LEADERSHIP AND EMPOWERMENT: AN EXPERIENTIAL EXERCISE IN DECISION-MAKING Developments In Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, Volume 22, 1995 268 LEADERSHIP AND EMPOWERMENT: AN EXPERIENTIAL EXERCISE IN DECISION-MAKING David Efraty, University of Houston, Downtown William E. Stratton, Idaho State University ABSTRACT This paper describes a short experiential exercise for imparting an appreciation of the effects of empowerment in decision-making situations such as occur in flattened, team- oriented organizations. The exercise is useful for instructors treating notions of empowerment, particularly if they are attempting to really impress upon students the impact of empowerment on attitudes and the ability of people to work together. The exercise is short enough to be conducted in a single class session and is appropriate for an introductory course in organization behavior. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND The literature on leadership is increasingly attending to two aspects of power--abuse of power and empowerment. The study by McCall and Lombardo (1983) is highly interesting in this regard. They identified approximately twenty executives who had risen to the top of their firms, matching them with another group of twenty executives who had failed to reach their career aspirations. Those “unsuccessful” executives were described as insensitive, cold, and unable to delegate to others or build a team (Whetten and Cameron, 1991, p.28°), while the “successful” executives had used their power to “empower” others and to accomplish exceptional organizational objectives. That is, they used their influence in positive ways, and so doing gained more power and formal organizational authority, creating a positive, upward spiral that carried them up the organizational ladder (Whetten and Cameron, 1991, p.281). Thus empowerment, or the process by which managers help others acquire and use the power needed to make decisions affecting themselves at work, is essential for effective leadership: “More than ever before, managers in progressive organizations are expected to be good at--and highly comfortable at--empowering the people with whom they work. Rather than considering power to be something held only at higher levels in the traditional ‘pyramid’ of organizations, this view considers power to be something that can be shared by everyone working in flatter and more collegial structures” (Schermerhorn, Hunt, and Osborn, 1994, p.473). Empowerment is becoming increasingly common in a climate of organizational downsizing. As the number of employees or staff in an organization is Cut back, fewer people share the decision-making power. Thus, throughout the organization, at lower levels as well as top echelons, organizational members engage increasingly in decision making. Ideally, satisfaction is enhanced through participative processes that allow higher involvement of workers and staff. OBJECTIVES AND USE OF THE EXERCISE One of our educational challenges is to impart an appreciation for and sensitivity to empowering others. As instructors, it is essential that we: a) transmit a clear understanding of this concept, b) provide students of management with opportunities to engage in decision making that allow the implementation and practice of these concepts, and c) create classroom opportunities for feedback on students’ leadership styles and the extent to which they are receptive to engaging others in decision processes. A useful role-play that allows us to achieve some of these objectives is “The New Truck Dilemma” by Maier, Solem, and Maier (1 975). The instructions to the role-play describe the work setting in a telephone company with a group consisting of one supervisor and five telephone repairers, each of whom drives a small truck to various locations in the city to do repair work. The names of the crew members along with information regarding their seniority, ages, and the age and make of the truck currently driven by each individual are as follows: The supervisor learns that a new truck has been allocated for assignment to one of the crew. In addition to the information above concerning the crew, each participant (repairer) is provided with an individual role description, including some data that could be used to argue why he or she should receive the new truck. The supervisor’s role description charges him/her with making a fair decision regarding Developments In Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, Volume 22, 1995 269 who will be assigned the new truck, and notes their dissatisfaction with his past decisions. The supervisor is also told to “put the decision to the crew themselves” and specifically instructed not to take a position. “Do not take a position yourself because you want to do what the crew think is fair”. A seventh group member acts as observer while the others engage in the