Seven characteristics of empowered employees
Image courtesy of Mimi Thian on Unsplash
At its very best, a strong employee economy is the dynamic engine room of organisational productivity. It defines an organisation’s success ‘supply chain’, with respect to the habits, behaviours and routines that drive business effectiveness. That said, a strong employee economy doesn’t just materialise out of thin air. On the contrary, it is derived from the commitment to nurture, culture and empower employees. There is a simple value chain here which is based on the premise that when employers empower their employees, they also empower themselves.
It all sounds perfectly simple, doesn’t it? Yet despite this apparent simplicity, many organisations miss the point and in the name of ‘grip and control’ aggregate power at the most senior levels resulting in organisational inertia, delayed decision-making and failure demand. In truth, the common notion of ‘organisational grip’ is a complete misnomer and better serves as a euphemism for leadership and management insecurity. The fact is that the most successful organisations are able to maintain ‘grip and control’ by trusting their employees and supplying them with the professional and social tools needed to do their jobs.
There are many characteristics of empowered employees, but these are not the ones that I will be dealing with in this blog. Instead, presented below are the seven uncommon characteristics of employee empowerment.
1. The ‘accountability continuum’
The broad principle of the ‘accountability continuum’ is best exemplified in organisations such as the military, where there is a need to ensure succession in the event that leaders are incapacitated on the battlefield. The very essence of a continuum is to ensure that once it becomes clear that the leader is unavailable to make decisions, the next tier of leadership steps up to command. This is much more than the traditional construct of delegated decision-making, where employees act under the explicit authority of their superiors. The uncommon characteristic of the ‘accountability continuum’ is that it is not derived from written or verbal authority, but rather it is implied. As such, it is woven into the cultural fabric and contours of an organisation, not as requested practice, but as expected practice. The application of the ’accountability continuum’ is the best way to ensure the survivability of an organisation.
2. Tactical discretion
People who watch sport and particularly their favourite baseball, soccer, or basketball team will understand the concept of tactical discretion. In team sport, the coach is responsible for planning in-game strategy and overseeing in-game management. However, with tactical discretion some employees, often due to their experience or knowledge, are encouraged to act autonomously, outside the established frame of authority. Such employees are trusted to take it upon themselves to make critical decisions, based on their reading of situational dynamics and weighing-up of live risks. In doing so, these employees assume de facto authority in the decision-making hierarchy, above their own line managers. Michael Jordan, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo from the worlds of basketball and soccer respectively, are model examples of this type of empowered employee.
3. A quadrangular perspective
Few would doubt that a good employee is one who understands their role and performs it to the highest level required. However, one of the uncommon characteristics of empowered employees is the extent to which they also understand not just their own role, but also the roles and responsibilities of their superiors, peers and subordinates. This quadrangular perspective, where employees are encouraged to develop greater contextual appreciation of their surroundings, is predicated on the assumption that it is impossible to understand one’s performance without a commensurate understanding of how it impacts on the performance of others. Empowered employees are therefore those that are spatially ‘plugged-in’ to their organisational circuitry.
4. Dynamic boundaries
Truly empowered employees are given the opportunities to redefine their roles and perform beyond expectations. This is because their employers do not place restraint on their competence and capability and therefore define their operational space as dynamic. The working assumption is that, when employees are encouraged to operate within dynamic boundaries, there is no ceiling. Instead, latent potential is given every incentive to flourish, effort to improve is affirmed and achievement is actively rewarded. Organisations that create dynamic boundaries for their employees are better able to gain a deeper understanding of the headroom of each employee as well as the specific areas within which each employee might excel. This in turn helps ensure that organisational capability and talent can be deployed to best effect.
5. Wavelength and frequency
Whether we believe it or not, empowerment is its own language. Not only that but empowered employees communicate on a separate frequency and wavelength to those who are disempowered. The words ‘frequency’ and ‘wavelength’ are chosen purposefully because they represent something of the complex language of empowerment. At its most ‘fluent’, it is spoken in a way that defies logic and is unconventional by default. Empowered employees don’t just say the right thing, they also know the right thing to say, when to say it and who to say it to. They operate in their own unique ecosystem of potential and practicalities. They see possibility where others predominately perceive risk.
6. Processing power
Employees who are empowered have an entirely different approach to processing their experience than employees who are not. In the mind of the empowered employee, a mountain is perceived as an invitation to conquer, whilst inconvenience is seen as something to be embraced. The significance of ‘processing power’ therefore is that it informs stance, posture and bearing. Why is this important? It is important because stance, posture and bearing affect an employee’s appetite for risk and the appetite for risk affects an employee’s willingness to embrace change. The net effect is that empowered employees are not just more amenable to disruptive change, but are just as likely to be the primary catalyst for it.
7. Kingmakers and queenmakers
A truly mature organisation is one where employees are empowered to choose. However, ‘choice’ is a graduated menu of opportunities and access from one polar, all the way to other. At one end of the spectrum, it represents the freedom to lead oneself, whilst at the other end, it is the right to choose those who succeed us as well as those who lead us. When an organisation designates its employees as ‘kingmakers’ and ‘queenmakers’, they do not just devolve power, they also transact trust. Such organisations are highly intelligent and reflective, which in turn enables them to be flexible and adaptive. In the context of decision-making the dominant shape taken by these organisations is ‘circular’ rather than ‘triangular’. As such, 360-degree feedback and learning are actively sought and highly prized.
In conclusion, the above list is by no means an exhaustive list of uncommon characteristics of empowered employee, but neither is it meant to be. Instead, it provides a useful baseline and context for organisations looking to pattern spot, triangulate and temperature check their workforce relative to where they want or expect to be. Fundamentally, the points raised in this blog also serve to highlight the fact that empowerment is ‘nutritious’ and therefore essential to organisational health and wellbeing. Employees are the most valuable capital assets of any organisation and to realise the full potential, employers must actively invest in their capabilities.
