Empowering Employees

January 5, 2013 Diana D Williams Meat Eaters

Organization Synergist (OS)

The greatest benefit of empowering and enabling employees is the increased productivity that empowered and enabled employees bring to an organization. The more employees are empowered and enabled, the greater is the cumulative and collective value of their empowerment. Empowerment and enablement also create self-respect and satisfy self-actualization needs all people have. When these needs are met, employees are happier and more satisfied. The result of happier employees is increased productivity and profitability to the organization. Learning organizations thrive on empowered and enabled employees because of the rapid environmental changes that require strategic decisions to be made at all organizational levels.

What is an empowered and enabled employee?

Empowered employees are employees who have the resources they need to be successful. Those resources could be the authority to make a necessary decision within the capacity of one’s position. An example would be an employee who works with major vendors of an organization. That employee should have the power and authority to enter binding agreements with those vendors on behalf of the organization, at least to some degree. Enabled employees are those who have the tools, which include information and knowledge that they need to successfully perform their functions within their organization. An example would be providing employees with adequate training for their functions, and up-to-date technologies that enable them to be effective within their task environment. The essence of empowerment is demonstrating to the employee the value you see in them. The rewards are great!

Difficulties that can impede organizational transformation

Leaders can face a variety of difficulties that impede their ability to transform their organization into learning organizations with empowered and enabled employees.

First, they may not have created shared vision. Shared vision is created through clarity, enthusiasm, commitment, and communication. One problem is mistaking compliance with commitment, which are not the same. Shared vision means understanding the needs and desires of the employees, and discovering ways to meet their needs and desires, and then showing them how their desires can complement the organization’s needs and goals. Shared vision also means being honest about problems, and allowing employees to share in the responsibility of solving those problems. Again, it demonstrates value. Leaders must also use what Senge calls creative tension, which is the discrepancy that employees see between what is current and the future vision. This discrepancy causes a certain degree of tension. However, that tension can be the pulling force that energizes them towards the vision (Senge, 1990).

Another major difficulty that leaders can experience is a lack of systems thinking. Real solutions require having the ability to see the interrelatedness of each part. When leaders fail to see the whole picture, they may solve one problem and create a whole new problem in another area, that may not surface until years later. Senge calls this, “compensatory feedback” (Senge, 1990, p.58). Leaders must have the ability to work and transition between several teams at the same time, switching hats with each team. As Marquardt (2011) points out, it’s not just about managing the team; you have to become a trusted part of the team (Marquardt, 2011). This means convincing them that you care about their welfare as well as that of the organization.

Personal mastery can also be a problem. Senge defines personal mastery as, “. . . a process of continually focusing and refocusing on what one truly wants, on one’s vision” (Senge, 1990, p. 149). He points out how many people do not know what they really want, which is the first step in personal mastery. Knowing what one truly wants is the impetus that creates the energy to achieve one’s desires. It involves understanding the distinction between vision and purpose. Purpose alone is not sufficient. Purpose is more of a direction, while vision is the destiny. People must know what it is they really desire. Leaders have to help people discover their own vision, and then help them see how their vision can complement the organization’s vision.

Mental models can also be a major block to organizational transformation. Mental models involve the inner assumptions that people have about the way things are. These powerful assumptions often dictate our actions and behaviors, even though they may be completely contrary to reality. They may be the reason that leaders fail to be open to new ideas and innovations that need to replace old ways and methods of doing things. Mental models can become sacred cows that leaders are unwilling to give up, despite the cost to the organization. They must be uncovered, challenged, and corrected when necessary.

Another difficulty is team learning. Teams have to learn at both the individual and collective levels. Without individual learning, team learning will not occur. Organizational learning happens as a result of team learning. This requires a hands-on approach by skilled leaders who know how to galvanize people and help them to all go in the same direction. This creates synergy and what Senge calls alignment (Senge, 1990). The leader has to function much like a concert conductor who coordinates all the pieces into a work of art (Senge, 1990). This requires involvement at the organizational cellular level.

