The Employee Empowerment 1 Running head: THE EMPLOYEE EMPOWERMENT IN IT DEPARTMENT

The Employee Empowerment in Information Technology Department Arman Kanooni Capella University COMP8004 – Managing and Organizing People Professor: Dr. Will I Reed November 7, 2005

The Employee Empowerment 2 Abstract Many Information Technology (IT) Departments in major corporations are trying to shift the management practices from a traditional style of command and control toward the participatory management style. They encourage virtual teams, global mobile telecommuting, flexible hours, and greater participation of employees in the decision-making process in work groups. In this paper, we examine an employee versus a manager conceptual model of employee empowerment program and examine this issue in light of relevant theories of leadership, motivation theories, and cognitive science. The barriers to employee involvement are reviewed and some effective methods to remove these obstacles will be explored. Finally, the notion of delegation of decision making from managers to employees will be addressed in the context of the employee empowerment program.

The Employee Empowerment 3 Table of Contents Introduction..................................................................................................................................... 4 What is empowerment?................................................................................................................... 5 Goals and objectives of empowerment ........................................................................................... 6 Benefits of empowerment ............................................................................................................. 11 Organizational and individual roadblocks to employee empowerment........................................ 12 Removing roadblocks to employee