rafa
@rafa
Spent the majority of my career trying to explain to my managers why I thought their management programs were wrong and failed. Then read a book and bang, author gets it.
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Spencer Graham 🧢
@spengrah.eth
what do these empowerment programs tend to look like?
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rafa
@rafa
They sound like “I’m here to help you grow” “Let’s find ways to unlock my teams intrinsic motivation” It assumes the leader is the one in control, and who keeps control
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Spencer Graham 🧢
@spengrah.eth
so two types of "empowerment" 1. general: "I'm here to help you grow" 2. specific: "here are the tools/resources/authorities you need to do your job well" (1) feels wrong because that kind of power is not the manager's to give in the first place
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rafa
@rafa
Imho (2) is also wrong because creates dependence on the manager to give tools etc. The whole thing for me is empowerment assumes one person has control and defines the space of movement of the other
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rafa
@rafa
People should not have to seek empowerment or feel the need to give it to begin with. The lens, to me, is skewed. So i think the best organizations step outside of that frame altogether and collaborate as peers with personal drive for expertise and mutual trust building
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Spencer Graham 🧢
@spengrah.eth
I agree with this for resources that are a) publicly available, or b) within the purview of the employee (B is really what (1) is all about) But resources like capital/funding that are owned by the org do need to be given/delegated to the employee.
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kbc
@kbc
Prasad Balkundi and his research partners showed that there is more conflict in the team if a leader is in a gatekeeping position. Reversely if a leader is in a central place, there is less conflict. Balkundi, P., & others(2009). Unlocking the Influence of Leadership Network… https://doi.org/10.1177/1046496409333404
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