5.

Empowering your Team

Effective leaders create an environment in which
teams realise their full potential. The three
essential leadership roles creating an empowering
and motivating environment include :

Direction
The team needs to know
what overall goals are to be
achieved and have guidance
with regrad to appropriate
ways to achieve these goals

Autonomy
The team must be able
to act independently
and feel responsible for
their performance,
knowing that nothing
happens unless they
make it happen.

Support
The team will require
attention,
encouragement and
recognition.

All three elements are

essential when you aim to
develop your team, if one
is lacking, your team will
remain dependent and
reactive.

Empowerment =
Direction x
Autonomy x
Support

Characteristics of an Empowered
Team
An empowered team is the result of good leadership. The
following are some characteristics of an empowered team.
The teams accepts full responsibility for its performance.
The team makes decisions and solves problems.
The team questions currents methods.
The team suggests change and implements improvements.
The team takes initiative, displays innovation and autonomy.
Positive relations exist within the team.

Great leaders do not make

more followers, they make
other leaders.
Greek Proverb

Building an Empowered Team

The steps below illustrate the process to create an
environment in which a team feels empowered.
Step 1
Involve

Step 5
Recognise

Step 2

Steps
to
Empow
erment

Support

Equip

Step 4

Step 3

Direct

Step 1: Involve the Team

By involving the team and listening to the
members they feel part of the situation and gain
information and insight, which will help them to
make a meaningful contribution. During this step
it is essential that you as leader listen carefully to
want the members say and give thorough
attention to their ideas. By listening carefully,
members realise theirs view are appreciated and
are motivated to participate.

Step 2: Provide Direction

To act independently the team needs to know
what the overall objectives and goals are and
why. Without direction a team experiences
frustration and lacks focus. When the overall
direction is set, the team will be able to
decide detalis regarding actions to be taken
along the way.

Step 3: Equip the Team and Provide

Authority
To be empowered a team need resources such as
information, equipment, time, skill and money.
Without resources a team remains dependent a
reactive. Also, the team needs formal authority to
make decisions and implement improvements, the
team needs to know what it may do, and how far
its influence reaches.

Step 4: Support and motivate the

Team
In beginning the team may require lots of
encouragement, motivation and support.
As leader it is essential that you display
enthusiasm and possitive expectations of
the team as these will be felt by the
members. If you as leader do not display
enthusiasm and positive expectations,
neither will your team. The ultimate aim is
to foster autonomy so that the team
should feel we did it ourselves.

Step 5: Recognise and Praise the

Team
Recognition and praise are essential to
instil confidence and feelings of success
within the team. Focus on recognising
the team as a whole, rather than
individual members, as this builds team
spirit.

Recognising Good
Performance

Empowerment gives the team greater control and

self-direction over its destination. The team takes
responsibility for day-to-day decision making,
problem solving and end results. The team leader
opens doors, provides support and offers advice.

Ideally the team should be able to

take responsibility for a whole process
(e.g. product line or costumer groups)
so that the team can measure its
performance and success directly.

6.The Decision-Making Ladder

Decision-Making Styles
Decision-making is an essential
part of leadership.
Broadly speaking there are four
main decision-making styles, each
has advantages and an impact on
the teams development and
commitment to the decision.
Availability of information and
time, as well as the level of
commitment required to
implement the decision, are factors
to consider when making decisions.

Instructing Style
A leader adopting this style does not
elicit input or view from the team but
takes unilateral decisions and tells
the team what to do. The instructing
style may be appropriate when time
is a critical factor and only the leader
has all the information.
Without participation from others,
commitment to the decision and its
implementation is limited. Besides
this, the decision will only be a sgood
as the leaders personal ability and
insight, the team will not develop.

Consulting Style
The leader obtaining
advice and information
from team members and
then making a decision
characterises this style. A
strength of this style is
that individuals have been
involved informally and
this will increase their
commitment. However, the
leaders decision may
contradict individual inputs
and therefore discourage
future participation.

Consensus Style
Consensus is when the whole
team comes together, discusses
all information and takes full
ownership for the decision as
one team. Consensus does not
mean 100% agreement but
every member is prepared to
fully support the teams
decision. The responsbility for
the decision lies with the team
and not the person. Although
time consuming, this style leads
to commitment and for this
reason implementation is more
successful. This style is the best
used when the decision is
important or the leader wishes
to develop the team.

Delegating Style
The highest degree of
commitment is achieved when
the team takes all decisions itself.
The leader agrees overall goals
with the team and allows the
team to make all decisions
thereafter. The team develops,
improves its skills, and learning
takes place. This is an important
step towards empowering the
team.
By delegating the responsibility of
decision-making, the leader can
devote his/her time to developing
the team and its business.