Leadership Institute

Empowering Leader

Learning Formats: Classroom

Order No. SR55

Do leaders possess the awareness and skills they need to introduce, manage, and perpetuate an environment where people are encouraged to think for themselves and assume greater responsibilities?

This workshop helps leaders identify areas to focus on in building empowerment in their work groups and the organization.

Do You Face Any of These Issues?

  • Do leaders fear they will lose power or control if they empower employees?
  • Are employees frustrated and demotivated because they don't feel challenged or empowered?
  • Do leaders understand all the variables that impact empowerment-leadership behaviors, job design, and systems and environment?

Performance Objectives

Helps leaders:

  • Encourage and support empowerment in their work groups.
  • Find ways to make people's jobs more interesting, motivating, and empowering.
  • Help the organization become more empowering.
  • Plan their continued development as empowering leaders.

Primary Competency Developed

  • Inspiring Others

Secondary Competencies Developed

  • Delegating Responsibility
  • Strategic Job Design

Course Overview

  • Why Empowerment?: A simulation and video interviews show differences between empowered and unempowered environments as well as key elements and benefits of empowerment. The “Zapp-sapp” concept is introduced.
  • What’s Holding Us Back?: A video shows common concerns about empowerment. Leaders relate the concerns to their own worries.
  • Empowerment Arenas: Forces that support and work against empowerment and the leader's role in influencing these forces are explained by reviewing three Empowerment Arenas. The next three units have leaders build lists of Zapps and sapps related to each Empowerment Arena-Job Design, Systems and Environment, and Leadership. Empowerment Principles are introduced for each arena. Leaders rate how well the organization is doing in each arena and develop action plans to improve.
  • Beginning the Empowerment Journey: A series of activities has leaders explore opportunities to share responsibility and decision-making authority with people in their work groups, and they begin applying the Empowerment Principles. In small groups, learners “consult with their organization” on how to eliminate sapps identified earlier. They develop improvement ideas and outline actions they'll need to take to implement their ideas.

Video Segment Summary

  • Leaders and group members describe what it's like to work in an empowered workplace.
  • Leaders reveal their worries and concerns about empowering people in specific situations.
  • The three Empowerment Arenas are introduced and their impact on empowerment is explored.
  • Leaders sapp people by missing opportunities to empower them or not supporting empowerment. The same situations are then handled in an empowering way.

Course Details

  • Target Audience: Frontline leaders to mid-level managers.
  • Course Length: 5 hours, 40 minutes, or 4 hours Fast Track (focuses on just the Leadership Empowerment Arena).
  • Facilitator Certification: DDI certification not required.
  • Prerequisites: None.
  • Series: Suitable for all environments.
  • Group Size: 8 to 16 people.
  • Prework: No.

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