How Structural Empowerment Boosts Organizational Resilience: A case study in the Dutch home care industry

Abstract

Previous work has demonstrated that structural forms of empowerment tend to enhance individual and team resilience. However, there is hardly any knowledge about how structural empowerment affects organizational resilience. Moreover, a widespread (though largely untested) assumption is that, in adverse times, power and authority need to be centralized at the top rather than decentralized, to enhance organizational resilience. This paper explores the effects of empowerment on organizational ¬¬resilience in an in-depth case study of a Dutch home care organization, in which employees are structurally empowered. The findings from this case study suggest that structural empowerment indeed positively affects organizational resilience, but that this effect is contingent upon a climate of psychological safety as well as top management’s sustained commitment to structural empowerment. We move beyond the extant conceptualization of psychological safety by demonstrating its inter-level nature in the context of structural empowerment, which operates across organizational levels when employees also engage in discussions on tactical and strategic issues. Overall, this study provides an in-depth understanding of how organizations can enhance their resilience by empowering their members, thus also challenging the common wisdom about centralizing power in adverse times.

Resilience in Organizations: An Integrative Multilevel Review and Editorial Introduction

“…Different authors argued that organic structures are an important condition for greater connectedness among employees, which allows fast and situation-specific responses to adversity (e.g., Burke, 2005; van der Vegt, Essens, Wahlström, & George, 2015). In a recent case study of the Dutch home care industry, van den Berg, Alblas, Le Blanc, and Romme (2021) found that structural empowerment was positively linked to organizational resilience. Moreover, Chewning, Lai, and Doerfel (2013) observed that adaptive information and communication technologies predicted resilient organizational behaviors (i.e., information sharing, (re)connection, and resource acquisition).…”

How Transformational Leaders Are Engaged in Work Settings During Episode of Covid-19? Exploring Mediating Effects of Structural Empowerment and Process Innovation

“…The latter directly influences any(emerging) underlying empowerment practice, but also in an indirect way by means of its impact on psychological safety. This study features benefit of engagement in nontrivial choices that move past the work unit (van Den Berg et al, 2021). Harter et al (2002) stated that when leaders and organizations fulfill the basic needs of employees, they feel more engaged at work.…”

“…The latter directly influences any(emerging) underlying empowerment practice, but also in an indirect way by means of its impact on psychological safety. This study features benefit of engagement in nontrivial choices that move past the work unit (van Den Berg et al, 2021).…”

Exploring facilitators and barriers for successful transition among new Saudi graduate nurses: A qualitative study

“…Encouraging interactions with experienced nurses, appreciation, input and joint conversations about care delivery are all examples of structural empowerment. Nurses' stressful work environments have an impact on patient care, workplace culture adaptation and intention to leave (van den Berg et al, 2021 ).…”