In many organizations, the concepts of empowerment and self-managed work teams have become misinterpreted, distorted, and watered down. Some managers have used these concepts as excuses to absence themselves from the people who are seeking guidance, information, and feedback. Such managers only appear to criticize, deliver bad news, or receive the accolades for successes that were achieved despite the lack of leadership. In our experience, positive changes take place when managers are reintroduced to their work groups and teams. When they reassume their leadership role by providing information, contributing during discussions, guiding decisions, coaching for improved performance, and offering frequent feedback, the results are generally positive.
Managers have to consciously think about and commit to changing their behavior.
When they reintroduce positive leadership behaviors consistently over time, trust will be rebuilt, communication will improve, decisions will be more timely and based on accurate information, roles and responsibilities will be clearer, and people's actions will be directed toward productive efforts. Assessment, feedback, and coaching are the critical components to changing behavior and sustaining the new behavior over time. Including feedback from direct reports and peers is a powerful process for helping managers understand the changes that are necessary and for tracking their development. Measuring present behavior provides a description . But, measuring and clarifying the expectations of others aids in the prescription .