Perceptions of Tourist Guides on Employee Empowerment: Behavioral Approach

Empowerment can be used to describe both the psychological perspective as well as the organizational (structural-behavioral) one (Appelbaum, Hebert and Leroux, 1999, p. 233). The psychological empowerment is viewed as the perception or attitudes of individuals towards their work and their roles in an organization (Chang and Liu, 2008, p. 1444). The organizational perspective which was analyzed in this study includes having access to information and job-essential resources, receiving support, and having the opportunity to learn and grow (Chang and Liu, 2008, p. 1444). It is theoretically defined as an organization’s ability to offer access to information, resources, support and opportunity in the work environment (O'Brien, 2010, p. 6; Pelit, 2011, p. 211; Tolay, Sürgevil and Topoyan, 2012, p. 450). Information is defined as knowledge of the organization on policies, decisions, goals and data and offers a sense of meaning and purpose, increasing the ability of the worker to make decisions and judgments that contribute to the mission of the organization. Resources are defined as the necessary money, equipment and time do the work. Support is defined as feedback and guidance from peers, supervisors and others. Opportunity is defined as access to education and growth in the workplace (O'Brien, 2010, p. 6).