EMPLOYEE EMPOWERMENT

IntroductionChallenges, such as a fluctuating environment, sophisticated technology, the need for quick decision making and the importance of frequent changes, have established the need among organizations to change their traditional management practices (command and control) into democratic structures that offer employees greater autonomy, confidence and freedom to make decisions. Such democratic structures will not be effective unless employees have a sense of empowerment.

EMPLOYEE EMPOWERMENT • “To empower implies the granting of

power-delegation of authority.”

• “Empowerment as the process of having power given from the traditionally powerful managers in an organization and instilled in everyone.”

• Recognizing and releasing into the organization the power that people already have in their wealth and useful knowledge and internal motivation.

PRINCIPLES OF EMPLOYEE EMPOWERMENT

• Empowerment is not without bonds

• Empowerment teams & not individuals

• Training needs Empowerment

• Considering employee point of view

• Brainstorming.

• Improving individual suggestions

ISSUES IN EMPLOYEE EMPOWERMENT

• Message Disconnect

• Insufficient Training

• Reluctant Managers

• Breakdown of Organization

ISSUE IN NAZA• Globalisation has opened up various opportunities and challenges

for Malaysian organisations to compete internationally. Besides technological advancement, a developed, competent and empowered workforce will give Malaysian organisations an edge over its competitors. Studies on empowerment have shown that it has a strong correlation to employee performance in terms of higher productivity, job satisfaction and reduction in staff turnover in organisations. This therefore, leads to the question of “Is this correlation applicable to the Malaysian context or more specifically, in the automotive sector?” This question is prompted based on NAZA AUTOMOTIVE rating on Malaysia as being a high power distance society, which indicates an environment of non-empowerment.

Naza Automotive Manufacturing lays off 300 staff for poor Performance

• According to a news report, Naza Automotive Manufacturing (NAM) has laid off 300 workers at its assembly plant in Gurun, Kedah. The lay-off at NAM involved 225 staff members as well as 30 from the NAM Committee, with the remainder being administration staff, The Malaysian Insider reports.

• The report added that laid-off staff were given a farewell party earlier today at Dewan Seri Zaleha in Gurun, where they received their termination letters. In attendance at the event were NAM chief operations officer Roslan Abd Ghani and a labour department officer, according to the event programme.

CONCLUSION• Employees may feel less empowered the instant they

realize the creativity of management in the process of empowerment. This creativity can develop misgivings and actually lead to loss of revenue including productivity instead of an anticipated gain.

• The loss of revenue or productivity can be prevented through having an effective employee training and development purposely targeted at the right employees within the organization. But then a clear and precise explanation should be made between these three confusing concepts which are training, education and development.