INTRODUCTION

Empowerment is one of the focused for most of the nurse leaders and

managers now a days. Empowerment came from the root word power which

means control and dominations. In some literature empowerment is the

delegation of an official authority to your subordinates. In which empowering

people is enhancing the ability of the staff to decide thru sound judgment.

But before you will truly understand the meaning of empowerment, first we

must define what power is. According to Weber it is the ability to make

others do what we want regardless of their own wishes or interest. However

empowerment is impossible if power cannot be changed. There must be a

power that is flexible and can be delegated to people. As a general definition

empowerment is a multi-dimensional social process that helps people gain

control over their own lives. It is a process that fosters power (that is, the

capacity to implement) in people, for use in their own lives, their

communities, and in their society, by acting on issues that they define as

important.

In relation to nursing practice, empowerment is one of the strategy that a

manager to attain your goals. In some studies beaurucratic way of

managemnt is not that effective anymore, empowerment is a strategy that

can help a person to be confident enough in her job. Nevertheless,

empowerment reduces a manager’s control over his employees. There are

three directions in which the control of a manager had been reduced,

downwards means that there is a loss of controls in the front liner

employees. Because most of the managers are thinking that it is not logical

in delegating decision making to a “less qualified person”. In addition most

of the managers are thinking that they have more seminars about decision

making over their subordinates. But through empowerment a manager is

helping the subordinates to be more accountable in the things that a staff is

doing, this is according to Foegen, 1998.

The phase of change for a new management must be done and involve

every single employees in the decision making to have a more compressed

institutions. Empowerment is considered to be a vehicle to a participative

management. Moreover, empowerment to successfully work in a certain

institution employees must be provided with information needed for their

own potential contribution, training and development experiences necessary

to maximize their own added values and the opportunity to influence the

basic processes of the organizations and perform. Communication is the

vehicle for empowerment to be more effective.

Why empowerment? The new generations are more of a participative way

of management than a directive way of management. And as time goes on a

manager must go along with the changes to attain your goals in a good

process. The culture of “ do this” … “do that”… “ I want it now” of the past

managers must be abolish because it might not be more effective in making

a conducive environment in a workplace. Empowerment is a way also

enabling workers to improve the quality of performance the quality of

employee performance by allowing them to make decisions about their work

in the form of new ideas for production or ways to improve current work.

Teamwork is believed to improve the effectiveness of employee problem

solving and is a way to make workers feel more confident in their worth as

individuals and employees.

The process of empowering employees involves the establishment of a

supportive communication climate. Supervisory personnel have the

opportunity to set up and maintain an atmosphere of open communication

through both their words and deeds. Something as simple as a sincere word

of encouragement or praise from a supervisor has been shown to foster and

encourage subordinates' reciprocity of an open and honest dialogue with the

supervisor and aid the employee in feeling empowered (Valerius, 1998)

Even though empowerment is one of the strategy that can be use as way

of managing people there is pros and cons on these, it is helpful to

employees in gaining a good decision making as well as helping the

management in lessening a bulk of their jobs in terms of management.

Although there is a positive output with the use of empowerment, it can also

be negatively accepted by the employees thinking that it is not their job

because it is somewhat managerial, for the manager’s part empowerment if

not totally supervised can be not effective as it is.

 “ CHOCOLATE EMPOWERMENT THEORY “

A leader is an inspiration and director of the action. He is also a kind of person

who has commanding authority or influence. Who is able to inspire her follower or

specifically her nursing staff to do things beyond a certain task. A leader has the

ability to lift his staff’s morale and he can motivate his subordinates in solving a

particular problem. He is a kind of person who has the ability to influence others for

the achievement of the goals of their organizations. He is understanding and

committed to the organizations. A leader is the one who is creative and visionary,

with communication as he is using to effectively do good management. Believing

that technical skills in a subject matter of expertise is important. A leader has a

passion for learning new things as well as helping his subordinates to learn. A

person who is warm and fun to work with is also one of the characteristics of a

leader. He has a professional presence and with confidence. A leader plans

strategically, non judgemental and the one who always delivers results. These are

the characteristics of a good nurse leader. It is said that a good leader can be a

good manager as well and as a result of the chocolate empowerment theory that

the Davantes’ had created is an effective empowered nurse leader-manager.

Who is a manager then? A manager according to some references a person who

conducts business or household affairs. He is the one responsible for planning and

directing to work of a group of individuals, monitoring their work and taking

corrective action when necessary.

For this chocolate empowerment theory to be possible, a combination of all the

literatures, readings, experiences and some of the theories are collated. The theory

of Field Theory of Human Behavior (Kurt Lewin, 1951) – “that people act the way
they do depending on self – perception and their environments” To understand a

leader’s behavior or that of the follower, one must look at the individual’s

experience. This individual carries perceptions that are valid and must be taken into

account. As well as the Likert’s Four Types of Management Systems, the

Exploitative – Authoritative management uses fear and threats; communication is

top down with most decisions taken at the top; superiors and subordinates are

distant. The Benevolent – Authoritative in which the management uses reward;

information flowing upward is restricted to what management wants to hear and

whilst policy decisions come from top, some prescribed decisions may be delegated

to the lower levels, superiors expert subservience lower down. Consultative

management is the kind of management that offers rewards, occasional

punishments; big decisions come from the top while there is some wider decision

making involvement in details; and communication is downward while critical

upward communication is cautions. Lastly, Participative Management which

encourage group participation and involvement in setting high performance goals

with some economic rewards; communication flows in all directions and is open and

frank; decision making through group process with each group linked to others by

person who are members of more than one group called linking pins; and

subordinates and superiors are closed to each other. The result is high productivity

and better industrial relations. We also included the theory of Daniel Goldman about

Emotional Intelligence (EI) which he defined as a person’s self awareness, self –

confidence, self – control, commitment and integrity, and a person’s ability to

communicate, influence, initiate change and accept change.

