The Power of Empowerment. March 22, 2016 Do you sometimes wonder just what power is and who really has it? In the hierarchical view of organizations, there is only one way to see power and that is that power resides with those at the top. Today, in the new empowered forms of organizations, however, there is a less defined view of power. That’s because when you empower people, power can be anywhere in the organization: with those at the top, those dealing with customers, those doing a key job, and so on. The two forms of power There are two kinds of organizational power: top-down and bottom-up. Top-down power is the traditional form of power and usually resides with those who have status and position. On paper, these people are the most powerful in the organization. Bottom-up power is a more interesting form of power. It can reside with anyone who has the power to make a difference. In short, it can be called “screw-up power”. While p...
