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Creating a Culture of Empowerment Fosters the Flexibility to Change
Author(s) -
Schultz John R.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
global business and organizational excellence
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.227
H-Index - 16
eISSN - 1932-2062
pISSN - 1932-2054
DOI - 10.1002/joe.21583
Subject(s) - flexibility (engineering) , empowerment , adaptation (eye) , business , organizational culture , organizational change , knowledge management , marketing , culture change , competitive advantage , process management , industrial organization , public relations , computer science , management , sociology , economics , psychology , political science , economic growth , social science , neuroscience
Agility—being able to rapidly adapt to disruptive forces and competitive challenges—is the goal of many enterprises. Traditional organizational cultures that cling to hierarchical norms and beliefs, however, can impede adaptation to change. By building a culture of empowerment in which workers at all levels can evaluate methods and operations in light of customer needs, functional deficiencies, and market forces—and propose solutions to the problems they identify—organizational leaders can foster the flexibility that is essential to respond to and even anticipate the ever‐fluctuating demands of the marketplace. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.