Empowering Leadership

"How do I get my employees to (want to) take on more responsibility?"

As a manager, we want to help our employees get the best out of themselves: motivation, creativity, efficiency and growth promotion. Especially in times of change, these aspects are particularly important to us! We need creative minds who think for themselves, drive our company forward and can adapt quickly. 

But how can we empower our employees to do this without losing control? We rely on innovation and creativity, but at the same time we want employee initiatives to be in line with the corporate strategy. This is where the Empowering Leadership model comes in. It offers us a solution to achieve these goals while maintaining a balance between authority and employee empowerment. 

In this article, we'll go into more detail about what Empowering Leadership is, the benefits it offers, and how digital coaching can help leaders successfully implement this model.

A contribution by Lina Maring & Johannes Darrmann

"Leaders become great not because of their power, but because of their ability to empower others"

- John Maxwell

What is Empowering Leadership? 

Empowering leadership is a leadership style based on the concept of empowerment theory. But what does it mean exactly? Empowerment refers to the process of encouraging and motivating employees to take control of their lives and workspace and realize their full potential (1). The leadership style is based on the understanding that employees work best when they feel valued and have influence over decisions and processes. Employees' work experiences and beliefs about their work roles are at the heart of Spreitzer's (1995) empowerment construct. Spreitzer postulates that empowerment consists of four dimensions: competence, meaningfulness, self-determination, and influence (2).

You probably know this too, don't you? When we are involved in a project where we are allowed to think for ourselves and are trusted to make the right decisions, we really flourish! Leaders with this leadership style therefore empower employees to take responsibility, make decisions, set their own goals and strive to achieve them (3). 

When applied correctly, Empowering Leadership leads to extraordinary results! But before we get into that, let's clarify the following question: How do you apply this leadership style correctly? 

These are the basic principles of Empowering Leadership:

According to several studies, empowering leadership is based on four basic principles (4): trust, empathy, responsibility and development. These basic principles are not to be considered conclusive, but they provide a good orientation in everyday leadership.

1. Trust: A basic prerequisite for empowering leadership is that managers trust employees. Trust in the skills and knowledge to make decisions independently is particularly important. 

2. Empathy: Managers should be able to understand the perspective of their employees and take their needs and concerns into account.

3. Responsibility: If employees are allowed to act independently, they should also be able to take responsibility for their decisions and actions. This also means that they feel responsible for the results of their own work. 

4. Development: Employees should have the opportunity to continuously develop themselves in order to improve their skills and competencies.

Advantages of Empowering Leadership

Studies show that empowering leadership leads to higher employee satisfaction, higher employee retention, higher performance and higher innovation. In addition, empowering leadership leads to a better work climate and fewer job changes as employees find work meaningful and fulfilling (5). In Wang's meta-analysis, 77 studies on empowering leadership were examined in 2021, and this study was also able to confirm a positive impact on employee performance, satisfaction, loyalty, and well-being (6). But this leadership style can also be particularly valuable in times of crisis and uncertainty

Empowering Leadership in Times of Crisis and Uncertainty

Uncertain times and times of crisis? Yes, we have had enough of that in recent years! The market is in a constant state of flux and we have to adapt all the time. A challenge for managers and employees. But Empowering Leadership can help! How exactly? Because the relationship between manager and employees is based on trust and employees are encouraged to find their own solutions, the adaptability of teams increases (7). Loyalty and creativity are also strengthened by this leadership style, which is conducive to a company's survival. In addition, a study has found that leadership style in general has a positive impact on the psychological capital and well-being of employees and especially in times of crisis (8). Thus, companies that rely on the Empowering Leadership leadership style not only respond more quickly to change, but are also able to adapt to it effectively.

Are you convinced that Empowering Leadership is the leadership style for a successful company? Yes? You just don't know how to get started? We have an answer to that: with a Coaching Journey to reflect on your leadership behavior according to the Empowering Leadership model. Experienced coaches support you in making your actions even more effective.

Coaching to promote empowering leadership

Coaching is a valuable support for leaders who want to implement the leadership style "Empowering Leadership". With the help of a coach, you as a leader can reflect on and improve your own skills in the areas of trust, empathy, responsibility and development in your individual work situation. You can become aware of your strengths and weaknesses and specifically strengthen the empowerment of your employees. In addition, a coach can help you work on your communication skills to promote clear and effective communication with your employees.

thankscoach can help to realize these success factors. Do you want to learn more about how the coaching solution can help you and your organization? Then contact us without obligation for a first meeting.

Sources:

1. Zimmerman, M. A. (2019). Empowerment theory. In The Oxford handbook of social psychology and social justice (pp. 189-207). Oxford University Press.

2. Spreitzer, G. M. (1995). Psychological empowerment in the workplace: dimensions, measurement and validation. Academy of Management Journal, 38, 1442-1465.

3. Ahearne, M., Mathieu, J., & Rapp, A. (2018). To empower or not to empower your sales force? An empirical examination of the influence of leadership empowerment behavior on customer satisfaction and performance. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 38(1), 75-89.

4. Schulte, M. (2019). Empowering Leadership - Leadership for the new world of work? An exploratory study on the relevance of empowering leadership in the digital transformation. Personal Quarterly, 71(1), 20-26.

5. Müller, T. (2021). Leadership with opposing styles: How different approaches lead to joint success. Faculty of Psychology and Sport Sciences, Leopold-Franzens-University Innsbruck. 

6. Wang, M., Zheng, J., Xu, X., Chen, Y., & Huang, J. (2021). The effects of empowering leadership on work-family balance and job performance: A meta-analysis. Journal of Business Research, 130, 153-167. doi: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.01.052

7. Jung, D. I., & Sosik, J. J. (2002). Transformational Leadership in Work Groups the Role of Empowerment, Cohesiveness, and Collective-Efficacy on Perceived Group Performance. Small Group Research, 33, 313-336.

8. Caballero, C., & Walker, A. (2021). Empowering leadership in a time of crisis: An examination of leader behavior, employee psychological capital and well-being. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 42(2), 171-183.