As stated above, with increased power comes increased responsibility. Not only must empowered employees take responsibility for their actions, but they must also understand the high level of trust and support that is a part of empowerment or they will lose their credibility. They fulfill the need to focus on each element of the company, by creating self-directed teams. Each team focuses on a specific goal for the company. Through quicker reactions to its market and customers than its competitors, it is able to create a competitive advantage for itself.
Empowered employees are able to respond quicker to the needs of the marketplace and to customers.
In a hierarchical management system, top managers have to sift through many decisions about the company, taking time to look at and process all the necessary information about each decision to come to an educated and well thought resolution. Under an empowered management system, these top managers serve only as barrier movers, helping the middle management comes to their own resolves. In this way the company is able to come to many resolutions about any and all aspects of the company in a very quick manner. They do not have to run back and forth with upper management about new ideas or solutions to problems as they are critiqued over and over again, wasting valuable time to the company. This speeds up the process of adaptation, an essential part of any company wishing to be competitive in their market.