Most businesses start out with plans and models designed to be sustainable over the long term. However, these business plans do not necessarily anticipate all setbacks and pitfalls, especially in the face of changing market behavior and global trends. In fact, businesses that do survive and/or thrive in modern markets have to rely on aspects beyond their original business plan. One such example is the people within the organization.
Businesses that adapt, evolve and succeed tend to have one common denominator: team empowerment. This article explores four best practices that workforce managers and business leaders can implement to empower their workforces to inspire more growth and success. Read on to discover more.
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Team Empowerment and How to Nurture It
Why should businesses focus on empowering their workers? The simple answer: the benefits that accrue from empowering employees can contribute to business success in various ways. For example, empowered workers are usually highly motivated to do well, resulting in more output and efficiency. These workers are also less likely to leave the workforce, contributing to the success of an employer’s talent acquisition strategies.
Similarly, workforces that are empowered also tend to have a greater degree of trust in business leadership, helping businesses implement changes without unnecessary pushback. This allows them to adapt to new policies or workflows with greater ease. Another key advantage that accrues from empowerment is a far greater propensity for creativity: employees feel more confident in stepping outside of the box to create innovative solutions.
However, for businesses to capitalize on all of these advantages, they first need to create a culture that empowers teams. The four areas below may merit attention from businesses that wish to create empowered workforces:
Creating a Positive and Inclusive Culture
A toxic workplace culture will almost never allow room for inclusivity and empowerment. The stress and friction can quickly lead to talented workers leaving the workforce. It may even prove counter-productive in terms of hiring talent in the future, as even third-party recruitment services like mortgage recruiters would find it hard to overcome the negative perception in the talent pool.
By contrast, a positive culture that supports inclusivity offers employees a safer space to exercise their innovative ability and independent thought. This, in turn, can empower workforces and increase the propensity of employees to come up with new solutions to business challenges.
Offering Autonomy with Ownership of Work
Employee autonomy is an often-neglected aspect of many workforces. Denying workers autonomy also alienates them from the ownership of their work. In many cases, this can create dissatisfaction as employees begin to perceive their efforts as meaningless and/or undervalued. By comparison, businesses that offer employees greater autonomy and responsibility tend to see a boost in worker motivation levels.
Employees begin to develop a greater sense of ownership and responsibility and are therefore encouraged to maximize their efforts when tackling tasks and challenges.
Encouraging and Facilitating Innovation
Another area that businesses can focus on in terms of empowerment is offering a workplace that encourages and facilitates innovation. Employers that do this demonstrate their commitment to both nurturing and valuing innovation.
Workers that are offered this space have all the freedom and backing to exercise professional creativity, helping businesses discover new solutions and ways to improve performance.
Recognizing and Rewarding Employees Visibly
Businesses may need to revisit their concept of rewarding and recognizing employees in the workplace. Workplace innovation and the results that flow from it must always be recognized (and rewarded) visibly. This not only gives the workers involved in the innovation some much-needed validation to continue working towards these goals; it also offers other members of the workforce a very visible example to which to aspire.
As more proactive workers continue to build up visible recognition, others may be encouraged to leverage the empowerment their employer offers and initiate their own contributions as well. In short, a culture that visibly recognizes and rewards employee success can create a multiplier effect for innovation across the workforce
Takeaway
Empowered workforces are much more than just an addition to an employer’s value proposition. It is a strategic approach to boost productivity, motivation, and innovation across the workforce. And the benefits that accrue contribute to the growth and long-term success of individual workers, teams, and the business collectively, regardless of centralized and decentralized recruitment. Employers that wish to achieve meaningful growth and success would do well, to begin with, the four best practices above.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is team empowerment?
When team members feel they have the authority to make decisions and are also responsible for those decisions.
How do I empower my team?
Clear goals, open communication, and a degree of autonomy in daily activities are some of the ways to empower your team.
How do you empower employees for success?
Empower employees for success by:
- Cultivating a culture of trust, accountability, and responsibility.
- Offering mentorship and encouraging learning
- Delegating
