ABSTRACT
Within the context of intense global competition, it has been established that organisations are constantly seeking new sources of competitive advantage. In line with this argument, I have pointed out that employee empowerment came to prominence as a management response to rapid economic and technological change and an increasingly complex and competitive external environment. Increasing market competition and the need to comply with quality standards and award criteria, have forced organisations to think of ways to meet these demands. As discussed, one of the ways many organisations choose to do this is to empower their employees. However, I have pointed out the problem is that leaders in organisations are introducing employee empowerment without fully understanding what it means or what they are committing themselves to. Furthermore, in the absence of a ‘framework’, they also face difficulties with regards to implementing it.
