Have you ever considered what happens when you give employees a chance to make a difference?

There are a number of tools available to organisations that can help motivate employees to achieve strategic goals; and whilst financial incentives and targets have their place, there is something incredibly valuable about equipping people with the competencies to become leaders.

Employee empowerment is the catalyst for using frontline experience to identify flaws in processes and suggest better ways of doing things.

Not only that, but this can be achieved without an army of external consultants! The right organisational setup plus basic process improvement coaching can allow the vast knowledge that is “locked” inside people’s heads or buried in ancient standard operating procedures to be released, challenged and improved.

One last thing. The commitment and dedication that an empowered employee demonstrates is powerful enough to revolutionise business performance.

Are your employees empowered?

3 Ways to empower employees

1. Involve them in process change–  Employees really value their opinions being heard. Management should empower their employees at different levels and across different functional departments to investigate opportunities for better ways of working and eliminate waste; this will help stimulate open flows of communication and eradicate silo mentalities.

2. Clarify roles and responsibilities– Employees must have a clear understanding of the duties they are expected to fulfil and how they can contribute to the overall success of the organisation. Employees sincerely appreciate the value of activities when they are given the opportunity to visualise the flow of work and use feedback mechanisms to identify points in the flow that make their work harder.

3. Positive peer pressure – An environment that facilitates innovation is essential. Innovation is not just about the products and services, but it is also about how people work internally to delight their customers. The achievements of employees in improving the business should be celebrated and rewarded. Over time, this positive culture of improvement becomes the norm.