The Empowerment Theory has its origin in the great changes that start from the new forms of work that are oriented towards customer and worker satisfaction as the engine of change within companies, as well as in the proposals made by Deming and They swear in Japan that they are based on quality, a book that contributes towards raising awareness of staff and their capabilities is Peters and Wateman's "In Search of Excellence", it is at this time that terms such as emotional energy, feelings are introduced and personal values within companies that coincide with the expansion of so-called emotional intelligence.
It is in 1988 when as a complement to organizational change that takes the essence of other techniques and is promoted mainly by experts Kenneth Blanchard and Paul Hersey, where the new management modality called Empowerment, OR selt - direct, teams, arises, although they already existed various forms of teamwork such as quality circles, development groups, etc., which, when perfected, give rise to self-directed teams with more or less autonomy, these lead to a cultural change that modifies values and beliefs, reconsidering the staff at involve him and give him a greater commitment by forming coordinated teams that work according to the same objectives.
Another significant change is the replacement of the traditional structure, which is generally pyramid-shaped and delimits the functions, clearly marking them with control and supervision, to ensure that the work is carried out consistently, by a circle-shaped structure. or network where you work in a coordinated way, the participants are based on a clear and perfectly understood objective.
Currently, "human capital" gives a new perspective to the organization, it is understood that this is where the strength of organizations comes from, so one of the fundamental challenges is to integrate a good team that complements and strengthen by combining the different capacities and skills of its members, which is why it is said that the management of companies is increasingly “humanizing”.
Management by competences is increasing its impact, under this approach there is a global direction, where it is necessary to know the competencies of each job and those that are within the staff, seeking that each person contributes the best of their personal qualities and professionals, integrating work teams that complement each other.
By being able to integrate work teams with Empowerment, leadership is shared, there is an effective collaboration in the improvement of processes and decisions are made in a more accurate and effective way to achieve the planned objectives.
Introduction.
Empowerment means empowerment or empowerment, is the fact of delegating power and authority to subordinates and giving them the feeling that they own their own work (Yohann Johnson), that they have a real influence on quality, service and efficiency standards within its areas of responsibility and that those who are directly related to a task are the most indicated to make a decision in this regard, on the understanding that they possess the attitudes required for them. (According to Haq (1995) "The human development paradigm is currently the most holistic model. It contains all aspects of development, including economic growth, social investment, empowerment of people, satisfaction of basic needs, social security and political and cultural liberties, among other aspects ”.
It is a tool of total quality that in continuous improvement and reengineering models, as well as in expanded companies, provides elements to strengthen the processes that lead companies to their development.
This type of tool strengthens leadership, gives meaning to teamwork and allows total quality to stop being a motivational philosophy, from the human perspective, and become a radically functional system.
To implement this system, there needs to be a change in the work culture, learning to work as a team, channeling of energies for a common goal, things that cannot be done individually are achieved, this is done called synergy.
Synergy occurs when all areas of the business are directed towards the same objective, which implies that the simultaneous actions of separate entities, as a whole, have a total effect greater than the sum of their individual effects.
The participation of workers in continuous improvement processes allows success to be achieved, since it empowers staff to make decisions aimed at providing solutions to problems; it generates a sense of belonging in the workers and develops the spirit of company-worker collaboration.
A highly effective team will be different because of its participative leadership, its shared responsibility, being united with a purpose, that there is excellent communication focused on tasks, adding creative talents and responding quickly to opportunities.
Empowerment is an excellent strategy, but by itself it is not enough to achieve a positive effect in the company, it involves a great effort on the part of all the people who are part, it is a new organizational life, which in addition to requiring efforts and sacrifices, it is also a better environment for its members, greater efficiency, quality and a better standard of living in all aspects for the organization.
Development
Empowerment is based on four main aspects: power, motivation, development and leadership.
Motivation is the force that inspires people to fulfill their tasks. If the worker feels good about the work they do, they see that their efforts are rewarded and they know that their projects can materialize; He will give his best, because he feels and assumes that responsibility, since, he enjoys what he does, what the Empowerment seeks is to motivate the workers so that they are competent, satisfied, and professionally and personally accomplished.
Development is immersed in the implementation process of the Empowerment, in order to cede power, it is necessary to develop the human talent that constitutes the main heritage of organizations and what makes it different in competition, so companies must have expert personnel, agile, enterprising and capable of taking on new challenges. Development is a way of adding value to people, enriching them and enabling them to be more productive.
Leadership goes beyond restructuring the organization, it is putting empowered people in the right position, power is shared with everyone, it is lowered at all levels creating new leaders and giving rise to teamwork, the boss is service of the workers achieving the contribution of all. In this way, leadership along with responsibility is spread throughout the organization, which translates into a more participatory, more innovative and more humane culture.
