Empowering employees is generally seen as a positive thing for managers and organizations to do.  New research from Michigan State University reminds us, however, that strategies meant to empower and motivate people may not always work, and can even backfire.

“People tend to think of empowerment in uniformly positive ways,” the researchers explain. “After all, humans crave independence and control so giving it to them at work should be a good thing. However, as people feel increasingly autonomous, they can also become unmoored from others’ needs, expectations and social norms.”

The paper highlights how it’s become increasingly common for organizations to implement strategies that are designed to empower leaders in the hope that this will also empower employees too.  The study found that while this can indeed happen if things are implemented properly, it is by no means guaranteed, with the management style of the person implementing them the key.

The right approach

The researchers found that managers who value being respected tend to use empowerment initiatives to subsequently empower their team.  By contrast, those who instead value being in charge tend to use empowerment initiatives to try and control and dominate their team.

“We found that leaders who really care about being respected by their subordinates tend to react to empowerment initiatives by ‘paying it forward’ with certain behaviors. This could include things like allowing subordinates to set their own goals or decide how to accomplish tasks,” the researchers explain. “In contrast, leaders who prefer to be in control and tell others what to do tend to react to these initiatives by doubling down on their desire for control. This is when we see things like micromanaging or setting specific goals for subordinates.”

They believe that this is likely to be a factor during the current COVID era too, with certain managers choosing to micromanage employees by monitoring their online status and requesting frequent check-ins.

“I wouldn’t necessarily characterize this as abusing an empowerment initiative, but certainly could rub employees the wrong way,” the researchers conclude.