Foreword
Since humans inhabit the planet, there have been leaders since then. The first leaders were undoubtedly those who organized hunts and other expeditions looking for food. Others we can see in the pages of history: Moses, Jesus, Confucius, Marco Polo, Joan of Arc, Winston Churchill and George Washington, are some of the best known and those who have been in charge of shaping history. However, the importance given to the study of leaders is only 100 to 150 years ago. Previously, leadership was only related to political and religious contexts, and it was not until the Industrial Revolution that leadership was related to the industrial sphere. But now at the height of the 21st century, industrial leadership has become a crossroads.Although each era brings different economic, political and geopolitical approaches, the one that is happening now is unique.
Five forces are altering the traditional model of industrial leadership and the companies that are applying it have achieved great success, these five forces are:
- Employee empowerment. It is that decision making has been lowered to lower levels of the corporation. The hierarchical system that was previously used in decision-making has given rise to a system in which employees are responsible for their own actions, and leadership comes from work teams and not just from one person, as was the case previously. Corporation restructuring. Although organizations rarely have to experiment with such a radical change in organizations, lowering the level of decision-making is a bigger issue, because it requires a change in the culture of the company, they require deep preparation. the people involved in the organization. The information explosion. Thanks to computers, the generation of information is unlimited, and with the help of cell phones and faxes, communications are faster and faster. And if all this is well organized, it can be a very important tool for the growth of organizations. Globalization. For the 21st century, corporate leaders will have to act globally, not only to take advantage of new market opportunities, but to face new market deals, because if they do not, they will become part of history. The step to change. Corporate leaders have always had to confront change. The rapid acceleration of information, globalization, and other trends require executives to plan for and gain acceptance of new initiatives.
Today more than ever, they need persuasion and teaching techniques to adapt to the rapid changes that today's world demands. As a result of these five forces, the 21st century industry will be recognized by a different brand of leadership. In this new era, leadership is changing. For leaders to be successful they will have to be less arbitrary, more involved in what is happening on the Shop Floor, more open to employees and more action oriented than in the past.
The role of a modern leader is to create a decision-making system and focus on guiding it… and the vision must come from the people. The most difficult task for leaders with Empowerment is creating open teams. The basic unit of an organization with Empowerment is not the individual who achieves results, but a coordinated group of people. The new leader must learn to step back and create a work environment that allows individuals to learn, grow, develop, contribute, and achieve excellence.
Introduction
Increasing competition combined with high consumer demand and demands for quality, flexibility, speed, functionality and low costs have put not only organizations in revolution but the people involved in them.
Trends, techniques and new philosophies point to a future in which the skills of companies must respond quickly and decisively to changes, since their permanence in the current context will depend on it.
To contribute to this, a number of techniques, tools, strategies and philosophies have been developed to improve organizational performance, such as JIT (Just in Time), TQC (Total Quality Control), MRP (Management Requirement Production), and Circles Quality, Self-Directed Groups, TPM (Total Production Management), which are sometimes implemented and are part of the organization while others only use it while they are in fashion.
Another important point to note is that organizations are growing greatly in size and services to satisfy the customer and in turn must be kept as if it were small, flexible, alert to needs and interactive in every way. The above suggests another type of administration: EMPOWERMENT.
1. Introduction to Empowerment
But why EMPOWERMENT? Well it's easy, Empowerment is a whole concept, a philosophy, a new way of managing the company that integrates all the resources, capital, manufacturing, production, sales, marketing, technology, equipment, and its people, etc., using communication effectively and efficiently to achieve the objectives of the organization. However, to accept the above, it is necessary to go deeper into this concept to understand what it consists of and what its scope is.
Below we will present some definitions of Empowerment that will help us broaden our panorama on this concept:
Empowerment is where the optimal benefits of information technology are achieved. Members, work teams, and the organization will have full access to and use of critical information, possess the technology, skills, responsibility, and authority to use the information and conduct the organization's business. ”
It is not just delegating power and authority to "subordinates" and giving them the feeling that they own their own work; It is also a tool used both in total quality and in reengineering, which provides elements to strengthen the processes that lead companies to their proper development.
It is considered as the movement that seeks to empower people via training; take the decision to the people at the front.
It becomes the strategic tool that strengthens what leadership does, that gives meaning to teamwork and that allows total quality to stop being a motivational philosophy and become a radically functional system.
Thanks to this tool, the old hierarchy is replaced by self-directed teams, where information is shared with everyone. Employees have the opportunity and the responsibility to do their best.
