mpowering people is a cool idea. Giving individuals authority and responsibility has many benefits. It fosters accountability and communicates confidence. It avails people the opportunity to contribute in a manner that allows their voices to be heard. They experience the self-satisfaction of knowing that what they say and do matters, that they can make a difference in their organization.

All of this cultivates a culture that manifests active involvement and genuine ownership. Well implemented, the appropriate delegation of responsibility can also increase efficiency by eliminating bottlenecks that may arise when over-extended managers and supervisors are tied-up in meetings, busy putting out fires or off-site. When they’re gone, document changes can’t be signed off; in-process defects can’t be approved for rework, and jobs can’t be rerouted to underutilized work centers. Designating qualified individuals to make decisions is a smart move.

Like all good ideas, well-intended empowerment initiatives can fizzle into chaos unless they’re accompanied by guidelines and training.

We grant individuals authority to get things done, but fail to adequately define the criteria and rules they need to succeed. They don’t have the necessary tools to make informed decisions. The consequence is that they end up being blamed for errors rather than recognized for successful implementations.

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