Clark et al. (2009) used and 8 item empowering leadership style scale from
Cook et al.’s (Cook et al. 1981) Leader Behavior Description Questionnaire
Version 12 (LBDQ XII); and
Gill et al. (2010) focused on employee desire for empowerment -
operationalised as the extent to which hospitality service employees were
‘...willing to have freedom to use their own initiative and judgment in
performing their jobs’ (p. 266) – and drew upon the scales developed by
Hartline and Ferrell (1996)
Spreitzer (1992, 1995) drew upon earlier work by Conger and Kanungo (1988b)
and Thomas and Velthouse (1990) to develop a four-factor model of
empowerment. The four factors are Meaning (the value of work goals or job
purpose), Competence (an individual’s feeling of self-efficacy at work), Self-
Determination (autonomy to make decisions) and Impact (the degree to which
the individual can influence processes and outcomes at work – this factor is
referred to as Personal Control by Fulford and Enz (1995). Fulford and Enz
(1995) employed this model in their study of service and non-service employees
in North American hospitality organisations (private clubs). Fulford and Enz
identified a modified three-factor structure where Self Determination and Impact
merged to form a factor that the authors named Influence.
Hancer and George (2003) used Fulford and Enz’s 12-item / 3-factor model in
their empowerment survey of non-supervisory employees working in full-service
restaurant chains. Hancer and George dropped one of the Competence items to
improve the internal consistency of that factor – the three factors and the 11
related items are described below (Influence = In, Meaning = Me and
Competence = Co).
(In1) I have freedom in determining how to do my job
(In2) I have influence over what happens in my workgroup
(In3) I have a great deal of control over my job
(In4) I have a chance to use personal initiative in my work
(In5) I decide on how to go about doing my job
(In6) My opinion counts in workgroup decision-making
(Me1) My work is very important to me
(Me2) My job activities are meaningful to me
(Me3) I care about what I do on my job
(Co1) I have mastered the skills to do my job
(Co2) I am confident about my ability to do my job
(Hancer and George 2003: 11)