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Studies Indicate that Empowered Employees are More Productive

Announcement posted by Integral Development 09 Jun 2014

Creators of bespoke leadership development and executive coaching programs in Perth reveal how to empower employees for high performance.
Perth, WA, 9 June 2014 - Yet another in a growing number of studies indicates that those who feel empowered in the workplace perform better than those who don’t. Psychological Science, which serves as the journal for the Association for Psychological Science, recently published a study from Tel Aviv University, conducted by Yona Kifer.

The study concludes that employees who feel they have power or are in positions of power are 26% more satisfied with their jobs than those who feel powerless. In addition, people in positions of power feel like they are being “more true to themselves” than those who aren’t. On the heels of previous studies that have established a direct relationship between empowerment and metrics such as job satisfaction, performance and productivity, the results are more confirmation that empowerment improves performance.

When Empowerment isn’t Really Empowerment

A US study at the University of Illinois revealed some surprising results, though: typical “empowerment programs” that are management-driven, too rigidly-structured and tied to “continuous improvement” don’t improve performance. The most common feedback concerning this kind of programs is that employees don’t actually feel empowered by them but feel like they are more work being piled on their already-full platters.

The study did find, however, that employees who are given the right to make decisions and implement measures relevant to their positions were consistently able to create ways of improving performance within the parameters of their respective workplaces.

The reasoning behind the finding was that mutual empowerment and trust greatly improve the working relationship between management and their subordinates. Employees who feel empowered are more likely to contribute to the overall benefit and improvement of the company due to their “taking ownership” of their positions and responsibilities.

The Powerless Crave Choices

Another study, this one conducted at London University by M Ena Inesi, concluded that those with less power want more choices and vice-versa. Ms Inesi suggested that employees who don’t have much power, such as entry-level employees, could be made to feel better about their jobs if they are given more choices concerning what duties they would perform.

Empowering Your Workplace

Dr Ron Cacioppe, Managing Director of Integral Development and creator of the best practice Integral Leadership Program, sees the latest studies as confirmation of what he has seen and experienced in years of providing leadership development training and executive coaching programs. According to Dr Cacioppe:

“Empowering every employee and allowing them to fulfil their greatest potential should be the goal of every organisation. The business world is too competitive to waste resources; every employee from entry-level to CEO is a valuable resource. Our coaching and leadership programs focus on developing leaders personally and professionally using applied Integral Theory to help them perform to their highest possible capacity.”

Dr Cacioppe continued, “We have worked with a lot of successful companies and have helped transition struggling organisations into successful ones. In a successful organisation, everyone is provided the opportunity to succeed on their own merit. A big part of this is delegating responsibility and then holding them responsible for their results.”

Dr Cacioppe concluded, “Our goal is to create an Integral workplace where everyone is fully engaged and able to perform to their greatest potential.”

Integral Development offers leadership development programs and executive coaching from their campus in Perth. Their Integral Leadership Program and other offerings are based on Ken Wilber’s Integral Theory. For more information, call 1300 176 789 or visit their website: http://www.integral.org.au/.