Empowerment: Owning problems, and NOT merely tasks!

Updated on 25 December 2010 by Lokesh Datta

What if we could … * Break-down the business problem/challenge into sub-problems, to whatever level appropriate * Maintain and highlight inherent dependencies (precedence) of sub-problems; that is, the order in which they should be solved * Highlight the expertise needed to solve sub-problems and thus identify any skills/capabilities gaps * Translate collection of sub-problems into a “Solution Plan” (similar to a Project Plan) * Develop contingency plans for inherently visible dependencies * Have collaborators own sub-problems, for which they easily and clearly understand the impact and contribution of their efforts in the context of the larger business challenge * Effectively communicate the progress in terms of solution progress, instead of task status * Create an organization of problem-solvers, not task-performers

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What Empowerment? Enterprise 2.0 Meets Taylorism!

Updated on 25 December 2010 by Lokesh Datta

One buzzword of Enterprise 2.0 is EMPOWERMENT. The reasoning goes that empowerment leads to ownership, motivation, creativity, learning & growth, and superior performance, and so on (insert other organization development buzzwords here!). Proponents of the Enterprise 2.0 movement tell us what we should do and why, vis-à-vis empowerment. But, when it comes to the “how” in the real-world, the guidance is a bit sketchy. Here is what we face. We still use methods to manage collaborative efforts that go back to the command & control mindset of Taylorism, with task orientation and assignments. Sometimes, these tasks can be down to hourly or daily levels. Sophisticated tools exist and are in use today that allow for near real-time update and monitoring of progress.

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