I defined empowerment as an equation: Empowerment = Freedom x Direction x
Support. Ginger asked:
>I am assuming the 'Direction' is "guidance in a direction" rather than the
>directive sort. But we run the risk now of entering a "do loop." Is
>freedom given or taken?
I like to think of direction as that which guides our efforts, that which
generates alignment - however it happens. If direction is focused on the
hierarchy or patterns of authority, then we're probably talking about a
culture that won't provide much freedom; thus, not much chance for
empowerment. If it develops on the basis of what's needed in the context
of the work and the organizational environment, then I'd say there's a
greater likelihood of freedom and support existing.
I don't think direction can be given without being taken, nor vice versa.
It has to work both ways. There's a lot under the surface here about the
nature of leadership and followership, but I leave that to others.
Ginger continued:
>As with the earlier discussion, whether give or take, there's an assumption we
>begin from an oppressive relationship. One is in a position to give and
>another in a position to have to take. What if there is no heirarchical
>relationship? Is empowerment even an issue then?
This assumption is valid in the context of "give or take", but I think
there's something more. It may be true that we tend to model our change
strategies on oppressive relationships, but maybe it works better by
defining appropriate roles and adjusting our behavior accordingly. In the
best of all worlds, we can still speak of empowerment, but we might get
there by a different path, and the word itself might then seem
anachronistic. As the song goes, "... but I can dream, can't I?"
Dave
-- David E. Birren Phone: (608)267-2442 Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources Fax: (608)267-3579 Bureau of Management & Budget E-mail: birred@dnr.state.wi.usWe shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time. (from T. S. Eliot's "Little Gidding")