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Running head: EMPOWERMENT RESULTS IN EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION 1

Effects of Influential Leadership and Empowerment on Employee Satisfaction

______________________________________

A Paper Presented to

The Faculty of the Adler Graduate School

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for

The Degree of Masters of Arts in

Adlerian Counseling and Psychotherapy Emphasis in

Management Consulting and Organizational Leadership (MCOL)

______________________________________

Presented By

Sally Nash

June, 2011

EMPOWERMENT RESULTS IN EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION 2

Abstract

Successful organizations are ones whose employees are satisfied in their work, and therefore are

willing to satisfy their organization. Employees are satisfied when they are managed by

influential leaders who empower them to go above and beyond the set expectations. This project

examines how influential leadership and empowerment affect employee satisfaction. Through

working with TCF bank Call Center, this researcher was able to observe the negative effects of

low employee retention and a lack of engagement on the overall performance of the

organization. This researcher saw that personality and communication assessments were vital to

the hiring process along with a revision of the qualifications of the ideal candidate for each

position in the Call Center. By using effective leadership styles, empowering employees, and

assuring job satisfaction through more accurate job placement, the TCF bank Call Center will

transform into an effective and healthy organization.


Acknowledgements

To my beloved motherland, Libya, for making me who I am today.

To my wonderful parents, to whom I will be forever grateful.

To Dr. Premo, who encouraged me through most of my educational journey.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Abstract 2

Acknowledgements 3

Table of Contents 4

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

a. Introduction to the Organization 5

b. Statement of the Problem 6

c. Purpose of the Study 7

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW

a. Introduction 8

b. Influential Leadership Styles 9

c. Employees Satisfaction 15

d. Empowerment Processes and Benefits 19

CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY

a. Project Description 26

b. Project Mechanisms 28

c. Project Development 42

CHAPTER FOUR: SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

a. Summary 44

b. Conclusion 46

APPENDIX A: TCF Career Path: Call Center Operations 49

REFERENCES 50


CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

Introduction to the Organization

TCF Financial Corporation, a financial holding company that compares itself to large

successful retailers instead of other banks, operates the fourth largest supermarket branch system

in the United States. TCF is a Wayzata, Minnesota-based national bank holding company with

$18.3 billion in total assets and has 442 banking offices in Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan,

Colorado, Wisconsin, Indiana, Arizona and South Dakota. The corporation provides retail and

commercial banking services, mortgage banking, discount brokerage, investments and insurance

sales through various affiliates. TCF also conducts commercial leasing and equipment finance

business in all 50 states and commercial inventory finance business in the U.S. and Canada,

(TCF Bank, 2011).

TCF is now the 11th

largest U.S. Visa® Classic debit card issuer ranked by sales volume.

The company markets itself aggressively to middle and lower income customers with products

such as Totally Free Checking accounts. In 2000, TCF surpassed $1 billion in supermarket

branch deposits. TCF continued to apply technology as a means to draw customers: phone cards

were introduced as part of a customer loyalty program and an Internet banking site was launched

in 2000. Meanwhile, TCF opened its one-millionth retail checking account. In other business

sectors, TCF both expanded and contracted in 1999. Additionally, TCF sold its title insurance

and appraisal operations and formed a strategic alliance with the buyer, (Funding Universe,

2002).


Statement of the Problem

As one of the most successful banking companies, TCF Call Center has several issues

that hinder the employees‟ persistence to work. Despite the company‟s magnificent success, it is

obvious there are some difficulties in keeping the employees for a longer time period while

maintaining a high quality of customer service. TCF Call Center is searching for effective and

realistic ways to assist the corporation and increase the employees‟ performance. One of their

main challenges is that they lack a definitive path, which prevents employees to develop in their

career.

The TCF Call Center needs to find ways to assess and update its current hiring

qualifications to maximize employee retention. This is the key factor in this project. Due to the

employees‟ low retention, it is tough to keep them socially engaged and interactive within their

work environment. Employees at the Call Center are only concerned with getting the job done;

therefore there is a great lack of communication between the different departments of the

corporation. This problem is directly related to the low retention levels of employees; when the

workers lack social interest, they are not as motivated to continue and perform well.

The corporation suffers from low employee engagement as a result of the limited

understanding of the employees‟ personalities and communication styles. Understanding each

employee‟s personality and quality is an essential element in order to hire the best candidates for

the appropriate position. Each individual‟s personality attributes can be used to solve problems

specific to a certain position, and when paired together, great levels of excellence and motivation

in performance can be expected. Overall, there is an essential need for long-term career plans

that can foster and sustain high levels of performance by employees as well as stability in their

suitable positions.


Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of this project is to examine the effects of influential leadership and

empowerment on employee satisfaction. To inspect that relationship, a study of the hiring

process of the Call Center operations at TCF bank was done in order to assess and update its

current hiring qualifications, and to maximize employee retention. The company‟s most

important need is to have a valuable and useful process of hiring of its employees. This study

will focus on utilizing affordable and high quality personality tests that will help retain the top

employees and find applicable solutions to the employee turnover problem. The Basis-A

Communication Assessment and I-Speak Your Language Personality Test will be applied to

establish a fixed system of hiring by placing new employees in the best possible position based

on their skills and personality. Additionally, the key factor is to establish an annual review

process to measure staff performance and ensure that the Call Center‟s human resource trainers

continue to meet the bank‟s changing needs and goals.

The two assessments were used to create a focused job description for hiring. Using the

assessments enables the hiring staff to discover a profile to each candidate and offer a framework

for self-understanding and development. Creating a unique profile to each applicant is crucial to

placing her/him in the best position possible in order to be effective and produce to the maximum

of their abilities. It helps to identify the key areas in each candidate‟s personality and skills when

pairing them to a position in order to empower them to better respond to the demands of their

environment. In addition, developing effective strategies for communications between

employees will heighten their social interest while significantly enhancing their performance and

expectations.


CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW

Empowerment is a phenomenon that has significant effects in the work place

environment. It is a process that is used to empower employees, to improve individual and team

performance, and enhance their success and expectations. Empowerment tolerates employees for

high quality performance and expends their responsibility over their work. It enables employees

to reach their own potential in ways that help the team or organization to move forward. As

stated by (Hughes, Ginnett, & Curphy, 2006, p. 272), “Empowered employees have a high level

of competence in that they know what they are doing and are confident about getting their job

done.” Empowered employees are ones whose skills are well developed and therefore are more

capable of being productive and beneficial members to their organization. Furthermore, they are

more co nfident of making decisions and providing suggestions that will enhance overall

customer service. After all “almost every decision made in an organization has power

implications” (Sayles, 1989, p.112). In this manner, employees will be able to get the job done

satisfactorily and in a timely manner.

The significant issue that Wilson (2009) found in her previous research was that

“managers and supervisors hesitate to delegate to others because they perceive a lack of skill in

another team member, they fear making a mistake, or they are more comfortable „doing it

themselves‟ to retain control.” Unfortunately, leaders of most organizations find it difficult to

delegate certain jobs to followers because they have a profound fear of the consequences. They

are hesitant when it comes to giving employees the authority and accountability in their positions

in order to move the organization forward. Usually, leaders are uncomfortable sharing their

power with their followers as it often makes them feel incompetent and irresponsible. Quite

simply, and as stated by Wilson (2009) “a supervisor can leverage delegation to increase


motivation in others by providing them with a chance to take pride in the results of their own

decisions and to feel trusted and appreciated to contribute something of value in a different way.”

Not only will this research focus on the empowerment to increase employee satisfaction,

it will also examine the main styles of influential leadership. The first subject examines the main

styles of influential leadership, which include transformational and transactional leadership

styles. The second subject of focus includes the main elements that result in employee

satisfaction, such as motivation, rewards, and recognition. The third examined subject comprises

of empowerment, which include empowerment processes and benefits.

Influential Leadership Styles

According to (Ferrell, Fraedrich, & Ferrell, 2005, p. 123), “Leadership, the ability or

authority to guide and direct others toward achievement of a goal, has a significant impact on

ethical decision making because leaders have the power to motivate others and enforce the

organization‟s rules and policies as well as their own viewpoint.” A great leader has the

characteristic of empowering individuals who are performing inadequately to improve as well as

those who are performing highly to fully exceed their expectations. “In an empowered

organization the managers and supervisors take on a different role than they usually would in

most organizations. It may be obvious that one aspect of this role change is the sharing of power

and authority,” stated Fox (1998).

A good leader is someone who is able to move the center of his power from the

controlling sense to the transforming sense using their unique combination of qualities. Those

leaders develop the overall sense of accomplishment of their employees through empowering,

motivating, and guiding them. The leader‟s ultimate role is to emphasize and focus on training,

education, communicating, and leading rather than focusing on controlling and decision making


to help employees develop their levels of skill and confidence, and even maximize their full

potential.

