TOP 10 STRATEGIES FOR EMPOWERING AND ENABLING PEOPLE

1. Encourage Leaders to Model and Demonstrate Learning

Because actions usually speak louder than words, managers
can demonstrate their appreciation and love of learning by their
attitude and behavior. Spending time reading, listening, reflect-
ing, studying, and attending learning programs sets a good
example. And the important leadership skills of visioning, men-
tal models, and systems thinking require consistent development
and practice.
Leaders should learn from employees and take their ideas
seriously. It’s important not to filter out bad news; instead, lead-
ers must remain open to data about the organization, industry,
markets, competition, and customers. When channeling infor-
mation to the appropriate employees, it’s best to pass it along
without adding managerial spin. Networks of learners and lead-
ers from learning organizations can provide inspiration. Leaders
must be able to acknowledge and be open about their own mis-
takes and those of others. Mistakes are best viewed as opportu-
nities for learning.

2. Invite Leaders to Champion Learning Processes and Projects

The primary responsibility of managers in learning organiza-
tions is to create a climate that promotes learning. Managers can
develop such an environment in some of the following ways:
• Encourage employees to volunteer problem-solving ideas.
• Respond to employee ideas and suggestions in a timely way.
• Support the people you have empowered.
• Promote partnerships and teams that include you.
• Commit to openly discussing differences and working
through conflicts.
• Advocate and reward learning.
• Encourage experimentation and reflection on acquired
knowledge so that new knowledge can be created.
 • Talk publicly and often about learning.
• Generate and enhance learning opportunities wherever and
whenever possible.
• Listen to your staff, but don’t always provide the answers;
encourage them to solve problems themselves.
• Avoid teaching and controlling.
• Slow down and encourage reflection.

3. Empower Employees to Learn and Produce

Empowerment is often nothing more than a slogan espoused
but not practiced by top management, particularly when major
planning and decision making are under way. Employees quickly
grasp this distinction and put less energy and creativity into imple-
menting company operations. The organization’s brainpower is
barely tapped.
Learning organizations, however, empower and educate their
workers about financial, technical, and other pertinent data that
can lead to wiser decisions. These companies then entrust employ-
ees with the responsibility of achieving success. Truly empowering
organizations realize that it is essential to place responsibility as
close as possible to points of action. They involve employees in
planning, evaluating, and determining responsibilities and profits.
Saturn, a division of General Motors (GM), is a good corpo-
rate example of employee empowerment. The Saturn factory in
Spring Hill, Tennessee, was actually conceived by GM as a labo-
ratory for the development of innovative ideas. And one of the
most revolutionary ideas is Saturn’s approach to employee
empowerment. Each Saturn work team manages itself without
direct oversight from top management. This includes taking
responsibility for its own budget, inventory control, and hiring.
With this kind of empowerment, employees make better and
faster decisions than could their office-bound managers. The
added responsibility has also made workers more accountable,
and absenteeism is at 2.5 percent, much less than the 10 to 15 per-
cent that prevails at other GM plants. And Saturn, since its incep-
tion, has been GM’s most successful and innovative division.
4. Institute Personnel Policies That Reward Learners
Many organizations do not practice their stated value of
recruiting and rewarding people who are learners. In learning
organizations, however, people who learn and help people around
them to learn are promoted, rewarded financially, and given bet-
ter career opportunities. The company looks for potential leaders
among staff who take advantage of learning opportunities, ask
fresh questions in attempts to optimize learning from experience,
and learn well in team settings.

