Supervisor's Survival Kit: Your First Step into Management, Ninth Edition

EMPLOYEE EMPOWERMENT

Empowerment is the key term when it comes to developing an effective team. Under the team umbrella you give employees more power to operate freely, more space to be creative, and more chances to contribute to productivity in their own way. Under the pyramid structure, it is the supervisor who draws the discipline line. Under the team structure, employees usually draw their own lines. When these freedoms mesh with reality, the employee is empowered to make the team more productive. In other words, rejoicing over the success of the team is more rewarding than making personal progress at the expense of others. Rewards are better when shared with others who have also made a contribution.