Content area
Full Text
Cheryl King Duvall: Stetson School of Business, Mercer University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Introduction
It is predicted that over one-third of the companies on the Fortune 500 list will be dropped from the list over the next five years. The companies that have and will survive are those that are able to withstand constantly changing conditions both internal and external to the organization, to continuously innovate, and have the knowledge within the organization to make decisions directed at achieving organizational success (Choo, 1998).
Empowerment as a process of personal and organizational success is often misunderstood and frequently misapplied in many organizations. While it may or may not have been effectively applied in traditional organizations, employees who choose empowerment are vital to the success of twenty-first century organizations. Batton (1995) continues, "Care enough to create a culture that truly reflects pervasive empowerment of people - a streamlined culture that epitomizes service, quality, empowerment, innovation, vision, and values. Cultures are built either on the rock of proven principles or on the shifting sands of short-term expediency. Build a total quality culture and company that will stand the test of time" (p. 47).
Well-intended comments such as, "We need empowered subordinates in this organization", or "Let's get an empowerment program started" are often heard even at the highest levels of management. While statements such as these are well intended, these statements also reflect a misunderstanding of what empowerment in the truest sense and application of really means. The use of force, the idea of empowerment being taught in a program, and the prevailing attitude that someone in a position of authority can empower an employee are simply incongruent with the conscious decision of an individual to act in an empowered manner (Block, 1987).
The members of an organization are the primary resource for achieving success and fulfilling the purpose of the organization. It is through individual employees that the corporate entity attempts to influence its environment and exercise control over its internal resources, processes, and outputs (Childress and Senn, 1995). The degree to which the organization permits its members to exercise individual control is, in part, a function of the philosophical base on which its structure and administration are built.
Success defined
Success is the achievement, accomplishment, or...