Empowerment

1>Empowerment definition ? - Empowerment is the authority to make decisions within one's area of responsibility without first having to get approval from someone else. 2>Why is it needed ? - There is an old Sanskrit shloka "Ashwam naiva, gajam naiva, vyagram naivacha naivacha, aja putram balim dathyat devam durbala gataka" - which says that even the Gods are against the weak.When it come to sacrifice, we do not sacrifice a horse or an elephant or even for that matter a tiger. What ultimately is used for sacrifice is the poor goat. http://cvc.nic.in/vscvc/cvcspeeches/99march7.html 3>What does Empowering lead to ? - More Responsibilities. - More Decision Making. - Now some may feel what if the role of delivering responsibilities and taking decision fails ? - �You may never know what results come of your action, but if you do nothing there will be no result� ~ Mahatma Gandhi 4>So how do you empower anyone ? - �Power can be taken, but not given. The process of taking is empowerment in itself.� - In short empowerment is all about learning,accepting and experiencing. 5>Examples on

empowering ?

- (a)Right to Information Act => Shailesh Gandhi - (b)Sriram Raghavan, Co-founder & President, Comat Technologies. Who won Nasscom's prestigious award for innovation this year (2008) believed that India is a land of young entrepreneurs and it is important to empower rural India. Comat provided easy and affordable access to information-based government and business services in rural communities in India through our Rural Business Centres (RBCs). In Karnataka, nearly 800 RBCs were made operational in six months under the Nemmadi project. Ever since the start of this project in October 2006, there has been a 30 per cent increase in the demand for government services in Karnataka. 7> Empowerment in Organizations ? ##TYPES OF ORGANIZATION ON BASIS OF EMPOWERMENT## -In empowering organization everyone understands the importance of good work. In hamstrung organization , planners working in dark, leave their own expectations and those of the people who carry out the plans.

The difference between the empowered group and hamstrung group is that the group decides what measures are appropriate. ##HOW ORGANIZATION CAN BE EMPOWERED## - Empowerment must be embedded in an organizational's cultural values, operationalized through participation , innovation, access to information and accountability (A) BY EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMS -One such way of empowering people is by carrying out Empowerment programs which can transform a stagnant organization into a vital one by creating a "Shared purpose among employees, encouraging greater collaboration and most importantly delivering enhanced value to customers. -Two types of empowerment programs are: 1) JUST DO IT & KAIZEN principle 2) TRUST BUILDING ##EXAMPLE## -eg: At Cummins Engine a five day empowerment training program is carried out where Kaizen and Just Do It principles are combined.The principles used include a)Discard Fixed ideas about doing work b)Think on how to do it rather than why it cannot be done. c)Question current practices. d)Begin to make improvements e)Correct mistakes immediately (B) HEIRARCHIAL STRUCTURING ----> Theory Y , where in the heirarchial struture .......................Plz refer some book. In this theory, management assumes employees are inherently lazy and will avoid work if they can. Because of this, workers need to be closely supervised and comprehensive systems of controls developed. A hierarchical structure is needed with narrow span of control at each level. According to this theory, employees will show little ambition without an enticing incentive program and will avoid responsibility whenever they can. The Theory X manager tends to believe that everything must end in blaming someone. In this theory management assumes employees may be ambitious, self-motivated, anxious to accept greater responsibility, and exercise self-control, selfdirection, autonomy and empowerment. It is believed that employees enjoy their mental and physical work duties. It is also believed that if given the chance employees have the desire to be creative and forward thinking in the workplace. There is a chance for greater productivity by giving employees the freedom to perform at the best of their abilities without being bogged down by rules 8>In general what change can a empowered individual or society can bring about ? - An Individual who is ready to take over the responsibilities & decision making certainly has lot of affect on the society as whole..............................