Essay on Empowerment as it Applies to Walmart and Starbucks

In the paradigm of management, empowerment is viewed as losing authority and control over people and resources. Generally, people resent being driven, controlled and being seen as part of company equipment. This breeds apathy in employees towards the organisation’s intents in the market place and destroys accountability.

In many ways, empowerment embodies principles effective managers and leaders have practiced for years. Two new driving forces in business, increased diversity and high-speed change, magnify the need for empowerment. Empowering people is now indispensable for effective personal productivity and maximum team success.

Reduced employee turnover. Employees often leave because they feel not valued. Empowerment increases employees value, understanding their role in company’s success. They are motivated

According to Hyde (2008), “Culture is determined by how people behave, and the only way to change culture is to change behaviors” (p. 6). A key aspect of changing behavior is enabling (empowering) employees to make decisions and create change within their work scope. By giving employees the power to make changes not only improves their morale, but also benefits the company in which they work by increasing their productivity. According to Marshall, et. Al (2006), “Allowing employees to make decisions increases their job satisfaction and sense of responsibility and translates into improvements in the quality and timeliness with which duties are performed, freeing management for more significant matters” (p. 39). By giving decision making authority to followers, transformation leaders are using what Bass (1991) referred to as psychological empowerment. In other words, empowerment influences follower outcomes.

• Starbucks establishes a well-developed system to keep good relationship between managers and employees. At first, the leaders of a retail shops use the same title “partner” as a basic level worker to narrow the gap of bureaucracy. Furthermore, they co-work in the first line to eliminate the distance between different statuses.

When it comes to worker empowerment, Chad believes that “all managers should realize no matter what industry, that when you empower your employees and give them greater responsibility you create an environment that gives employees greater job satisfaction. It has been my experience that greater job satisfaction for employees often translates into better production from the employee which is good for the company” (C. D. Cerkoney, Personal Communication, February

42). Training doesn’t stop there, however. Baristas can expose themselves to additional training if they desire to become Coffee Masters, Shift Supervisors, or Store Managers. In fact, Michelli (2007) reports, “Starbucks consistently spends more on training than it does on advertising” (p. 282). The Starbucks corporation feels that the Starbucks Experience starts with their employees. If their employees are happy, their employees create better experiences for their customers. This creative approach to the management of people shows. Michelli (2007) highlights that the turnover rate at Starbucks is much lower than at other similar establishments, “120 percent less than the industry average” (p. 282). He further goes on to mention that “employees have an 82% job-satisfaction rate” (p. 282). This deep desire to treat employees fairly stems from Schultz’s ideals. He himself mentions, “As a business leader, my quest has never been just about winning or making money; it has also been about building a great, enduring company, which has always meant trying to strike a balance between profit and social conscience” (Schultz, p. 107). Many believe his deep sense of empathy stems from his early childhood where his father was ill and could not hold a job. This is reflected today in his treatment of his employees. All

Empowerment is when individuals are given greater control over decisions and actions that will affect their health. Empowerment is important when working in partnership within health and social care settings, as it can allow honest relationships to develop between service users and

The single most important component associated with managing a successful organization, entails the empowerment of employees. People that are empowered are able to make smart decisions without always having to rely on authority, to point them in the right direction. Creating an empowered organization involves interest in the workplace; minimal absence from work, high retention rates; loyal and motivated team members; as well as efficient results and effective communication amongst team members. In the book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

In many companies, operational employees also need information to handle tasks and make decisions that were assigned to supervisors. This trend, called empowerment, gives employees more

Empowerment is an issue that is imperative to the change process. We touched on the idea of empowerment while exploring power, and politics in the workplace. Empowerment is important in regards to The Heart Of

284). Before an employee can begin to feel empowered, an open and safe environment must already be established. Employees must be given the freedom to make accountable decisions and encouragement to make these decisions. Some types of encouragement that can be provided to the employees are recognition, assured feedback, and guidance/support (Yoder-Wise, 2015). Empowered staff strive to obtain goals and provide quality service.

Empowerment addresses the power inequality inherent in subordination. Food and Beverage manager Michelle Cook is above Executive chef Ritchie Gravy in formal authority but she is subordinate because Ritchie is in a relational position of power over her. Empowerment, therefore, concerns releasing the shackles placed on floor staffs by kitchen staffs who have power in Café Hip. In this case, as management is empowering the

Partner satisfaction: Starbucks firmly believes that satisfying their employees in-turn satisfies the customers. They adopted a positive working environment to facilitate this.

Employee empowerment can be described as giving employees' accountability and ability to make choices about their work without managerial authorization. Good managers are expected to