The nature of the competitive environment encourages most organizations to develop strategies that help them to survive. They have come to realize that their old command-control hierarchies are less effective (Quinn & Spreitzer, 1997). Also, they understand how individuals are powerful and have influence on their performances. Thus, empowering their employees gives competitive advantages to meet the challenges that based on many factors. In particular; trust, training and knowledge are the key components to achieve and increase personal power (Dess & Picken, 2000).
Firstly, it is important to understand the concept of empowerment, before moving on to discuss the process of change. Randolph defines empowerment as "release the power within people to achieve astonishing result" (Randolph, 2000, 95). Senior executives have been interviewed and asked to explain empowerment. Half of them described empowerment as delegation and accountability. The rest of managers believed that empowerment was about trust (Quinn & Spreitzer, 1997). The theory of empowerment is simple, but the implementation of it is complex at the same time.
Why do organizations find difficulties in the movement to empower bureaucratic structures? Actually, changing behaviors is among the most challenging issues faced by employees and organizations (Randolph, 2000). Owing to accustomed behavior patterns in the command-and-control systems, Randolph (2000) blames managers for discouraging their employee. Such system has multi-level of managers who hold the authorities and control the flow of information. In addition, they are entitled to make decisions and define the strategies to perform tasks. These rigid structures can inhibit creativity and maintain the status quo. Similarly, employees often rely on their perception of previous experiences, which make employees resisting to change (Dess & Picken, 2000). However, managers and employees should focus on solutions rather than problems.
