"The Empowering Work Environment Quiz" Matt M. Starcevich, Ph.D., Carol A. Otto, Ph.D., and George M. Benskey (For individual use only, not to be reproduced or distributed without permission) For more information: Contact Us Published in Spirit, the magazine of Southwest Airlines To remain competitive, organizations are abandoning the traditional hierarchical command-and-control management style in favor of establishing a work environment that advocates employee empowerment at all levels. To establish this new environment entails encouraging employee responsibility, accountability, self-management, trust and recognition; it requires leaders who are willing to let go of their role as bosses and take on roles as coaches and facilitators. Achieving this change is not easy. Some deeply ingrained obstacles and beliefs about leadership, management, employees and modern organizations must be confronted and challenged. The empowering work environment requires a set of values and beliefs that must be embraced and practiced by all levels of management. This quiz tests your readiness to accept an empowering work environment by evaluating the degree to which you hold these values and beliefs. In evaluating/recommending three candidates for promotion into a middle level managerial position, you believe: Past achievements are the best predictors of a person's future success. The person's ability to coach, train, and lead a high-performance team is as important as past performance results. The candidate's ability to fit in with the current middle management team is a top priority. None You are composing next year's budget. What criteria do you use to determine allocations for training employees? Fund business and leadership training for managers. Fund literacy and basic skills training for hourly and non-exempt employees. Fund basic business and leadership training for all employees. None Your organization is revising its management appraisal system. Whose feedback should be considered when evaluating a manager's performance? To evaluate a manager's performance, collect feedback from everyone-the manager's boss, subordinates and peers and any customers and/or suppliers who do business with the manager. Only the manager's boss and key leaders with whom the manager interacts should provide feedback on his or her performance. Management performance appraisals should be eliminated. There are too many variables affecting performance that are beyond the manager's control (the competition, demographic shifts, inflation, etc.). None You have made a very costly error that has resulted in extensive budget reductions for your department. How do you explain the reductions to your group? Explain that the budget has been cut; refrain from telling them the real reason, unless specifically asked. Explain the whole truth up front, including what the error was and why it occurred. Create a reason that the employees would be likely to tolerate to explain why the budget was cut (e.g., revenue projections have decreased). None Your organization invested heavily in a new technology that will change the way work is done in your group. In implementing the changes you: Get input from the technology experts and your management team, then prepare the implementation plan yourself. Have the plan developed by one of your managers and, if appropriate, have the union representative work with the manager. Bring together a team of individuals who will be directly affected by the technology and ask them to create the implementation plan. None When evaluating a department's performance, how much importance should be placed on individual performance; how much on the team's effort? 20 percent on individual accomplishment and 80 percent on team accomplishments. 100 percent on individual accomplishment. 80 percent on individual accomplishment and 20 percent on team accomplishments. None You have been called into an emergency budget meeting and asked to reduce your department's budget by 5 percent. Which of the following items would you cut? Training expenses. Your salary and the salary of other managers. Employee Recognition Awards. None You have been asked to identify the obstacles to implementing an employee-empowering environment at your company. Where do you start? With a study to determine who is causing the obstacles. With the employees because empowerment obstacles are 80% employee controlled and 20% management controlled. With the systems and practices controlled by management because empowerment obstacles are 80% management controlled and 20% employee controlled. None Which of the following best depicts how the role of the front line supervisor will develop in an employee-empowering environment? The role of the supervisor will change and expand to include providing direction, developing teams and team members, coaching and training. The supervisor will control and decide all the important decisions; other employees will be involved to varying degrees in decisions of lesser importance. The role of the supervisor will be greatly reduced. Employees will be given control and will be able to make decisions in every aspect of their jobs. None How would you to describe the employee empowering work environment? It is something for hourly employees. It is a system based on shared values. It is a series of training programs and quality circles. None How long do you think it will take to implement an employee-empowering environment? 2 to 3 years. Longer than 3 years and less than 10 More than 10 years. None How do you typically refer to the people you work with? As individuals, associates, and teammates. As managers, subordinates, and employees. As supervisors, labor, and support. None Which of the following are true statements about the employee-empowered environment? The biggest barriers are created by rank and file. The biggest barriers are created by management, primarily first-level supervision. The results are quick and quantifiable after the process is implemented. None Email Time's up
Matt M. Starcevich, Ph.D., Carol A. Otto, Ph.D., and George M. Benskey
(For individual use only, not to be reproduced or distributed without permission) For more information: Contact Us Published in Spirit, the magazine of Southwest Airlines
To remain competitive, organizations are abandoning the traditional hierarchical command-and-control management style in favor of establishing a work environment that advocates employee empowerment at all levels. To establish this new environment entails encouraging employee responsibility, accountability, self-management, trust and recognition; it requires leaders who are willing to let go of their role as bosses and take on roles as coaches and facilitators. Achieving this change is not easy. Some deeply ingrained obstacles and beliefs about leadership, management, employees and modern organizations must be confronted and challenged.
The empowering work environment requires a set of values and beliefs that must be embraced and practiced by all levels of management. This quiz tests your readiness to accept an empowering work environment by evaluating the degree to which you hold these values and beliefs.
In evaluating/recommending three candidates for promotion into a middle level managerial position, you believe:
You are composing next year's budget. What criteria do you use to determine allocations for training employees?
Your organization is revising its management appraisal system. Whose feedback should be considered when evaluating a manager's performance?
You have made a very costly error that has resulted in extensive budget reductions for your department. How do you explain the reductions to your group?
Your organization invested heavily in a new technology that will change the way work is done in your group. In implementing the changes you:
When evaluating a department's performance, how much importance should be placed on individual performance; how much on the team's effort?
You have been called into an emergency budget meeting and asked to reduce your department's budget by 5 percent. Which of the following items would you cut?
You have been asked to identify the obstacles to implementing an employee-empowering environment at your company. Where do you start?
Which of the following best depicts how the role of the front line supervisor will develop in an employee-empowering environment?
How would you to describe the employee empowering work environment?
How long do you think it will take to implement an employee-empowering environment?
How do you typically refer to the people you work with?
Which of the following are true statements about the employee-empowered environment?
Time's up
