. They get engrossed in the training events and measure progress by the percentage of people trained. The progress may be less than hoped. Real progress comes from real change, not attendance rosters.

Often the organization is still in the implementation phase of a current effort when a new improvement program comes along. The old program is not killed off, but is allowed to atrophy as all attention is focused on the new one. The most effective antidote to the program-of-the-month issue is to have an environment of trust. If this exists, people won't allow initiatives to get out of control. If the initiative has many parts, link them together as phases instead of calling each one a separate program.

In "Principle-Centered Leadership," Steven Covey describes it this way:

"These well intentioned training efforts try to create a spirit of cooperation. But the culture is so polarized, so based on defending positions and coercive power, carrot and stick motivations, that people resist these initiatives. The culture becomes cynical. The next new initiative is perceived as another fruitless, dramatic, desperate, frantic effort to make good things happen. Gradually the culture gets fatigued and demoralized."

The cure is to select improvement efforts with care. Invest in them until the new methods have been fully assimilated into the culture. Then, if there is another effort, make sure it fits well with the previous one. Work hard to demonstrate how these efforts fit synergistically to take you to the vision.

One Size Fits All

Another danger is the "one size fits all" issue. Leaders may become excited about a specific "program." Some may feel it is important for everyone in the organization to get exactly the same training. Others may view it as being thrust upon people, and the effort becomes compromised before it ever starts. For some groups, this training may not be of highest value. A group could be far beyond what is being taught. They may be reluctant to push back because they will not appear as good team players. This is not the best mindset to get maximum benefit from training.

One litmus test is to ask a group to consider skipping a course after they have been scheduled for it. If they push back, indicating how much they will benefit from it, you have a good chance for success. If they turn around, yell "YESSSS!" and start with the "high fives" all around the room, you might want to reconsider. Most people feel overworked in their jobs. Any time allotted for training will result in more work later to catch up on. When people feel a training program is a waste of their time it is easy to detect. Be alert and test for commitment. If it is low, find out why before charging ahead.

There is a better way to manage improvement efforts. First, there must be a strong local ownership for the training. If it is an untargeted, canned program from company headquarters put on by hired facilitators, chances for success are low. If the senior managers really believe in a venture enough to teach it themselves and have their underlings teach it to the next level, it shows an entirely different commitment. When this kind of effort can be tailored to meet the needs of each group as it permeates the organization, you get a win-win scenario.

Related Articles
  Empowerment: The Ticket to a Fulfilling Life
  Changing the Way You Think Can Empower You
  Leadership empowerment: what is it and how do you do it?
  Employee Empowerment
  Empowerment, Autonomy & Discretion – Oh My!
  Money, Power and Empowerment - It's your choice!!
  Be Empowered Before Empowering Others
  Do Not Be Afraid to Take the Lead
  Empowerment - Ten Tips to Avoid Micro Management
  Fonkoze - Educating Individuals to Become Self Sustaining
  Empowerment - The Key To Developing Your Management Skills
  Tools for Personal Development
  How does microfinance help the poor? FAQ
  10 Steps To Empowered Employees
  10 Ways Easy for Managers to Empower
  Small Business Coach - Want More Money, Power and Empowerment? Turn Crisis Into Opportunity
  Are your economic fears imprisoning you?
  Intelligent Disobedience
  Emotional Empowerment Builds Commitment
  Best Affiliate Programs - 7 Ways to Find Them!

Article Tags: Empowerment, Leadership, program of the month, trust



Related Forum Posts
Any experience with McManus UK Ltd.? - Did anybody already deal with any of the McManus UK Ltd offshore entities? I do have a program, but not enough cash. I have been advised that they can fund investors with access to Private Placement Programs but they don’t want to joint venture with me. They want a fee for the service. This is why I want to find out if anybody has had first hand experience with this group? Patrick Ohara, Financial Consultant
Re: You don't need to go to a "real" school to get - [quote="OmnivoreInk":cwl01a6m]There are, I think, two types of people who go to school. Those who want to learn, and those who don't.[/quote:cwl01a6m] Hi Barbara, I agree with your comment 110% and that's why I could probably argue that it doesn't even matter if you go to a community college or distinguished University. At the end of the day, you're all given: a) an instructor and b) a textbook and it's really up to the individual to decide what he/she wants to get out of it. The [u:cwl01a6m]only[/u:cwl01a6m] real difference between "schools" is the level of student competition since all grading is done on a curve. For example, my grades at Seneca College's Continuing Education Programs are about 15% higher than what I got during my UofT undergrad! But another reason why online courses aren't that great is because I don't know why I need to pay $300-600 to read a bunch of "cookie cutter" content (via course website and textbook) and then have an "instructor" grade my paper or test? I mean, if you're really interested in learning more about something and have the self-discipline, why not just save your money and read a bunch of related articles on the web for free or buy a textbook for $100 to read at home? One might even argue that taking courses and getting degrees and diplomas are really only beneficial to people who want to have a career working for someone else.
HRPreneur - Hi everyone, I am new to the forum and I recently started my own Human Capital (HR) consulting firm called HRPreneur Inc. HRP focuses on making human capital a strategic differentiator for SME's. Below is a summary about HRP; Who We Are: HRP is a Human Capital consulting firm with 30 years of experience that becomes an extension of your company by providing a full array of services to help you create a highly engaged workforce focused on achieving strategic results in order to build a long lasting great company! Mission: HRP provides small and medium sized businesses a Strategic HR Business Partner to increase employee engagement, resulting in cost savings, increased productivity and results at an affordable rate! Vision: To inspire and warrant SME's reach their full competency! Cost Effectiveness: We provide over 30 years of experience at a fraction of the cost at a strategic executive HR business level You will save between 50% to 60% in costs per year on salary, bonus, benefits, training, office space alone We will provide you additional cost efficiencies through our services Services: • Strategic Human Resources Planning • Organizational Redesign • Change Management • Organizational Culture Development • Employee Engagement Programs • Leadership Assessment and Development • Compensation Design • Talent Acquisition • Assimilation and On-Boarding • Performance Management • Talent Management & Succession Planning • Human Resources Due Diligence • Human Resources Audit • Full Service HR Outsourcing


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

How To Be Happy at Work? Acknowledge Yourself

What is Give Back Marketing?

Do You Have An Entrepreneurial Vision?

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.