The above asks for an understanding at all levels about the meaning of Empowerment and how to obtain it. It is a system of values and beliefs, it is not a program with a beginning and an end. All levels of the company understand how this "empowerment" can satisfy all their own and personal needs, and the actions necessary to obtain them. This requires the willingness and commitment of Senior Management towards this culture of human development.
In the same way, it is required to have a Vision that indicates the direction of the company and how decision-making helps us achieve it; Values which act as guides to carry out decision making.
In addition, there needs to be a clear understanding of the responsibilities of the position and the methods by which success will be measured, such as having continuous feedback on their performance, suggestions for improvement, among others.
The positions must be designed so that the collaborator has a sense of possession and responsibility, for this he must make a person / position evaluation.
Communication systems also play a very important role, they must be effective. People must and want to be aware of what happens in the company: plans, failures and successes. When people understand the direction of the business, they are more likely to endorse the company's actions.
Reward and recognition systems that build pride and self-esteem are of utmost importance. People with Empowerment have an intrinsic sense of pride in their accomplishments and contributions to the company. Recognition programs, both psychological and concrete, can increase these feelings.
Compensation and other reward systems have to be in accordance with the company's Empowerment values. Frequently, these systems must be more team-oriented, in their recognition of job performance and specific accomplishments.
Selection and promotion systems that allow the identification of quality workers and leaders at all levels (change agents). Obviously, some people will be more interested in having Empowerment than others.
Locating people with the appropriate motivation and skills in an "energized" environment increases the likelihood that the benefits of energizing will be achieved in a more time and cost effective manner.
Furthermore, a company's selection and promotion options mean that it has an Empowerment atmosphere. The following points are also important to consider:
Career and development plans. Information systems, travel reimbursement policies, procedures for succession planning, discipline, personnel rules, tuition reimbursement rules, quality circles, suggestion box, etc. All of these systems can instill in people a sense of power, or make them feel as if they have no power. These systems must be continually reviewed and adjusted.
A development of leadership skills. Leaders have a great impact on the degree of Empowerment that their people feel. This is a consequence of the tasks they delegate, the control they exercise, the initiative they foster, and the feedback and reinforcement they provide. Leaders who have Empowerment not only empower their people, but also develop their confidence. By training for success and helping employees feel ownership of their ideas, leaders ensure the dedication and commitment of those to their work. Increasing leadership skills is an ongoing process as staff and teams progress toward a greater Empowerment environment. Leadership training is essential. People in such positions should not be expected to know how to do it,help them develop their skills.
A development of technical and job skills. Collaborators take on additional tasks and have frequent rotation of tasks. They must understand how they should perform each task, not only from their own work, but from everything that IMPACTS their team. Technical and job training prepares people for these new responsibilities. There is nothing more energetic for the staff than to provide them with the training skills to do their job well.
A development of techniques to solve problems and training in interpersonal skills. People with Empowerment, either individually or in teams, interact more frequently with their coworkers, suppliers, customers, management. People are expected to identify problems, opportunities, and take necessary action. Empowerment staff must be able to direct others and resolve their own conflicts without having to appeal to higher authority. Skills training is generally needed as collaborators and teams take on greater responsibilities.
A development of skills for customer service. Companies with Empowerment focus on customer service skills, because their front-line staff represents the company to the customer. A company that has Empowerment provides the training that front-line service personnel need to meet and exceed their customers' expectations.
Technical support areas. Trainings are held for support groups to the Empowerment system. Like leaders, staff from support groups (engineering, accounting, training) should be considered. This can help front-line people develop a sense of responsibility and position ownership. Ongoing management training and support is required to help them take on new roles. Support staff who effectively carry out the activities of training, reinforcing and offering help without removing responsibility, develop the confidence and skills of the collaborators. People with Empowerment gradually take on more of the responsibilities of support groups. Finally, an effective support group progresses from the level of individuals doing the work,at the coach level.
Work teams. Increasingly, companies empower by fostering teamwork training (quality cross-functional teams, customer-focused focus groups, and integrated product development teams). A special work team: the self-directed team, organizes people in such a way that they are responsible for a certain performance or area. The team takes on many of the responsibilities previously assumed by supervisors, such as self-directed work assignment, which is an excellent way to energize people whose current positions are limited in scope.
2. Organizations today
Organizations today struggle to implement a process of reengineering, strategic management, and other philosophies in their business. Successful implementation depends largely on the learning curve and its resistance to change.
Still, somehow, traditional training courses are used for a few weeks that would only be part of a curriculum and not the daily performance of the organization. Organizations need to recognize the need for flexible tools that can be implemented quickly and show results in the shortest time possible.
Typical Attempts at Change
They have probably attended seminars, diplomas as well as other courses, and read many books and manuals. The bombastic words of the consultant are wonderful. They make complete sense.