role-play. The observer instructions provide guidance for observing the supervisor’s management style, effectiveness, etc. The observer shares insights with the group following the role-play. To ensure that the goals of this exercise are realized in the classroom, the instructor should attend to a number of issues as discussed below. Timing Preferably this exercise is conducted following students’ exposure to theories of leadership and consideration of leadership styles. This allows the observer to focus on relevant leadership characteristics such as the degree of task or person orientation. Also, it allows the student who role- plays the supervisor to apply some learning to a real problem. All Participants are Feedback Givers In addition to the original instructions to the observer, we ask the observer and the group members to diagnose the leadership style of the supervisor on the leadership grid (Blake and Mouton, 1978). Consequently, all participants take part in giving feedback to the supervisor, who receives multiple opinions. Fairness of the Decision In examining the decision making process, the exercise relies primarily on the Observer Instruction Sheet focusing on these main issues: 1. How did the supervisor present the problem? 2. What occurred in the discussion? 3. What did the supervisor do to help the group explore ideas? While discussion of these points relates to fairness, the issue of fairness is more thoroughly focused upon by raising an additional question in the discussion following the exercise, namely “How many members in each group are satisfied/ dissatisfied with the decision”. We recognize that a decision may be fair and leave some group members dissatisfied. However, we also believe that the same decision, when thoroughly explained and discussed among group members, leaves fewer group members dissatisfied. Following a brief report of how many group members are satisfied/dissatisfied, we encourage the group members to account for their experience. Self Awareness To maximize the impact of feedback to the supervisor, the instructor also should act as an observer, without being designated formally as such. It is important that the instructor move among the role-playing groups trying to “diagnose” the level of “empowerment.” In a later stage of the exercise, when group members examine the dynamics of the decision process, the instructor can provide additional insights and observations. This is important in this exercise, since some students’ leadership styles are totally incongruent with the instructions to “put the decision to the crew themselves”. They appear overly independent by making the decision themselves to the extent that they are not even aware of the instructions. Feedback to these people can lead to considerable self-awareness. It is quite interesting that these individuals may reach quality decisions that leave all group members dissatisfied. Gender In the original exercise, as cited here, all the repairers’ names are male. If desired, the names can be changed to either unisex names (e.g., Chris, Dana, Kim, Lynn, Pat, Sandy, etc.) or to male/female pairs (e.g., Don/Dawn, Gale/Gail, Gene/Jean, Randy/Randi, Joe/Jo, Terry/Ten, etc.). REFERENCES Blake, Robert A. and Mouton, Jane S. The New Managerial Grid. 1978. Houston: Gulf Publishing Company. Maier, Norman A. F., Solem, Allan R., and Maier, Ayesha A. The Role Play Technique: A Handbook for Management and Leadership Practice. 1 975. La Jolla, CA: University Associates, Inc. McCall, Morgan W., and Lombardo, Michael M. Off the Track: Why and How Successful Executives Get Derailed. Technical Report No. 21. 1983. Greensboro, NC: Center for Creative Leadership. Schermerhorn, John A., Hunt, James B., and Osborn, Richard N. Managing Organizational Behavior. Fourth Edition. 1991. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Whetten, David A., and Cameron, Kim S. Developing Management Skills. Second Edition. 1991. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. Table of Contents Volume 22, 1995 Simulation Performance, Learning and Struggle Are Good Simulation Performers Consistently Good? Cognitive and Behavioral Consistency in a Computer-Based Marketing-Simulation-Game Environment: An Empirical Investigation of the Decision-Making Process Chalk & Cheese: Executive Short-Course vs. Academic Simulations Revisiting Personality Bias in Total Enterprise Simulations Are Good Strategies Consistently Good? Investigating the Use of a Computer Simulation as an Effective Pedagogical Tool for the Application of a Strategic Model The Problem of determining an Individualized Simulation's Validity as an Assessment Tool A Simulation Based Analysis of the Value of Information in the Hrebiniak Joyce Typology of Adaptation Relative to Porter's Generic Strategies The Impact of Sales and Income Growth on Profitability and Market Measures in Actual and Simulated