Empowerment

El empowerment o empoderamiento es una técnica o herramienta de gestión que consiste en delegar, otorgar o transmitir poder, autoridad, autonomía y responsabilidad a los trabajadores o equipos de trabajo de una empresa para que puedan tomar decisiones, resolver problemas o ejecutar tareas sin necesidad de consultar u obtener la aprobación de sus superiores.

El objetivo principal del empowerment es buscar distribuir niveles adecuados de poder, autoridad, autonomía y responsabilidad en toda la organización

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3M donde los empleados tienen cierto tiempo del día para desarrollar sus propios inventos o mejoras.

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co. (3M) in Saint Paul, Minn., a diversified manufacturer with more than $13 billion in annual sales, has a longstanding reputation for empowering employees. Here is Chief Executive Officer Livio DeSimone's 10-point plan for making it work:

1) Give folks time to follow their muse--3M encourages technical employees to spend 15 percent of their work time on research projects of their choice. The result: products like Post-it Notes, which bring more than $100 million of revenues into the company every year.

2) Create a culture of cooperation that ignores departmental boundaries.

3) Measure results--3M has specific expectations for sales, earnings, market share, and new products.

4) Encourage communication between company employees and company customers.

5) Stage celebrations to recognize employees--The pinnacle of employee awards at 3M is induction into the Carlton Society, the company's hall of fame.

6) Encourage managers to be honest, even if it means saying no--Employees are strongly encouraged to submit new ideas at 3M, but if the ideas don't make sense, then managers are expected to reject them directly and honestly.

7) Reward long-term employment--There are few layoffs at 3M and most managers have been with the company for 25 years or longer.

8) Give high-level managers international assignments to round out their experience--About 75 percent of 3M's top executives have lived abroad on assignment.

9) Increase research and development spending on a regular basis to spur employees to new heights of innovation--3M has upped the ante on R&D spending each year for the past two decades.

10) Don't always listen to Wall Street--In the '80s, when security analysts advised heavy borrowing to leverage the company, DeSimone opted for a safer course.

Action Teams One of the ways 3M management empowers employees is through interdisciplinary action teams. According to 3M corporate scientist David Braun, a successful action team must have a specific charter, be highly focused, and

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