Consultants are employed in the organization. These come organize, organize and leave. They are good at their job and really worked hard, bringing valuable insights from the market with them and doing their best to teach them in the organization. Sometimes it is impossible for a consultant to change the administrative habits of an organization so when the consultant left the program fell apart.
The change did not occur, the change was not implemented. The classic model of change in an organization is as follows: it starts in a static state to move to a chaotic state, then it returns to a static state.
The problem with this paradigm is that by the time the organization convinces itself to take a step toward change, the opportunity to access that change passes. Furthermore, change cycles are now so frequent that the desired model cannot be fully implemented, it has to be adapted. Below we present a graph of factors that suffer a clear effect from the intervention of change:
3. Alarm Points in the Detection of Inefficiencies
Anyone outside the company can easily detect the points where the company is being inefficient. The problem is that the people who work within it do not even notice the things that are going wrong, or if they notice it, they pretend that nothing has happened. Some of the bad aspects of a company, in terms of its development, may be the following:
- Hardly anyone gets excited about things related to work. The things that do get them excited are outside of work. People only care about their paychecks, vacations, and pensions. One other thing, forget it! The general attitude is: don't do something you don't have to do. Then do as little as possible. All day long everyone seems to be moving in slow motion… until it's time to go home: then it's like watching a tape at high speed. There is talk of doing a better job, what's going on? Lots of glances No one takes more responsibility than necessary. If the job doesn't work, it's my problem, not theirs. They all do just enough not to be yelled at or fired. No one cares about improvements; Everyone is afraid of change. If they say, "If they don't feel like it, they'll be out of a job," but that only demoralizes them and things get worse.When it comes to motivating people, the results, if any, are short-lived.
Many companies to try to improve these situations have tried many methods, such as the ones we will quote:
- Motivational Talks Quality Circles Higher Wages Quality of Life at Work Flat Organization Job Teams Suggestion Systems More Training Better Communications Closer Relationships Job Safety and Many Other Programs.
But with all this, the only thing that has happened is pure uncertain results, of short duration, discouraging, counterproductive, confusing or insignificant.
- In this type of company, the following surely happens, in relation to the people and the work they perform: The work belongs to the company, not the person. You are doing only what is asked of you. The job does not really matter. You do not know how well you are doing. You always have to keep your mouth shut. Work is somewhat different from what you are. You have little or no control over your work.
What is required is a motivating force that energizes people, a guide to action, this is known as ZAPP. With it, people are responsible for their work, it belongs to them, they know where they are located, they can give their opinion about things, and they have some control over their work.
For people to feel Zappeadas it is necessary to be trusted, to have responsibilities, to be recognized for their ideas, when they are listened to, when problems are solved as a team, when controls are flexible, when they are praised, when working as a team, when they are given knowledge, when they have sufficient and necessary resources to carry out their work, and when communications are up and down.
The first three steps of the Zapp are:
- Maintain Self-EsteemListen and Respond with EmpathyAsk for Help Solving Problems
The Zapp consists of delegating authority, giving responsibility to its employees. Sharing responsibility with people does not mean giving up responsibility. The person who delegates authority, has yet to know what is happening, must continue to direct the direction of the department, must make decisions that they cannot, offer guidance, assess performance, ensure that people are on the right track and, be a smart administrator.
In order to channel action, the key result areas must be clearly established, that is, the direction we want to take; how we are going to do the measurement, which is a way of knowing that we are moving in the right direction, and finally, setting what is our goal, which is an indicator that we are already there.
Constant feedback is needed on performance related to goals that keep the Zapp high. If possible, people should manage their own feedback system, and the metrics and goals should be shifted to people in new directions, once the old ones have been achieved.
But in addition to all that we have cited, nothing could be achieved if people do not have the necessary skills or qualities to do things as they should be. It is necessary that they receive some training where the following points are explained:
- Purpose and importance of what you are trying to teach Process to be used Show him how it is done Observe as the person practices the process Give immediate and specific feedback Express confidence in the person's ability to succeed Agree on follow-up actions
Who will determine this degree of motivation of people, in order of importance are:
- The person's immediate boss (group leader) Other people who affect the person's work (suppliers, services, support). Higher management The organization and its systems.
The most important influence comes from the supervisor or manager to whom the person reports directly.
4. How to Integrate People towards Empowerment
Until now, the attributes of the Empowerment have been described, but obviously it is necessary to point out the way in which companies can manage to develop it. At this time it is appropriate to remember the premise that says: "People do what you expect them to do." Which is a double-edged sword.
