Let's take a quick look at how people become pigeon-holed in the average company.

• Managers - They do the thinking
• Supervisors - They do the talking
• Employees - They do the doing

So for example - the average employee arrives at work, does the jobs the supervisor gives them, and then goes home and gets ready to start all over again the next day. Not always an exciting prospect for some employees.

By involving staff in decision making you increase their self-esteem and start to make their job more interesting. You are also encouraging them to look at your business more objectively.

Empowerment can only work if you support the staff effectively. It is inevitable that people will make mistakes but it is vital that you help them to understand the mistake and show them how to avoid it in the future, without being overly critical. Reprimands tend to negate the benefits of empowerment and seriously affect self-esteem. Once staff see a colleague dealt with in this manner they stop being proactive in case they suffer the same punishment.

Key Elements will help your managers to understand the importance of empowerment when working with cross functional process teams. Part of our facilitation service will include sessions with line managers while the process team are working on solutions.