Authentic Empowerment implies responsibility for the results, power to make decisions, material resources to carry out the activities, information and necessary knowledge, and professional competence of the empowered individual. If one of these elements is missing, no individual can be seized.
It involves a review of the existing culture in the organization and of the physical and organizational structures to change what is not correct, the results of the Empowerment are not given in the short term, since firm objectives are needed, change of mentality, training, training and above all acceptance of the changes by all members of the company.
To integrate people towards Empowerment it is necessary to strengthen the following elements:
The relationships. These must have two fundamental attributes: they must be effective in achieving the proposed objectives at work and solid, that they remain over time and do not depend on a volatile state of mind.
The discipline. 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; defining roles, perfectly determining the scope of people's roles, their responsibilities, their roles. It will let staff always know where you are standing.
The compromise. It must be consistent and determined at all levels, promoted by leaders and agents of change. It includes: loyalty, being loyal to our own people, so that they are loyal to us; persistence, persevere in goals, in 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.
Empowerment, like the rest of all other tools and techniques, must be based on or based on principles. In this regard Johnson (2005) raises the following principles:
- Assign responsibilities for the various tasks to be carried out Assign authority and responsibility for their activities Define standards of excellence Provide the necessary training to achieve quality standards Provide information and knowledge Provide timely feedback on performance Achievements achieved. Fully trust the employees. Leave spaces for the process. Collaborate with dignity and respect.
To carry out this process, some of the following requirements are needed:
- Personal satisfaction: It is important that the work is satisfactory and relevant, it must be an appropriate way to reflect values, develop knowledge and skills, and assume responsibilities. Responsibility: Subordinates must feel responsible for the functions they perform. They must get used to assuming responsibilities, making decisions and considering the manager as a support point. Coaching: Leaders guide, support and teach with the aim of continuous improvement in performance and development. Self-esteem: The worker will be able to try new things emphasizing his desire to learn. The superior will promote this self-esteem by listening and understanding her employees. Participation:A continuous communication and information display will be implemented between bosses and employees. Control: The control will be graduated and adapted according to the person's personality. Measurement: Each individual will have the capacity to know their performance and the probable ways of improvement. Scope of control: A large number of workers per manager and the hierarchical pyramid will be made smaller by developing the self-leadership of each subordinate. Teamwork: Self-managed teams will be created where what matters most are each of the members and the decisions they make as a group unanimously. Interdependence:They must keep from interpersonal relationships and the management of conflict situations, which must be everyone's daily work, without necessarily resorting to managers. Technical training: Technical and human training for subordinates, as well as management and supervision techniques for command positions. Business sense throughout the organization: The perception of customers of a company begins to increase due to the treatment they receive from every person related to it. Information technology: The media enable decision-making, making it possible to have more dynamic and modern companies, ready to take on changes and new trends in a hurry.
Among the attributes that must be developed in the company in order to implement the Empowerment, it is necessary that the positions are designed so that the employee has a sense of possession and responsibility with the following characteristics:
- Responsibility and authority Diversity Challenge Significant performance Power to make decisions Changes in work assignments Attention to a project until it is completed.
In addition, the position must determine the responsibility that the job implies and there must be indicators that allow us to know if it is fulfilling what is expected of people in each position. Only the possibility of self-elevation allows access to continuous improvement.
For the creation of high-efficiency teams, there are several stages in order to achieve their development:
- Recruitment of individuals. When teams tend to focus on the person, to have individual goals, not to share responsibilities, to avoid changes and not to face conflict. Groups. When members develop a group identity, they define their roles, clarify their purpose, and establish norms for working together. When teams focus on purpose, members not only understand it but are committed to it and use it to guide actions and decisions.
A competency-based system
Competences are the underlying characteristics of the person, which are related to a correct performance in their job and can be based on motivation, character traits, self-concept, attitudes or values, in a variety of cognitive or behavioral knowledge or abilities. In short, it is any individual characteristic that can be measured reliably and whose relationship with performance in the workplace is demonstrable.
All people have attributes and knowledge that can be acquired or innate and that will be decisive in determining their competencies for a certain activity, those characteristics that are most effective according to the tasks they carry out in the organization must be identified, since they have a decisive influence on the development of their job and therefore on the operation of the company.
Objectives of a competence system
The main objective of the competency management approach is to implement a new management style in the company to manage human resources comprehensively, in a more effective way in the organization, the following objectives can be achieved:
- The improvement and simplification of integrated human resource management. The generation of a continuous improvement process in the quality and allocation of human resources. The awareness of human resource management with strategic lines of business. executive in the management of its human resources. Objective decision-making and with homogeneous criteria.
The competitions are divided into two large blocks:
Specific knowledge is of a technical nature. Allusion is made to the hardware system by virtue of what a person represents an academic training or instructions that will allow him to obtain the technical, scientific, mathematical, social and political knowledge according to the activity to be carried out. Example: Knowledge of financial, accounting, tax, computer analysis.
