When organizations dare: The dynamics of individual empowerment in the workplace.

Empowerment has been the subject of growing interest to organizational theorists and business practitioners. Yet in spite of this increasing attention, the study of empowerment is problematic. There is little consensus regarding definitions or operationalization of empowerment. Further, there has been little theoretical development of the antecedents and outcomes of empowerment. This study begins to address these deficiencies theoretically and empirically. In the dissertation, three research questions are addressed. First, what is individual empowerment? Because there exists little definitional consensus on empowerment, a process of construct definition and subsequent validation (through a thematic analysis of interdisciplinary literature and interview data) serves as the cornerstone for the dissertation. Four dimensions of empowerment are identified and operationalized: meaning, competence, self-determination, and impact. Second, what are the characteristics of an empowering social system? The social-structural levers for facilitating individual empowerment are examined. Third, what are the behavioral outcomes of individual empowerment? The specific behaviors associated with a psychological sense of empowerment are examined. The three research questions are integrated within a tripartite theoretical framework of empowerment. In the framework, empowerment is posited to mediate the relationship between the social-structural context and individual behavior. Using both qualitative and quantitative data, the theoretical framework is tested with data collected from middle managers from diverse units within a large global organization. The findings provide support for the construct validity and reliability of the four dimensional conceptualization of empowerment. In terms of social structural antecedents of empowerment, sociopolitical support, access to strategic information, and some aspects of an organic structure are found to be associated with empowerment. In terms of behavioral consequences, the competence and impact dimensions of empowerment are found to be strongly related to behaviors which challenge the status quo and managerial effectiveness. Finally, mixed support for the mediating effect of empowerment on the relationship between social structure and behavior is found. Limitations of the design, contributions of the study, and directions for future research are also discussed.PhDLabor relationsManagementOccupational psychologyPsychologySocial SciencesUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/129039/2/9308456.pd