ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
Chapter 8
Empowerment and
Participation
Finance & Banking
Jahangirnagar University
Mahfuza Khatun
Lecturer, F & B, JU
OBJECTIVES
LEARNING
AFTER STUDYING THIS CHAPTER,
YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND:
1. The nature of empowerment and its prerequisites
2. The participative process
3. Benefits of participation
4. Types of participative programs
5. Limitations of participation
Finance & Banking
Jahangirnagar University
Mahfuza Khatun
Lecturer, F & B,JU
Nature of Empowerment and Participation:
Empowerment: is any process that provides greater
autonomy to employees through
 Sharing of relevant information
 Control over factors affecting job performance
Finance & Banking
Jahangirnagar University
Mahfuza Khatun
Lecturer, F & B,JU
Nature of Empowerment and Participation
(Contd.):
Five Broad Approaches to Empowerment:
1. Job mastery: Proper training, coaching, and guided experience that
will result in initial successes
2. Control: Giving them discretion over job performance and then
holding them accountable for outcomes.
3. Role models: Allowing them to observe peers who already perform
successfully on the job.
4. Social reinforcement and persuasion: Giving praise,
encouragement and verbal feedback designed to raise self
confidence
5. Emotional support: Providing reduction of stress and anxiety
through better role definition, task assistance and honest caring.
Finance & Banking
Jahangirnagar University
Mahfuza Khatun
Lecturer, F & B,JU
Nature of Empowerment and Participation
(Contd.):
Figure 8-1 The process of empowerment
Finance & Banking
Jahangirnagar University
Mahfuza Khatun
Lecturer, F & B,JU
What is Participation?
Participation:
is the mental and emotional involvement of
people in group situations that encourages them to contribute
to group goals and share responsibility for them.
It identifies three important ideas-
• Involvement: Participation means meaningful involvement rather
than mere muscular activity.
• Motivation to Contribute: It motivate people to contribute.
• Acceptance of Responsibility: Participation encourages people to
accept responsibility in their group’s activities.
Finance & Banking
Jahangirnagar University
Mahfuza Khatun
Lecturer, F & B,JU
Why Is Participation Popular?
Participation leads to
•
•
•
•
•
•
Improved performance
Higher job satisfaction
Spirit
Desire
Expectations
Ethical imperatives
Finance & Banking
Jahangirnagar University
Mahfuza Khatun
Lecturer, F & B,JU
Benefits of Participation:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Higher output
Better quality
Creativity
Innovation
Higher motivation
Reduced turnover and absences
Better communication
Finance & Banking
Jahangirnagar University
Mahfuza Khatun
Lecturer, F & B,JU
The Participative Process:
Finance & Banking
Jahangirnagar University
Mahfuza Khatun
Lecturer, F & B,JU
Prerequisites for Participation :
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Adequate time to participate
Potential benefits greater than costs
Relevance to employee interests
Adequate employee abilities
Mutual ability to communicate
No feeling of threat to either party
Restriction to the area of job freedom
Finance & Banking
Jahangirnagar University
Mahfuza Khatun
Lecturer, F & B,JU
Contingency Factors :
Emotional intelligence
Differing employee needs for participation
Responsibilities of employees and manager
Finance & Banking
Jahangirnagar University
Mahfuza Khatun
Lecturer, F & B,JU
Expectations of Employees:
All employees should agree to…
Be responsible for their actions
Operate within organizational policies
Be contributing team members
Respect and try to use the perspectives of others
Be dependable and ethical
Demonstrate responsible self-leadership
Finance & Banking
Jahangirnagar University
Mahfuza Khatun
Lecturer, F & B,JU
Expectations of Managers:
Responsibilities of managers…
Identifying the issues to be addressed
Specifying the level of involvement desired
Providing relevant information
Providing relevant training
Allocating fair rewards
Finance & Banking
Jahangirnagar University
Mahfuza Khatun
Lecturer, F & B,JU
Programs for Participation:
• Figure 8-8
Selected types of participative programs
Finance & Banking
Jahangirnagar University
Mahfuza Khatun
Lecturer, F & B,JU
Limitations of Participation:
Negative Forces Affecting Participation
•Theory X beliefs and assumptions
•Lack of support from higher levels
•Manager fear of lost power, status, and control
•Lack of adequate training
•Problems encountered in early stages
•Substantial efforts needed to implement
Finance & Banking
Jahangirnagar University
Mahfuza Khatun
Lecturer, F & B,JU
Questions
Finance & Banking
Jahangirnagar University
Mahfuza Khatun
Lecturer, F & B,JU