Empowerment Hardware Competencies
Among the hardware competencies that must be developed within the individual are the following:
- Knowledge Development Specialties Required Profile Experience Hierarchy.
Within a system based on competencies, what is intended is to achieve a management of the company more adjusted to human assets, using the key characteristics that current staff have and those that make a certain job position develop more effectively.. The consequence of all this is the integration of a work team that will effectively achieve the short, medium and long-term objectives. One of the first steps that must be developed to achieve this is to develop the job profile from this perspective, which should include the following steps:
- Position definition Main tasks and activities Basic training and experience required for their performance Technical competence or knowledge necessary for their proper performance
Skills or qualities, they are called software and are attributable to the attitudes effects of life learning, values and principles that prevail in the person as in a computerized system programmed for their response to the environment, however in this case this programming in the conduct of the person it is a product of his life experiences and the development of his emotional intelligence. In this sense, these skills or qualities may be non-modifiable or at best forcefully controllable, which in the short or medium term would represent a drain on those who do not naturally possess them. These are the specific capacities to guarantee effective development in the position. Example: managerial aptitude, public relations, leadership, capacity for synthesis.
Empowerment Software Competencies
Personality structure, as we know, is significantly influenced by environmental conditions. A person is formed not only by inheritance and conditions of growth and care, but also by opportunities and experiences in the world around them. Among these, especially important to us is the ability to make decisions and act in order to achieve goals. This capacity (or its absence), shapes the person's character and influences, the degree to which he will be the effective protagonist in his life (Pinderhughes, 1983).
Among the most important competences are:
- Leadership Group Management Confidence Tolerance Delegation Motivation Authority Resistance to Change Decision Making Objectivity Responsibility
Types of competitions examples:
Hard - Soft competitions
COMPETENCE BASED EMPOWERMENT MODEL
Competency-based empowerment
Considerations.
Among the advantages they have is that it is a tool that adapts to any type of organization, it is an innovative way of managing and it will create a positive impact within the organization, since it optimizes human capital taking advantage of the best qualities of each.
One of the main ideas that must be implemented is that the staff no longer works to achieve the goals that the manager sets, it is a group of workers who participate in decision-making, to achieve the goals of the organization together.
This is based on a fundamental change within the activities within the company, which are mainly based on responsibility and self-direction, Delegation is perhaps the most important mechanism that needs to be exercised within the Empowerment, and staff must be sufficiently trained to perform the functions, the manager must ensure that the staff have the technical knowledge and training necessary for success to occur. secure.
Another advantage is that a rotation of the jobs can be carried out, this can offer added value since it provides the individual to strengthen their self-confidence by being able to carry out other tasks, have new experiences and receive training in different areas that will allow them develop new skills.
Empowerment benefits based on competencies
The Empowerment is a tool that integrates all the resources, people, capital, manufacturing and technology, achieving effective communication to improve processes, achieving a more productive, competent organization and the success of an organization based on quality and willingness to its human team, the better integrated the team and the more the qualities of each of its members are used, the stronger the company will be, among the benefits the following aspects stand out:
- The increase in satisfaction and credibility of the people who make up the organization. The increase in responsibility, authority and commitment. The positions are revalued, because the worker is present in them. People know what their role is within the organization The contribution of each employee is valued. Each individual can carry out different activities. The work represents a challenge for each individual and not a burden. Employees participate in decision-making and have the authority to act on behalf of the company, their opinions are taken Individuals work as a team and develop their knowledge and skills. The client is satisfied. There is a change in attitude, they no longer do things because they want to do them well. Communication improves at all levels of communication. organization,Especially that of boss-subordinate. Job description. Integration of work teams. Implementation of an organizational culture. Appreciation of potential. Management by objectives. Management of change. Key competencies of the organization.
Commitment is another factor to strengthen, which will allow greater responsibility on the part of each of the members of the company to successfully achieve its mission and vision. It is necessary to achieve the incursion of people in the process otherwise the failure of this technique will manifest itself.
Likewise, the Empowerment will allow the individual to develop positive characteristics within his personality that will be reflected within his personal life and his participation within the environment in which he develops, some of the most important are:
- Self-knowledge, Self-knowledge Personal vision Power of purpose Commitment
And if the Empowerment fails.
The failure of organizations when trying to implement it is due to the fact that they neglect the application of the tool, they do not communicate correctly and specifically to all personnel what are the objectives sought with this change, nor are they informed of their responsibilities, duties and what is expected of each of them.
Negative consequences of improper application of Empowerment in companies, according to this Luperdi (2002) mentions the following consequences:
- Repetitive and unimportant work Confusion in people Lack of confidence Lack of contribution in decisions No one knows if one works well No one knows what is happening Little time to solve problems No credit given people for their ideas or efforts. Ø Lack of resources, knowledge and training.
