Introduction
Organizations are about people. People are the most valuable asset that an organization can possess to create success. The development of these people and the ability for an organization to retain talent can be complex. An organization must be organized to communicate and provide the structure necessary for growth and development. They must also have the people within the organization understand their ability to grow and the directions available within the organization for growth.
In the industrial age a company was primarily there to provide goods and serves. Many organizational behaviorists at that time focused on getting the most production from the employee. The employee was looked at as a necessary evil in creating the goods for market.
We have now realized that people are the foundation that can make or break an organization. The thoughts and actions of the company and the employee are imperative to their success. Retaining top talent is about creating a structure that is conducive to growth and development. Empowerment is important on an organizational level and an individual level.
When looking at the dynamics of an organizations empowerment it is essential to recognize the symptoms of disempowerment. Gershon and Straub identified ten symptoms of a disempowered organization. We will look at one case within an organization and four of these symptoms that were evident and describe these dysfunctions. We will then create a plan using Gershon and Straub six values to create an empowering environment.
Four Symptoms of Disempowerment
Distrust and Cynicism
When individuals feel that they must constantly compete for their future a sense of distrust begins to arise. In the case study this organization had weak leaders that did not give others a sense of team involvement. There was constant distrust in coworkers and in management to make the right decisions. Due to the
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