In addition, we also refer to some of the management theories available. Henry

Mintzberg (1975) states the three basic roles of the typical manager, Interpersonal
role – is that of a figurehead, a leader and a liaison inside and outside the

organization. Informational role- involved monitoring the organization, sharing

information observed and finally serving as a spokesperson. Decision making role –

the manager is all at once an entrepreneur, disturbance handler, negotiator and

allocator. We also included the Theory X and Y (Douglas McGregor), where Theory X

are the people who prefer to be directed, hope to avoid responsibility and more

interested in financial gain than personal growth. While the Theory Y encourages

worker to develop their potential as they are able to learn under proper conditions

to seek and accept responsibility. To complete the sequence of the end of the

alphabet we included the Theory Z (William G. Ouchi), There are five elements of

Theory Z, the Collective decision making, Long term employment, Slower but more

predictable promotions, Indirect supervision and the Holistic concern for employees.

The main essence of empowerment is decision making, so we included

Management by Decision Making (Herbert Simon) One is the Optimizing (Economic

Man) wherein it is the search for the best alternative possible approach. Second is

Satisfying (Administrative Man) which is using the first workable solution and was

applied.

After collating the necessary information about leader and a manager,

corresponds with the theories related to it is to define what empowerment is.

Empowerment came from the word empower which means to give authority or legal

power to, this is how Webster defined it. Gandz, defined empowerment as the

management vests decision-making or approval authority in employees wherein,

traditionally such authority was a managerial prerogative”. However to Thomas

and Velthouse 1990 article entitled “Cognitive elements of empowerment”, that To

empower means to give power to and Power, means authority. Therefore

empowerment can mean authorization. Nevertheless power also means energy. So

to empower also can mean to energize.

The Davantes’ formulate their own description of empowerment, to EMPOWER is

to energize employees to become an effective empowered nurse leader-manager.

According to some literature there is a process of empowerment, and they are as

follows:

1. Having decision-making power of one's own

2. Having access to information and resources for taking proper decision

3. Having a range of options from which you can make choices (not just yes/no,

either/or.)

4. Ability to exercise assertiveness in collective decision making

5. Having positive thinking on the ability to make change

6. Ability to learn skills for improving one's personal or group power.

7. Ability to change others’ perceptions by democratic means.

8. Involving in the growth process and changes that is never ending and self-

initiated

9. Increasing one's positive self-image and overcoming stigma

10.Increasing one's ability in discreet thinking to sort out right and wrong.
“CHOCOLATE EMPOWERMENT THEORY”

(FRAMEWORK)

EMPOWERED EFFECTIVE
NURSE LEADER-
MANAGER
 The chocolate empowerment theory is composed of five major elements for

this theory to be utilized best. Influence is the first element to be use for a nurse to

be an effective empowered nurse leader-manager. The process of influence is being

used to make the people follow your command. We based the process of influence

from the theory of Kurt Lewin of Human Behavior where in the people act

depending on self-perception and their environments. In empowerment, influence

to people is very important, it is a way of understanding a leader or of the follower’s

individual’s experiences. This individual carries perceptions that are valid and must

be taken into account. Thru influence you are inspiring your subordinates to follow

your lead.

The second process is to motivate people to meet the organization’s goal. In

this process the leader encourages workers to develop their potential as they are

able to learn proper conditions to seek and accept responsibility. Like what Douglas

McGregor in his Theory Y, in which a man can be responsible, creative, self

possessed, self directed and a problem solver if fully motivated. Role modeling can

be one of the manners that can be use in motivating a worker.

After a worker was being influenced and motivated to do a certain task, he will

start to overcome a stigma. That stigma is the relationship of a supervisor and a

subordinate. Thru this process a staff or a worker will have a confidence for an

employee to perform the task given to him or to her. There will be no connotation of

a manager to subordinate but a team coordinating with one another. If a person is

on the process of overcoming the stigma then he is enhancing his self awareness

towards a self confidence and self control then they will act a managerial role which
is the use of interpersonal, informational, and decision making just like in the theory

of Henry Mintzberg and the theory of Daniel Goldman about emotional intelligence.

If a person had overcome his stigma he will have a positive thinking then that

person will have no hesitations in making a decision aligned with all the policies and

procedures of the institution. If a person has a positive outlook in his life and what

he is doing then the person will think of innovations.

Going thru this process will lead a person making a sound decision, that will lead

to an effective empowered nurse leaders. With the guide of the theory of Herbert

Simon, which is the theory using the satisfying and optimizing decision making,