Back from Paris last night, after presenting my paper on ‘Employee Empowerment’ at the International Journal of Arts and Sciences (IJAS) Conference.  Professor Joseph Azzopardi, (University of Malta) Chaired the Conference.

My paper was about my doctorate research, ‘An Investigation of What Employee Empowerment Means in Theory and in Practice’.  This research was a first attempt to examine the empowerment model from two disciplines – management and social work.  It is clear that such an exercise was necessary to bridge some of the gaps with regards to the understanding of empowerment at the conceptual and practice levels. 

At the conference, delegates were interested in the ‘Psychological Empowerment’ and #Leadership aspects of employee empowerment, which was good to know, as the findings of my case studies reveal that employees in organisations also emphasised the importance of these. 

During my research interviews, employees alluded to the importance of the psychological implications of employee empowerment, that is, locus of control, self-efficacy and self-esteem with regards to their lives at work.  Employees explained, that in particular, when they were able to take decisions related to their task at work, they felt in control and a rise in their confidence, leading to high self-esteem, and vice versa.  

Evidence from my case studies demonstrate that individuals or groups do not ‘feel’ empowered, unless they believe themselves to be so.  Hence, my argument, empowerment needs to come from ‘within’ and that is why psychological empowerment is so important.

Another essential point is that organisations need to support leaders as well.  Just having the skills of directing, coaching and supporting employees (which are viewed as important in leadership) is not adequate, leaders also need freedom and ‘feel’ empowered to use these skills.

I shared my framework, Huq’s Model of Employee Empowerment (Huq’s Model D), which is not just about mastering the knowledge with regards to employee empowerment, but also mastering the tool for practical implementation, helping leaders to create a culture of empowerment in their organisations.

It was a great conference and met many people from different countries. 

Thank you IJAS for organising the conference at FIAP Jean Monnet, Paris.

Thank you for reading, until the next Huq Post …

 © Dr Rozana Huq, April 2016.

http://www.rozanahuq.com