Table of Contents

Series Foreword xiii

Preface xv

1 Unleashing the Power in your Workforce 1

2 Five Disciplines for Unleashing the Power in your Workforce 27

3 The First Discipline: Empower the Person Who Matters Most 47

4 The Second Discipline: Continuous Vision and Challenge 85

5 The Third Discipline: Continuous Support and Security 105

6 The Fourth Discipline: Continuous Openness and Trust 125

7 The Fifth Discipline: Continuous Guidance and Control 147

8 Applying the Disciplines of Empowerment in your Organization 169

Notes 183

The Authors 189

To be successful in today's business environment, organizations need the knowledge, ideas, energy, and creativity of every employee. The best companies accomplish this by turning themselves into a company of leaders--an organization in which employees at every level take the initiative and act as though the business where their own. Gretchen M. Spreitzer and Robert E. Quinn draw on ten years of empirical research to show how employee empowerment can transform a workforce and create a very real competitive advantage. They describe five key disciplines that help empower employees to take initiative, be more innovative, engage in transformational change, and act as leaders. And they provide real-life examples specific tools and strategies that will help you to put those disciplines to work in your own organization.