150 • 100 GREAT BUSINESS IDEAS
Employees were trusted to use their initiative and to access a small
budget to ensure customers’ specifi c needs and preferences were
met. This provided a distinctive service and customer value at a
competitive price.
In practice
- Understand what you mean by empowerment and what you
want to achieve. - Identify barriers to empowerment and how they can be
overcome. - Communicate your ideas and win support.
- Establish and agree the boundaries, and be prepared to have
these boundaries tested. - Ensure that your people have the necessary skills, resources, and
attitudes to take control. - Agree objectives and performance measures. Empowerment is
not about dumping work on people and leaving them: it requires
support and agreement. - Provide support, monitor developments, and iron out any
diffi culties, particularly in the early days, but make sure that you
do not undermine the process. - Try to secure early “wins” and successes that highlight the value
of the process.