The improper use and application of the strategies will translate into failure in their implementation, so care must be taken, since it does not only translate into economic failures, the cost in the work environment can be even more expensive for the organization, the strategies and steps for an adequate implementation must be known in detail, taking into account not only the overall results but all development.
Practical case
Introduction
Today, people and companies have different measurements that allow them to position themselves as a differentiator among others. These evaluations are a focus that distinguishes between those who have all the characteristics to excel in industries as well as in the professions and who can be categorized as tangible or intangible, however, seeing it from a flat perspective, the line that makes this division, It is very thin.
The way to call these particular characteristics is COMPETENCES; A more concise definition of this concept is that they are those peculiarities that a person possesses and that makes him highly capable of being part of a position, in addition to which he can demonstrate it through a result that is profitably favorable to him both in his growth and development. both personally and professionally, as well as for the business unit or company to which it belongs.
There are 2 types of competitions:
- Soft skills.- All the innate attitudes of the person.Hard skills.- All the skills developed by the person throughout his experience and professional knowledge.
These competencies are essential to properly execute the Empowerment, which is a strategy based on the quality of the work teams, the leadership, the motivation and the development that they may have in their work; The foregoing must be carried out with confidence and responsibility so that the objectives with which the strategy is being drawn up must be met with 100% satisfaction from all participants.
That is why both concepts are taken as the basis to develop a competency model and Empowerment to push the penetration strategy of the FTTH network in Mexico. This arises from the need to reposition the brand with a high quality product and with an important differentiator compared to all the competitors, which are 100 Mb of speed, in addition to that after an analysis of all the income indicators, the volume fiber coverage in Mexico vs. Monterrey is almost 100%, but proportionally, Monterrey has 20% of its network occupied vs. 7% in Mexico.
Hence the proposal to generate a model that supports the main strategy and that is made up of the administrative process, supported by competencies, with an adequate Empowerment, which as a whole allows defining the organizational direction on which this new market opportunity should operate..
Competency and Empowerment Model
COMPETENCES AND EMPOWERMENT MODEL FOR THE FTTH PENETRATION STRATEGY IN MEXICO
The model is mainly made up of 3 phases, each one and the elements that comprise it are listed below:
Fifth Model - Mexico
Fifth Model - Mexico
Empowerment and Competencies
Fifth - Mexico
Empowerment and Modelo Fifth - México. Source: FCA, UNAM 2006.
In this phase, all the reflections of what is applied in the model will be carried out, as well as the changes required to achieve the success of the objectives. In turn, all the kpi's are resized and new trends are established according to the turbulence in the environment generated by these changes, being the main indicator of all this, the level of penetration and customer satisfaction for the acquisition of the FTTH service.
In this part, the success of this strategy is related to the application of the model to the cities of Guadalajara and Monterrey, in addition to the scheduled launch to Puebla, Querétaro and León, mainly, making it the trial-error in the largest city and complicated which will give the guideline for benchmarking within the new areas.
In the part of the feedback we will have the positioning of the brand, having detected those areas of opportunity of vital attention and attack, in addition to having new offers and services such as IPTV.
REFLECTIONS
The success of organizations lies in having the right person in the right position, and for this it is essential to have a very clear outline of the needs of the company as well as a guideline of what is to be achieved with the application of the changes.
At the same time, each of the stages of the process that is being implemented for the established objectives must be fully complied with and all the elements to be evaluated must be included in the duration of the project.
The health and vitality of the companies is essential to achieve the integration of the personnel, making them feel secure, motivated, professionally developed, growing, and all of this which, on an individual level, implies excessive delivery without exhausting and putting pressure on the teams' efforts; However, to achieve this, you must have a “leader” who, as such, has the trust of people, who has the capacity for integration and, above all, a vision beyond what is intended to be achieved with a model of this magnitude, that his experience and knowledge of the market allows him to make objective and correct decisions.
All this may sound a bit trite and difficult, that is why Mexican companies are sick, unfortunately there is great resistance to change and the administration is deficient, there is no planning and everything is implemented empirically, immediate actions are delayed and strategies are not followed.
The leadership is autocratic and somewhat militarized; invariably it is still a society based on familiarity and compadrazgo, this is what does not help in objective decision making, on the contrary, it leads us to a series of inconsistencies in strategies and unfulfilled commitments due to the lack of professionalism with which people are chosen.
We are in an era of "waking up" to new trends, the market and the competition are in constant exchange of ideas, needs have a high level of demand so companies must anticipate this or be agile enough to generate This in consumers, that is, addressing those underserved markets and those that have not been able to reach them has been due to a lack of creativity and enthusiasm since companies with greater limitations have been successful.
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