Responsibility, Power and Empowerment
Responsibility, Power and Empowerment
January 18, 2011
Responsibility, Power and Empowerment Within a business, organizing is essential to keep day-to-day activities afloat and regular business function in motion. Therefore, it is essential for leadership to understand the power behind responsibility, power and empowerment. This paper will define and provide examples of responsibility, power and empowerment. These concepts, in relation to a supervisor’s role, create a variety of opportunities for planning and delegation.
Defining Responsibility, Power and Empowerment The word responsibility creates numerous different reactions from positive to negative. Byars and Rue (2010) defines responsibility as “accountability for reaching objectives, using resources properly and adhering to organizational policy.” An example of a supervisor showing responsibility would be taking on a task to be accomplished by a certain period of time. The supervisor will then delegate responsibilities, oversee progress and ensure completion of said task. Power is a misconceived concept that is used for both good and bad. According to Dictionary.com LLC (2011), power is “the possession of control or command over others; authority; ascendancy” (Power, para. 4). Leaders within an organization are given power in order to complete necessary tasks. Leaders must learn to use this power to motivate others in order to allocate work in order to achieve the overall goal of the organization. An example of power for a leader within an organization would be making a choice to change a policy in order to create desired changes. Delegation is a necessary tool for leaders within an organization because delegations allow leaders to organize in order to achieve company goals. According to WordNet Search (2011), "empowerment [is] the act of conferring legality or sanction or formal warrant” (Noun, para. 1). An example of delegation would be a supervisor being assigned to accomplish a goal. The
January 18, 2011
Responsibility, Power and Empowerment Within a business, organizing is essential to keep day-to-day activities afloat and regular business function in motion. Therefore, it is essential for leadership to understand the power behind responsibility, power and empowerment. This paper will define and provide examples of responsibility, power and empowerment. These concepts, in relation to a supervisor’s role, create a variety of opportunities for planning and delegation.
Defining Responsibility, Power and Empowerment The word responsibility creates numerous different reactions from positive to negative. Byars and Rue (2010) defines responsibility as “accountability for reaching objectives, using resources properly and adhering to organizational policy.” An example of a supervisor showing responsibility would be taking on a task to be accomplished by a certain period of time. The supervisor will then delegate responsibilities, oversee progress and ensure completion of said task. Power is a misconceived concept that is used for both good and bad. According to Dictionary.com LLC (2011), power is “the possession of control or command over others; authority; ascendancy” (Power, para. 4). Leaders within an organization are given power in order to complete necessary tasks. Leaders must learn to use this power to motivate others in order to allocate work in order to achieve the overall goal of the organization. An example of power for a leader within an organization would be making a choice to change a policy in order to create desired changes. Delegation is a necessary tool for leaders within an organization because delegations allow leaders to organize in order to achieve company goals. According to WordNet Search (2011), "empowerment [is] the act of conferring legality or sanction or formal warrant” (Noun, para. 1). An example of delegation would be a supervisor being assigned to accomplish a goal. The