5. Create Self-Managed Work Teams

Probably the most direct way for an organization to demon-
strate its confidence in the level of employee empowerment and
enablement is by using self-managed work teams (also known
as self-directed work teams or high-involvement teams). Several
learning organizations—GM, Colgate, and Glaxo-Wellcome—
have had great success with this kind of unit. Self-managed work
teams are built and supported by a number of important factors.
For team members, these include
• Clear goals and a thorough understanding of the team’s
power and decision-making authority
• Well-defined time frames
• Strong intergroup skills
• Understanding of group processes and functions
• Well-defined procedures for working within and communi-
cating outside of the group
For the organization, these include
• Policies, procedures, and systems that are compatible with
team-based management
• The confidence to react with equanimity to the team’s mis-
takes or slow pace
• The flexibility to allow the team to explore beyond its orig-
inal boundaries
6. Balance Learning and Development Needs
A learning organization must continually build the perfor-
mance capabilities of individuals along with those of the company.
It is important to ensure that organizational requirements do not
overwhelm the personal and performance capabilities of employ-
ees. Otherwise the “well-learned” person will either collapse or
leave for another company.
In respecting the whole person—personally, physically, spiri-
tually, socially, and economically—as well as his or her family
needs, a learning organization tries to be humane and family
friendly. Wellness and physical fitness programs, counseling ser-
vices, flexible work arrangements, and dependent care services all
enable workers to focus energies on being more proficient learn-
ers and more productive workers.

7. Encourage and Enhance Customer Participation

Customers are a vital source of information and represent a
tremendous impetus toward quality and continuous improvement.
Learning companies get help with continuously improving ser-
vices and products by actively sharing information with customers
in order to obtain their ideas and inputs. Learning companies
encourage customers to be part of their organizations. As fellow
team members, customers can help identify needs and inadequa-
cies, offer recommendations, and ensure quality.
To maximize their customers’ involvement in learning and
knowledge exchange, companies must offer opportunities to learn
about products, services, vision, and collaboration options.
Banks can provide information about different types of loans and
investments. Zoos can educate the public about the environment
as well as the care and feeding of animals. Computer compa-
nies can use embedded technology to train, as well as learn from,
customers.
Learning exchanges such as these not only build customer loy-
alty and profits in the short term but also augment the learning
resources of the organization in the long term.
8. Maximize Learning from Business Partners and Alliances
For most American firms, forming alliances with other com-
panies represents primarily an opportunity for increased profits
and greater market share over a limited period of time. Learning
companies, however, see a much greater long-term benefit of
partnerships—the opportunity to acquire valuable learning. To
maximize their learning, they
• Make up-front assessments of the alliance’s learning poten-
tial, which might include such considerations as specific
kinds of knowledge to be gained, core skills that could be
built during the process, and the best approaches to devel-
oping these skills
• Build learning objectives into the agreement, and specify
responsibilities for learning
• Involve human resources staff in facilitating learning
• Arrange for exchanges of personnel who can bring back
learning

9. Build Long-Term Learning Partnerships

with Suppliers and Vendors
Members of a company’s business chain represent resources
for new ideas, information, and programs as well as opportunities
to explore programs or services that the company itself cannot try
out, due to financial, political, or human resources reasons.
Purchasing educational resources, contracting expertise, and
renting facilities can often be not only feasible but much more
cost-effective when undertaken with partners. Reflecting with
partners on experiences and possibilities can also add to overall
learning.

10. Provide Educational Opportunities for the Community

There are a variety of ways in which companies can provide
learning opportunities for the communities in which they operate.
Learning organizations can include local teachers and community
workers in in-house management and technical courses. The
diversity of perspectives will enrich the discussion. They can invite
membership from outside the organization into action learning
groups (described in chapter 3). They can jointly sponsor learning
events with other corporations, academic institutions, and gov-
ernment agencies. They can also identify community learning
needs that can be provided by corporate staff. Community service
opportunities can be highly motivating and can give workers a
greater sense of purpose.
Providing learning opportunities for the community benefits
both the company and the community. The organization’s image
is enhanced and appreciated. There is greater interest in working
for or buying from the company. The quality of life in the com-
munity may be enhanced. Resources can be shared rather than
hoarded or unnecessarily consumed. As a result, learning becomes a
community-wide as well as a company-wide endeavor.