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Leader Behaviors that Empower First Line Supervisors and Their Work Teams at the 142d Maintenance Group Portland State University EMPA Capstone Presentation Lt Col Joseph Harris. Background/Literature Review. Why Empowerment? No single concept more central to OD
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Leader Behaviors that Empower First Line Supervisors and Their Work Teams at the 142d Maintenance GroupPortland State University EMPA Capstone PresentationLt Col Joseph Harris
Background/Literature Review • Why Empowerment? • No single concept more central to OD • Motivates and inspires best org performance • Nothing more frustrating to me as a public leader • OD Initiatives Fade Away • At the 142d MXG, e.g. TQM, Lean, CPI • In the military and other public sector hierarchies • Applied broadly without sensitivity to obstacles • Do They Have To? • Despite obstacles employees are empowered! • How? Can there be more?
Key Research Questions • How Are Individuals & Teams Empowered? • How are obstacles negotiated? • What part have leaders played? • 142d MXG good test bed? Research Question: What leader behaviors have most successfully empowered first line supervisors and their work teams within the 142d MXG?
Research Method • Study Population: All First Line Work Teams • Sample selection method: Judgment/Purposive • Sample selected: 29 first line supervisors • Data Collection: Informal Interview • 26/29 supervisors interviewed • History of significant empowerment • Leader behaviors that created empowerment • Behaviors ranked by significance
Results • 21 Leader Behaviors in 7 Categories • Clarify/unify leader expectations • Promote team centric orientation and leadership • Align subordinate capability with job expansion opportunity • Facilitate subordinate task ownership and decrease leader ownership • Increase voice and input from subordinates • Promote timely sharing of org info and big picture awareness • Add value directly to assigned work
Significance • What has worked = best chance of success • Method accounts for unique org features • Method follows empowerment theory • Organization tells leaders how to empower • Results address most common obstacles • Competing value systems muddy expectations • Vertical hierarchical pressure inhibits teaming • Method repeatable at any public org • Same rationale for most applicable results
Leader Development Implications of Capstone • Informs a significant leadership challenge • Leadership responsibility for immutable org features that discourage & demotivate • Increased org performance capability • More effective leader • Establish higher leadership expectations • Template/tool for using org knowledge to solve difficult leadership issues • Where else can I leverage this?
Leader Development Implications of EMPA • Exposure to theory while engaged in practice • Each informs leadership development • One without the other is suboptimal learning • Seek the practical in all the theoretical • High value in mastering both • Remembering the approach methodology • Research methodology • Application methodology • Leaders need to be learners from all sources
Acknowledgements • All 26 first line supervisors who shared their emotionally charged stories of empowerment • Past leaders of the 142d MXG who’s empowering behaviors were mentioned by respondents – especially leaders mentioned multiple times. • They positively changed lives and the org forever and left us a roadmap that will better us all • Dr. Jones and Dr. Nishishiba – research question shaping and research writing help
