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Does One Size Fit All? Investigating Different Empowerment Orientations in the Heterogeneous Workforce of the Swedish Retail Sector

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Abstract

Empowerment research and practice is guided by the idea that empowered employees perform better due to a greater sense of self-efficacy and capability. Underlying this idea, there often seem to be two tacit, unexamined assumptions: first, that employees generally would prefer an empowered workplace to a less empowered one; and second, that all employees can be empowered by means of the same measures and changes as defined by empowerment research. The main research question asked in this study is whether those aspects typically associated with structural and psychological empowerment efforts at the workplace are indeed perceived as desirable and positive by all types of employees. Employees’ attitudes toward the success of empowerment efforts, and the relevance of such attitudes, are investigated by analyzing survey data from 268 employees in the Swedish retail sector. Results indicate that age and work intensity (part-time vs. full-time) as well as cohabitation have significant impacts on how empowerment efforts are viewed by employees in the sample.

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  • Weidenstedt, Linda, 2017. "Does One Size Fit All? Investigating Different Empowerment Orientations in the Heterogeneous Workforce of the Swedish Retail Sector," Ratio Working Papers 296, The Ratio Institute.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:ratioi:0296
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    1. Giannikis, Stefanos K. & Mihail, Dimitrios M., 2011. "Modelling job satisfaction in low-level jobs: Differences between full-time and part-time employees in the Greek retail sector," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 29(2), pages 129-143, April.
    2. Michael K Hui & Kevin Au & Henry Fock, 2004. "Empowerment effects across cultures," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 35(1), pages 46-60, January.
    3. Simintiras, Antonis C. & Ifie, Kemefasu & Watkins, Alan & Georgakas, Konstatinos, 2013. "Antecedents of adaptive selling among retail salespeople: A multilevel analysis," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 20(4), pages 419-428.
    4. Magnus Sverke & Johnny Hellgren, 2001. "Exit, Voice and Loyalty Reactions to Job Insecurity in Sweden: Do Unionized and Non‐unionized Employees Differ?," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 39(2), pages 167-182, June.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    empowerment; orientation to work; preferences; attitudes; retail; survey data;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J40 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - General
    • J50 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - General
    • L00 - Industrial Organization - - General - - - General
    • L20 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - General
    • M10 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - General
    • Y40 - Miscellaneous Categories - - Dissertations - - - Dissertations

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