The Effects Of Psychological Empowerment On Employees

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Individual Factors Individual factors are also vital to incentivizing employees, especially during times when job security is uncertain. Over two and a half million jobs were lost in 2008 due to downsizing and layoffs, and surveys indicate that it takes at least six months to secure new employment, hence the reason why employees seek companies that empower their workforce Jawahar (2012). Empowerment along with recognition and rewards and career support and growth opportunities are respective of the individual employee. These incentives are based on employee participation and involvement in response to organizational benefits. The common denominator is that the employee has the power to determine to what degree they feel empowered to reap the benefits that the organization offers as it relates to reward programs and career opportunities. Empowerment Huang (2012) expresses that psychological empowerment is associated with four cognitions: meaning, competence, self-determination, and impact. He indicates that psychological empowerment is critical to improving job performance and morale. The first cognition, “Meaning,” provides one with a standard for judging their own workplace goals. The second, “Competence,” refers to the employee’s ability to perform their job successfully. The third, “Cognition,” is self-determination, the autonomy or independence, where one has control over their work behavior or process. Then, lastly, "Impact,” which refers to the influence one has over organizational outcomes. These four components of empowerment create a higher level of trust and organizational commitment leading to increased morale Huang (2012). Recognition and Rewards Salie & Schlechter (2012) site Vroom’s motivational... ... middle of paper ... ...ty; solicit suggestions; conduct employee satisfaction surveys; and establish employee recognition programs. The contributions of the literature in this paper gives ideas from multiple authors on practices that are used in the marketplace to incentivize employees and build morale through organizational and individual factors. These factors point to research that supports programs that are tailored to increase morale and job satisfaction. The strengths within this literature review are articles that define morale and leadership. The literature points to causes and effects of low morale and leadership styles that encourage increase morale. The overall weakness of the literature review is the lack of articles explaining how ethics affect low morale in the workforce. Lastly, what is missing is how employees handle work/life balance and how that may affect morale.

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