The Power of Empowerment

King Solomon, the icon of wisdom, is reported to have remarked that there is nothing new under the sun. Everything in God's creation has always been around us. What changes is our perception and awareness of them. At any instant, we notice some things and overlook many others. As time marches on, we stumble across (or discover!) facets of the universe we had not noticed earlier. They may appear new to us, but in fact, they are as ageless as creation itself. Empowerment is an example. Though some may proclaim it to be a new management tool, its underlying principles are, in fact, timeless—albeit largely ignored in our day-to-day conduct. It was always known that, among all the resources at management's command, it is only people who are blessed with an extraordinarily creative mind with infinite potential. There is no limit to what they can think of and accomplish. Given the right environment, they can overcome all challenges and excel at whatever they undertake to achieve. In essence, they are the real source of all competitive advantage. Furthermore, the power of their innate creativity is multiplied manifold when coupled with esprit de corps. Sharp thinking and high motivation is an explosively potent combination. Regrettably, however, we have not always acted according to this axiom. In practice, we appear to have been guided more often by deep-rooted suspicions about the mental capabilities and potential of people. We have proceeded on the assumption that they are quite erratic in their ways, indolent by nature, incapable of assuming responsibility, and sometimes even mischievous. Therefore, the only way to get them to perform reliably is to straitjacket them in a traditional command-and-control structure. Tell them what to do, and how; ensure compliance through ever-watchful control mechanisms, and a regime of incentives or punishments. McGregor labeled this approach as Theory X. It still has many confirmed followers.