Industries A Comparison of a Stand Alone Version of a Simulation with the Traditional Competitive Version Computer-Assisted Gaming of International Business Analyzing Simulations with Computer-Based Programs and Applying the Experience to a Real-World Business A Preliminary Investigation of the Use of a Bankruptcy Indicator in a Simulation Environment Graduates' Views on the Use of Computer Simulation Games Versus Cases as Pedagogical Tools An Analytical Advertising Model Approach to the Determination of Market Demand Dealing with the Complexity Paradox in Business Simulation Games A Prototyping Approach for Incorporating Large Data Bases into Media Planning Simulations: An Example Using Magazine Media Through the Looking Glass, Inc: Superior-Subordinate Personality Type and the Leniency effect Evaluating the Effectiveness of Role Playing Simulation and Other Methods in Teaching Managerial Skills Student and Teacher Perceptions of a Management Simulation Course Performance Evaluation: The Effect on the Propensity to Create Budgetary Slack Management Team Formation for Large Scale Simulations Comparative Static Analysis with the Complete PPA Package: A Strategic Market Planning Tool Consistency in Intent: Learning Objectives at the 1994 Intercollegiate Business Policy Competition A New Twist on an Old Game: The Business Strategy Game: A Global Industry Simulation 3ed Evaluation of Performance in Management Simulation: A Management Coefficients Model Building SimuWorlds: Strategic Management Games of the Future Bulls and Bears: A Stock Market Simulation A Systems Thinking Paradigm and Think Computer Simulation Model of Broadcast and Cable Television Industry Competition Jacket Factory The Sales Management Simulation The Marketing Management Simulation A Demonstration of Promodel Demonstrating A New, Cross-Functional Business Simulation: Vision+ A Cost Chain For The Business Strategy Game Simulation Special Session On Experiential Teaching Compensation Dilemmas: An Exercise In Ethical Decision-Making Organizational Storytelling: Telling Tales In The Business Classroom Evaluating Experiential Training: Case Study And Recommendations The Internship Portfolio: An Innovative Tool For Experiential Learning, Critical Thinking, And Communication An Ethnographic Analysis Of The Pedagogical Impact Of Cooperative Communicating Consumer Behavior: A Long-Term Integrated Exercise Using Personal Consumption Journals And Consumer Analysis Papers An Experiential Paradigm For Teaching Business Problem Solving Developing Leadership Skills The Spss® Student Assistant: The Integration of A Statistical Analysis Program Into A Marketing Research Textbook Negotiating With Your Students Using TQM Principles To Transform Accounting Systems Into An Experiential Exercise Enhancing The Effectiveness Of Outdoor-Based Experiential Training Using Virtual Reality Concepts Case Writing In A Developing Country: An Indonesian Example Experiential Learning Using Focus Groups How Real Should Experiential Pedagogy Be? A Viewpoint From Our Students Reengineering The Internship: A New Approach To Experiential Learning Utilizing The Cosmopolitan/Local And Marginal Man Constructs To Measure Students' Propensity For Creativity Developing Experiential Processes For Teaching Quantitative Techniques For Business Team Learning Roles: A Cooperative Learning Technique Creating the Ultimate Small Business Student Experience: Melding Score/Ace with SBI The Development of Trust in Work Teams: The Impact of Touch Some Outcomes of Experiential Learning: How the Cultural Dynamics of Different Countries are reflected in Workplace Norms & Values Incorporation of Job Analysis Results in Various Forms of Selection Interviews Chudesno, Inc.: An Evaluation of an Experiential Training and Development Simulation An Exercise for Exploring the Relationship between Jungian Psychological Types and Organizational Dynamics Partnership: A Radical Approach to Experiential Learning Partnership: A Nice Idea, But How Do I Get Started? Recognizing Discrimination at Work Using Critical Incident Skills Questions to Help Students Become More Successful at Job Interviewing The Video Project Introduction to Psychological Type Theory Come On Down Understanding Facilitation for Development and Continuous Learning: A Micro-Workshop Leadership and Empowerment: An Experiential Exercise in Decision Making Experiential Exercises and Pedagogy Track Workshop: Selecting a Manager for Maquiladora, Inc. Experiential Training In Multi-Cultural Corporate Settings The Role of Facilitation as an Aid to Complete Learning An Experiential Exercise to Illustrate Difference in Information Processing Behaviors and Styles How to Deliver Accessible Survey Results Age Diversity in the Workplace- Family Feud Style Nafta Standoff: A Cross-Cultural negotiating Role-Play Three Strikes and You're Out!: A Downsizing Experiential Exercise