Putting the Power Back Into Empowerment: Construct Clarification and the Incorporation of Trust DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Beth Marie Polin, B.A. Graduate Program in Labor and Human Resources The Ohio State University 2013 Dissertation Committee: Howard J. Klein, Advisor Roy J. Lewicki Robert B. Lount, Jr. Copyrighted by Beth Marie Polin 2013 Abstract Organizations that have an empowered workforce contain employees who may claim higher job satisfaction, higher organizational commitment, lower turnover intention, and better job performance, among other desirable outcomes. But to best achieve such attitudes and behaviors, it is critical that a clear conceptualization and operationalization of the empowered state and the empowerment process exist. This dissertation has two objectives. First, a clarified and more accurate definition of the empowered state is presented. Despite the ubiquitousness of empowerment, no clear conceptualization and thus operationalization exist for the construct. Keeping in mind its power roots and its multidimensional nature, the empowered state is defined as a psychological state reflecting autonomy, control, and accountability. By labeling this the empowered state instead of empowerment, the internal state of the employee can be better differentiated from the empowerment process. The second objective of this dissertation, then, is to present and verify such a model of the empowerment process, which includes actors and forces in the employee’s external environment. This model identifies the factors impacting the degree to which an employee experiences an empowered state, outcomes of the empowered state, and other mediating variables. The role of trust between a manager and an employee in the ii empowerment process—a relationship not yet studied in an empowerment context—is also examined. To test hypotheses concerning the empowered state and the empowerment process, data was gathered from part-time/working graduate students and their managers. A total of 108 manager-employee pairs were collected. Factor analysis, regression analyses, and indirect effects models were used in the data analysis process. Results partially support the proposed clarified definition of the empowered state. The suggested antecedents of access to information and resources and core self-evaluation show significant relationships with the empowered state. Mixed results emerge for competence, meaningfulness, and goal internalization being mediators of the relationship between antecedents and the empowered state. Both an employee’s trust judgments about their manager and a manager’s trust judgments about their employee are found to play a role in the empowerment process. Finally, a number of outcome variables are supported in the model. After findings are discussed, strengths and weaknesses of the study are offered, implications are proposed, and future research needs are identified. iii This dissertation is dedicated to my parents, who taught me the importance of a meaningful education and then offered years of guidance, love, and support while I achieved such an education. iv Acknowledgements My dissertation committee deserves my deepest thanks for their commitment, not only to the progress and ultimate completion of this dissertation, but also to my professional development throughout my time in my doctorate program. My advisor, Dr. Howard Klein, helped me give life to a single-page idea that grew into a study that has and will continue to capture my interest and attention. His patience and faith in me have not gone unnoticed or unappreciated. Dr. Roy Lewicki has always provided a dependable foundation of true mentorship. He never fell short of providing the guidance and encouragement that I often needed. Dr. Robert Lount has proven to be one of my greatest role models. As I hope to soon be gaining the status of assistant professor, I know from him that hard work and dedication will prepare a young professor for a promising career. In recognition of my entire dissertation committee, I hope to emulate their academic support and inspiration and pay them forward in my career. I would also like to thank those professors who assisted in the data collection for this dissertation and granted me time to recruit participants for the survey. In addition, I extend my gratitude to Willie Stromeyer who kindly served as a statistical reference as I analyzed my data. Finally, I would like to recognize my fellow PhD candidates, namely Ali Dachner, Brian Saxton, BiJuan Zhong, and Chirs Sutter, who engaged in stimulating v discussions about many ideas in this dissertation. They have been faithful companions throughout our doctorate program, and I look forward to being lifelong colleagues and friends with them. vi Vita May 2004 Reitz Memorial High School May 2008 B.A. Economics, DePauw University September 2008 to present Graduate Research and Teaching Associate, Department of Management and Human Resources, The Ohio State University Publications Lewicki, R.J. & Polin, B. (forthcoming). Principled negotiation. In E.H. Kessler (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Management Theory. Sage. Lewicki, R.J. & Polin, B. (forthcoming). The role of trust in negotiation processes. In R. Bachman & A. Zaheer (Eds.), Handbook of Advances in Trust Research. Edward Elger. Lewicki, R.J. & Polin, B. (forthcoming). Trust in negotiation. In M. Olekalns & W.L. Adair (Eds.), Handbook of Research in Negotiation. Edward Edgar Publishing, UK. Klein, H.J. & Polin, B. (2012). Are organizations onboard with best practices onboarding? In C.R. Wanberg (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Organizational Socialization (pp. 267-287). New York: Oxford University Press. vii Lewicki, R.J. & Polin, B. (2012). The art of the apology: The structure and effectiveness of apologies in trust repair. In R.M. Kramer & T.L. Pittinsky (Eds.), Restoring Trust in Organizations and Leaders: Enduring Challenges and Emerging Answers (pp. 95- 128). New York: Oxford University Press. Fields of Study Major Field: Labor and Human Resources Minor Fields: Quantitative Psychology, Social Psychology viii Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Dedication .......................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgements ..............................................................................................................v Vita .................................................................................................................................... vii Table of Contents ............................................................................................................... ix List of Tables xiv List of Figures xvii Chapter 1: The Need for Clarification in Empowerment Research 1 The Empowered State 3 The Empowerment Process 5 Overview 8 Chapter 2: A Review of Research Relating to Empowerment 11 A Brief History of Empowerment 11 Different Approaches to Defining Empowerment 12 The Power Approach 13 The Participative Management Approach 15 The Multidimensional Approach 18 Lack of an Empowerment Definition 20 Summary 20 Variables Surrounding Empowerment 21 Antecedents to Empowerment 22 Participative Management 22 Contextual Antecedents 27 Individual Characteristics 30 ix
Description: