This is a fabulous two by two matrix on empowering teams to save time and remain productive/make decisions in the absence of their Manager!!

I have seen this ever so often being an area of confusion and non -understanding, especially where teams are being micromanaged ,and the cultures are top/ down power-centric. Authority bias reigns and Teams have been told to ask the Boss about EVERYTHING before proceeding to action. This is especially common where there is concern on the teams readiness/ maturity to deal with customers, senior stakeholders or handle a project independently…

As a result the Teams experience the opposite of empowerment, don’t feel trusted to keep things going despite often being experienced and capable. This can adversely impact self esteem, competence and confidence building… and the Manager becomes a bottleneck for Everything that needs to get done!

Instead where Urgency and stakes are clarified, teams can keep progressing with execution, while keeping the Manager informed, or proceed independently wherever the Stakes are low. This can not only build morale within Teams, but can help build Cultures of Contribution and more Empowerment eventually. What has been your experience with Team empowerment? Do you believe this reduces the experience of Work? Not having clarity can easily reduce collaboration, engagement and productivity. Do you agree?