These are all examples of how transformational leadership must function. A leader has to flow through the different parts of the organization in order to impart what is needed, and to monitor what is actually happening in each element of the organization. This is what enables systems thinking, and understanding how one element is affecting the other. In this way, the leader is able to see the problem areas and deal with them before they create a systemic problem.

Marquardt, M.J. (2011). Building the learning organization. Nicholas Brealey Publishing, Boston, MA.

Senge, P.M. (1990). The fifth discipline the art & practice of the learning organization. Doubleday. New York, NY.

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The Learning Dynamics of Learning Organizations

December 21, 2012 Diana D Williams Tidbits

Diana D Williams, Leadership Specialist

The dynamics of learning organizations center around its core subsystem, learning. To understand the concept of the learning dynamics of a learning organization begins with an understanding of what learning is, especially as distinguished from acquiring of knowledge. Learning is a proactive activity that is planned. It occurs when we decide we want to learn. It is reflective in that it requires us to think about the knowledge we have acquired from experiences, observation, or documentation. The most distinguishing factor about learning is that it is creative. When learning takes place, it enables you to do something you were unable to do prior to the learning; which means that learning is a cyclical process that changes based upon the type of learning that is taking place.

The three subsystems that encircle learning are: learning levels, learning types, and learning skills. In order for genuine organizational learning to take place, and for the organization to become smarter as a result of that learning, each subsystem must be fully operational and functioning (Marquardt, 2011).

Learning must occur at three levels within the learning organization, beginning with the individual level, to the group level, and finally the organizational level. It begins at the individual level because organizations themselves are comprised primarily of individuals who must begin the learning process. At this level of learning, key elements are the individual’s commitment and ability to learn. Commitment takes place at the personal level. Ability to learn involves available opportunities to learn, and personal learning skill and potential.

The second level of learning is group learning, which is extremely important for learning organizations who function and accomplish organizational goals as self-directed teams. The teams are comprised of committed self-directed learners, who now bring their commitment to learning as a group, which includes learning to collaborate what they have learned with others, as well as learning collectively from others in the group. Learning collaboratively and collectively releases creativity as learners reflect off of one another, and increases group effectiveness as suggestions of possible solutions are jointly evaluated. The goals of group learning should be aligned with organizational goals to increase synergy within the team or group (Marquardt, 2011).

Organizational learning occurs through the sharing of experiential learning among employees at all levels, and the strategic application and documentation of the results of those experiences, which become organizational policies, strategies, and procedures. The effectiveness of organizational learning is directly related to the effectiveness of individual and group learning.

The three types of learning are adaptive, anticipatory, and action learning. Adaptive learning begins with an action that produces a result, which is reflected upon. The learner adapts his or her actions in order to produce a more desirable outcome. Anticipatory learning begins with a desired outcome, and moves to reflection on how to accomplish that outcome, and ends with an action. Action learning begins with real and specific problems, which are evaluated based upon the reflection of available knowledge to produce the best solutions, which is implemented and assessed during and after implementation (Marquardt, 2011).

The third major learning dynamic of learning organizations are five specific skills that enhance the learning capacities of individuals and thus the organization as a whole. These skills are: systems thinking, mental models, personal mastery, self-directed learning, and dialogue (Marquardt, 2011).

Systems thinking is a skill that enables individuals to visualize and understand the interconnectedness of phenomena. This value of this skill is to see a clear picture of the problem to be solved, which increases the effectiveness of problem solving. Mental models are the pictures that people have at both the conscious and unconscious levels about elements of life. These pictures are developed from experiences and culture, and are powerful because they affect behavior, even though they may be inaccurate and contrary to reality. Individuals must become aware of the mental models they possess, and be willing to change them when necessary, so that they align with reality. Personal mastery is a personal commitment to continually learn and improve, to benefit self and organization. Self-directed learning is accepting responsibility for our own learning. It doesn’t mean we will not need help, but we acknowledge our responsibility to seek and get the help we need. Dialogue is effective communication. It means listening to learn and understand, as well as learning to express one’s own ideas to assist in the collective learning process which is at the core of organizational learning.

Marquardt, M.J. (2011). Building the learning organization. Nicholas Brealey Publishing. Boston, MA.

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