If you don't expect anything from them, obviously, people won't do anything. Generally, if you do not expect anything from something, you do not fight for that something. But if you expect everything, then you will do many things for people to give you the expected results.
This also means that you must work actively. How many times do we find managers who complain bitterly about their people, but do nothing for them? People are intelligent, perceptive, and also generate high expectations.
To integrate it into the Empowerment there are three important elements to strengthen:
- The first concerns relationships. These relationships that you keep with your people must have two fundamental attributes: they must be effective, in order to achieve the objectives proposed at work; and solid, that is, that they remain in time and do not depend on a volatile state of mind. The second emphasizes discipline. Empowerment does not mean relaxing discipline and allowing paternalism to invade the company. In this sense, it is necessary to promote: order, so that people can work in a structured and organized system, which allows them to carry out their activities properly; the definition of roles, is to perfectly determine the scope of people's roles, their responsibilities, their roles. This allows staff to always know where they are standing. The third point is commitment,which must be consistent and determined at all levels, but promoted by leaders and agents of change. This includes: loyalty, being loyal to our own people, so that they are loyal to us; persistence, persevere in the objectives, in the relationships at work, so that our people live it and do it the way we transmit it to them; and finally the energy of action, which is the force that stimulates and excites and makes people vital leaders.and finally the energy of action, which is the force that stimulates and excites and makes people vital leaders.and finally the energy of action, which is the force that stimulates and excites and makes people vital leaders.
5. Basis of Empowerment Implementation
To implement the Empowerment system in a company it is necessary for there to be a change in the work culture, and for this it is necessary to learn to work as a team. Cynthia D. Scott and Dennis T. Jaffe propose to us in their book «Empowerment: How to Give Power and Authority to Your Work Team, measures to create a work team.
a) Creation of the Work Team
The teamwork approach is not new. Quality circles, for example, have long existed as a sample of this methodology. However, they do not take this as a philosophy and it is a philosophy in action that must become, that permeates the work culture and not an unusual or unusual resource.
By channeling energies to a common goal, you get things done that can't be done individually, and this is called synergism.
Synergism implies that the simultaneous actions of separate entities that together have a total effect greater than the sum of their individual effects. And this truly exists when all areas of the business are directed towards the same goal. This is undoubtedly the challenge that administrators are addressing today.
It is very important for managers to consider the energy that workers have so that they can channel them on the best path. Of the four types of energy that exist, physical, mental, emotional and spirit, it is this last one that you should focus on the most, because it is the one that allows people to encourage each other. However this does not mean that the others should be neglected.
The challenge of creating a team of high efficiency or performance and not a group of individuals that perform a lot involves two aspects: starting to think as higher-level agents without ever forgetting what it is like to be at the lowest levels, and starting to think more about team driving management terms.
An investigation conducted by Wilson identified eight attributes normally present in high-efficiency equipment:
- Participatory leadership: create interdependence by giving strength, liberating and serving others. Shared responsibility: establishes an environment in which all team members feel as responsible as the manager for the efficiency of the work unit. Community of purpose: there is a common sense of purpose as to why the team exists and its function. Good communication: creates a climate of trust and open and frank communication. He looks to the future: to see change as a unit of growth Focus on the task: meetings are focused on results Creative talents: individual talents and creativity are at the service of work Quick response: in identifying and taking advantage of opportunities.
Establishing a high-efficiency team involves a development process and on their way to achieving it they go through three stages:
- Phase 1. Recruitment of individuals. In this phase, teams tend to focus on the individual, to have individual rather than group objectives, not to share responsibilities, to avoid changes and not to face conflict. Phase 2. Groups. Members develop a group identity, define their roles, clarify their purpose, and set standards for working together. Phase 3. Team. Teams focus on purpose, members not only understand it but are committed to it and use it to guide actions and decisions.
Not all teams go through these phases in the same way, some differ in the time it takes to go from one phase to the next, and others change certain characteristics of each phase.
The manager's role in this regard is to identify those attributes that are helping his team to be more efficient and those that prevent it.
In a highly efficient team, the manager is one of its members, who participates with the rest of the employees. This does not imply that the work unit works like a democracy or that the manager is not responsible for what happens. Instead it indicates that better results will be obtained by leading and not leading in the traditional sense of the word.
An important mandate for managers is to help employees grow and they are considered the most positively influential.
There are three stages of employee growth. In the first, he is considered dependent, they seek, observe and need direction. The manager's role is to say: give specific directions; set small goals; and provide information on both positive and negative results.
The second stage is when the employee masters his task, he no longer depends on the manager in what they do, but they need him to influence their use of energy and the expected level of performance. The manager's role at this stage is to assign greater responsibility, more freedom, ask for more power and suggestions, jointly set goals, and make information about the results flow in two directions.
