Managed Empowerment
An Oxymoron?
By Denise O’Berry
www.teambuildingtips.com
The Small Business Edge Corp.
14318 Pelham Lane, Suite C
Odessa, FL
33556
813.671.5996
1.800.643.3370 Toll Free US
www.teambuildingtips.com
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Managed Empowerment: An Oxymoron?
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How Do You Unlock The Power Within Your Teams?
Can teams be empowered, while at the same time work within the structure and discipline
imposed by their organization? Best Practice organizations think so, and organizations that fail at
teaming often cite the lack of structure as a contributing factor.
The key to success is in knowing how much and what kind of structure to impose. Predictable
things arise which cause teams to waste time, team leadership to suspect things are running
amok, and executive management to worry whether organizational goals are being met.
In many organizations, groups of employees are called teams, told they are empowered and are
expected to act accordingly. This approach can result in a flurry of interest and excitement about
teaming, and some groups may even achieve a measure of success.
However, at some point in the life cycle of most teams, unresolved internal issues emerge which
threaten the team’s ability to meet their business objectives. These unresolved issues can
jeopardize the very existence of a team, since the lack of resolution can lead to frustration and
disengagement on the part of team members.
Managing empowerment by using a structured approach enables your organization to change and
realize improvement in business objectives simultaneously. By putting some structure in place
up front, and addressing the predictable behaviors in a disciplined fashion, the risk of unresolved
issues will decrease significantly. Organization leadership becomes more willing to buy-in
because the process is business focused, not just a "feel good" exercise.
© 1998 Denise O’Berry All Rights Reserved |
813.671.5996 | www.teambuildingtips.com