Empowering Employees: A How-to-guide for Assisting Autonomy

Many executives operating in today’s increasingly dynamic and digital context want to empower their employees. Why is that the case? One reason is that organizations need novel ideas to become competitive and to differentiate themselves in the marketplace. Research tells us that autonomy is related to intrinsic motivation, which, in turn, is related to creativity and innovation (Amabile, 1997). Another reason is that when things go fast, organizations need to be agile—and it is easier to act if you do not have to ask for permission. Finally, most organizations have a natural interest in having engaged employees,
and autonomy is one part of employee engagement. If you want an agile and innovative organization with engaged employees, you need to understand how you can best assist autonomy. This practitioner-oriented booklet will guide you
along the way as you develop a tangible action plan for employee autonomy. Our ambition is not to specify a single approach applicable to all organizations but rather to provide inspiration for tailoring an approach suitable for your particular
organization.

The booklet is a part of the research activities underlying the servitize.dk project supported by the Danish Industry Foundation.