Many managers when they reach this stage believe that they have finished, however creating a highly efficient team requires one more step, a third stage, to make people interdependent. And the role of the manager becomes that of a collaborator, where he must help and advise his employees, request that they inform him of results, establish parameters, receive contributions regarding the way to carry out immediate tasks and give more responsibility.
Leadership is essential to get employees through the independent stage and into the interdependent wing, and to do this, managers need to rethink the traditional way of managing.
To create and lead a highly efficient team, the participatory leadership approach works best, with two-way communication and influence-based management to ensure commitment.
Effective leaders tend to empower, liberate, and serve their people. The idea of authorizing aims to distribute responsibilities, to convey the importance of each team member and to allow each participant to be an equal member of the team.
Liberation involves the use of talents, ideas, perceptions and capacities, both creative and problem-solving that people have. Serving involves placing yourself in the role of contributing to the growth of others.
Team members must work in harmony, help each other, recognize and complement each other's strengths and weaknesses, and share the conviction that they are mutually responsible.
One of the most important ways to promote shared responsibility is to exchange information and establish a climate that fosters it. Another way to encourage accountability is to give rewards when it occurs; and another is to promote shared responsibility, which consists of informing everyone about the group's overall task and how each part fits into the whole.
Teams with a high degree of shared responsibility have primary areas of responsibility, but members also take on other roles. They can help each other acquire new techniques, and members benefit from both group and individual accomplishments.
A key requirement of a super efficient team is that all members share the same purpose. The purpose is a consciously chosen and clearly articulated orientation that uses the talents and abilities of your team, contributes to the organization and leads team members towards a sense of fulfillment.
The purpose has four main functions:
- It provides a context for decision making, a stable reference point from which objectives are established and planned. It provides a meter that makes it possible to measure the progress of the team in relation to external criteria. It provides a focus for collaboration and shared responsibility Motivator for excellence and high efficiency.
A team that plays not to lose and not to win often loses stimulus, and the opponent, focused on winning, uses their positive energy to reverse the game.
Communication is critical to performance. The more frequent employee communication is, the more likely they are to be efficient. For this reason, the manager should encourage participation and communication.
Trust is a prerequisite to good communication. The biggest problem with lack of trust is that people stop communicating. If communication slows down, various negative consequences can ensue, such as confusion, tension, reduced productivity, resentment, frustration, and the inability of employees to do the job.
So far we have seen some ways to stimulate the release of more energy in a team. However, making some changes to improve efficiency does not mean that your section members are with you.
To handle a stuck situation, you need to understand how groups learn to behave.
Past experiences and present beliefs can negatively affect the readiness of group members to change, slowing the flow of productive energy in the work unit. And to get out of this, you have to recognize yourself to be able to stop it, describe the situation to the group, and create a challenge.
In teams it is important that there are rules. Norms, like habits, have several positive aspects. They let people know what to expect, help maintain order, eliminate the need to rethink every action, and give a sense of security.
On the other hand, they also represent disadvantages: they are resistant to change, they can hinder the way to maximum efficiency, and they can be accepted without thought.
Groups need meetings and are often considered a waste of time. The way you behave when you meet is an important factor in creating a super efficient team.
Most well-run meetings have a clear purpose, everyone participates, although no one has the right to go on a tangent, and they do not last longer than necessary… but unfortunately in most cases the prevailing mentality maintains that the meeting is from the leader. To keep an eye on tasks, it is important that team members also feel responsible for what happens in meetings. This can be accomplished through:
- Making sure the team knows the purpose of the meeting, knows how the event will be achieved and what it means for the team Create an environment in which people want to participate Effectively reduce team members when they leave his homeworks. Set positive expectations for team members' behavior. Another aspect to consider is creativity is a very important factor in teams. Many times it happens to us that we are cycled with an idea and this is called functional fixation and a good way to get out of it is to think about what you cannot do. Creativity is the process of breaking old connections and establishing new connections that are usefulness.Taking advantage of opportunities in time is very important to be successful, that is,high-efficiency teams are opportunistic.
There is a system that can be used not only to solve existing problems, but also to identify future opportunities and it is called the process of discovering future opportunities and it consists of seven steps:
- State the desired result Search the data Identify characteristics "Compare" characteristics Evaluate current efficiency Graph opportunities Create an action plan.
In conclusion, what makes a highly effective team different is its participative leadership, its shared responsibility, being united with a purpose, excellent communication, it looks at the future, it looks at the task, its creative talents and of course its response. quick in the face of opportunities.
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