As empowerment is a mutual influence, in the creative distribution of power and in shared responsibility; vital and energetic, global, participatory and lasting; it enables the individual to use their talents and abilities, fostering achievement, investing in learning, revealing the spirit of an organization and creating effective relationships; informing, guiding, advising, so it serves to generate and liberate. Allowing someone to assume greater responsibilities and authority through training and emotional support.
Empowerment allows human resources to assume greater responsibilities and authority through training, trust and emotional support, which is why it is directly linked to decision-making. Understanding that decision-making is not only a logical process, but also a psychological one, and depends on the gathering and logical analysis of the information, on the characteristics of the members such as their motives, values and perceptions: on the characteristics of the group such such as leadership norms and styles and the characteristics of the organization such as group competition and communication guidelines.
Empowerment is a new human resource management system, which is based on delegating responsibility and authority and has the following benefits:
1- Increase the confidence of the members of the company.
2- Increase responsibility, authority and commitment in customer satisfaction.
3- Increase creativity.
4- The members of the company share leadership and administrative tasks.
5- Members have the power to evaluate and improve the quality of performance and the information process.
6- Ideas are provided for the business strategy.
7- Confidence in communications and relationships are improved.
8- Increase enthusiasm and a positive attitude.
Being these fundamental to create trust among the staff of an organization, laying solid foundations with an ideal organizational climate where motivation, respect and leadership are key and important factors to have an organization aimed at what is considered in these times smart organizations.
Feeling that the employee can make decisions about what he does implies that the teams become self-managed, needing a leader to guide them and not a boss to command them. Presenting the action of delegating power and authority to subordinates, being the owners of their work, strengthening leadership and teamwork, increasing the effectiveness of the organization through the transfer of power to make decisions at the first level in the that there is qualification for it, that is, empower. Feeling that the workers have influence and decision-making power over their work without the need for constant permits that allow them to act. However, it does not imply a loss of authority from the superior.
It also gives each individual the opportunity and responsibility to give their best, increasing their confidence as their ideas and contributions are recognized. Skills and knowledge are developed in addition to favoring the consolidation of the work team, since problems are solved within it.
Many times decision making takes a long time and when it is done it is not timely, since this process is only done or is aimed at the highest levels of organizations, even when subordinates are trained to do so. This is where the importance of empowerment stands out, by providing the opportunity for work groups (individuals) to express their ideas based on and based on the experiences they have previously had, which have allowed them to evaluate a series of options, being able to select from them the most optimal or best solution.
Work teams are important because they constitute an almost unique opportunity to strengthen the company and also benefit workers: it gives them important areas of decision-making (autonomy); It provides a wide margin for learning on their part (acquisition of new skills and cognitive development), and enables workers to collectively reinforce their knowledge, skills and motivation (return on investment).
It remains the reflection that to include this concept it is important to change the work culture, going from the vertical structure to the creation of work teams. The company must have a clear vision of its objectives, in order to transmit them to its employees and contribute to that end, as well as values that specify the behavior one must have to choose one path or another.
