Alex B Week 7 Assignment (1) First a statement of the question, (2) A definition of the term used in the question,

(3) Your summary and comments, and, (4) An organizational example to demonstrate that you see how the concept applies in the real world. (1) Is "empowerment" just a buzzword, or is it something that can really make a difference in organizations today? (2) Empowerment is the process of assigning execution rights to tasks which have been IQ -delegated. (3) The importance of empowerment depends on which type of employees your organization A demands. I belief that in a streamlined, %6Ohighly oiled%60 organization empowerment will allow for changes in process which may counter the process previously established by management. Employees have specific roles and tasks which they perform, in a fashion previously established by management to provide for -kit'( experience the organization's clients expect to receive. Employees may not be aware of the organiz n mission and goals as whole. In these instances it is my belief that employees who raise questions; sl the process. Likewise if a process is altered without understanding the consequences of theanization as a 'te whole will ultimately detriment the productivit . However, in other organizations the compl kn Is as a o a -m , v - - d eir job properly, and understand the organ api les. mp oyee ,,, , _. whole are better equipped to raise questions about issues and offer solutions which will greatly benefit 7 everyone. (4) Starbucks: The company utilizes %60Standards of Business Conduct in the Business Ethics and 6? Compliance%60 as their handbook. The document describes how the baristas should greet customers, record drink names by abbreviation, use appropriate body language and gestures, %60Iearning in the same fashion and order in which tasks are naturally performed%60. These instructions were orchestrated to deliver service in a similar fashion and to create homogeneity between the branch stores, modification of procedure in one store would violate the very foundation of the organization's mission statement. Yes, diligent training will greatly reduce the scope of the problem, however, with high turn-over ratio I would argue that the training time creates its own inefficiencies. Starbucks would first need to improve the retainnnent rate for employees, before extending any training to receive benefits of empowerment.<br>

1. Attached Files Empowernment.rtf

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