Employee empowerment means giving employees greater responsibility and authority when making decisions. This choice has advantages and disadvantages for both the employer and the employees. An employer needs to weigh both sides if the business is considering giving the employees greater power in the decision making process.An advantage in empowering employees is that it encourages employees to
. find creative solutions to problems. The employees are more likely to brainstorm new ideas and to create goals designed to help them and the business. Empowered employees experience greater freedom than their counterparts. This leads to less friction with management, who expect the behavior rather than feeling threatened by it.Empowered employees also experience a greater accountability for their choices. This encourages the employee to provide superior work. It also relieves their superiors from micro-managing projects due to a higher level of trust in their subordinates. Both sides benefit from knowing that the employee has the responsibility to answer directly for the work they provide.One disadvantage to employee empowerment is the potential for the abuse of power. Unscrupulous employees may take advantage of the situation and make choices designed specifically to circumvent the existing rules and regulations. Due to reduced supervision, these choices have the potential to go unnoticed by management for an extended period of time.Another drawback to giving employees greater power is the possibility of personality conflicts when groups are designated to make a particular decision. If employees with fundamental differences in perception are assigned to the same task, difficulties can arise. This problem is exacerbated if one or more employees are unwilling or unable to view the situation from another's point of view. This situation may cause lost time and energy of the entire team. It may also lead to unmet deadlines and harsh feelings in the workplace.More reference links: http://ask.reference.com/related/advantages+disadvantages+employee+empowerment?o=102369