There are many leadership styles that influence many aspects of organizations including

employees‟ acceptance of and devotion to organizational norms and values. As stated by

Carnegie (2009, p.30) “Leadership is about behavior first and skills second, and people respond

to leaders who inspire, trust, and respect, rather than to the skills they possess. Leaders‟

foundation contains qualities such as integrity, honesty, humility, courage, commitment,

sincerity, passion, confidence, wisdom, determination, compassion, sensitivity, and personal

charisma.”

The style of leadership can be viewed as a method of guidance through which the

followers are empowered to execute the organizational plans. Therefore, the different leadership

styles focus on building strong organizational values among employees and influences how they

perform. Some of the most common leadership styles are: transactional, and transformational.

Consistent with (Ferrell, Fraedrich, & Ferrell, 2005, p. 125) “The most successful leaders do not

rely on one style but alter their techniques based on the characteristics of the situation.” The

more leadership styles that an individual is able to master, the more qualified leader he/she will

become.

According to (Ferrell, Fraedrich, & Ferrell, 2005, p. 125), “transactional leadership style

attempts to create employee satisfaction through negotiating, and bartering for desired behaviors

of levels of performance.” Transactional leaders expect total compliance and diligence from their

followers and they, in return, take on the main organizational responsibilities of leading and

making decisions. “Transactional leadership occurred when leaders and followers were in some

type of exchange relationship in order to get needs met,” as indicated by (Hughes, Ginnett, &


Curphy, 2006, p. 407). Obviously, leaders are always seeking higher job standards and

organizational efficiency through aiming for high quality performance. However, transactional

leaders are occasionally focused on the individual satisfaction of team members, as their

principle aim is controlling the whole organization.

“Transactional leadership has been the traditional model of leadership with its roots from

an organizational or business perspective,” according to Bolden, Gosling, Marturano, &

Dennison (2003). This style of leadership is nothing but a mere process of control and

management through autocracy, rather than a democratic method of leading. They fundamental

point is gaining a higher level of effectiveness through sustaining structure and systems. In

addition, its focus is on achieving short-term plans rather than improvements for a brighter

future.

In their theoretical research, Hughes, Ginnett, & Curphy, (2006, p. 412) stated that

transactional leadership is believed to motivate followers by setting goals and promising rewards

for desired performance. They also said that transactional leadership only perpetuates the status

quo; a leader‟s use of rewards does not result in the long-term changes. The main focus of this

theory is a process of rewards if the employees are successful, and punishment if they are

failures. It is also illustrated by Bolden, Gosling, Marturano, & Dennison, (2003) that

transactional leadership theory comprise of “the relationship between leader and followers,

focusing on the mutual benefits […] through which the leader delivers such things as rewards or

recognition in return for the commitment or loyalty of the followers.” Carthen (2005, p.2)

effectively identifies the correlation between the contractual expectation of a leader and the

parallel expectation of the follower as transactional relationship.


As stated by (Hellriegel, Jackson, & Slocum, 2005, p.434), “Transformational leaders

inspire others with their vision, often promote this vision over opposition, and demonstrate

confidence in themselves and their views.” In fact, a transformational leader is a trustworthy

individual who encourages employees to participate in making decisions and achieving the

overall vision. Consistent with (Hughes, Ginnett, & Curphy, 2006, p. 415), “Transformational

leaders build trust by showing commitment to followers‟ needs over self-interest, some

charismatic leaders are not beyond taking credit for others‟ accomplishments or exaggerating

their expertise.” They are trustworthy and honest in their relation with others; as a result

employees do not hesitate to follow that kind of leader.

Transformational leaders care about the needs of others and have a great capacity for

empathy, as stated by (Hellriegel, Jackson, & Slocum, 2005, p.437). In the process of

establishing a valuable relationship, empathy is a key ingredient as it builds a bridge of trust and

an emotional connection between parties. Moreover, empathy deepens the understanding

between people, making them closely related to each other. “Empathy creates a sense of

openness and an acceptance of all attitudes or emotions, it also keeps us from evaluating or

judging the other person, which blocks real communication, and that in turn, helps us respond

better,” as indicated by (Dean, 2006, p. 39- 40). Obviously, individuals who are naturally

empathetic are more easily able to build strong and meaningful relationships with others.

Therefore, it is evident that empathy is a powerful quality for leaders to posses as it can simply

enhance social connections and make people more caring about others‟ desires.

Leaders play a vital role in the lives of others due to their major influence on their

personal and professional development. As stated by (Stephen, 2007, p.22), “they demonstrate

willingness to sacrifice personal interests when necessary, they help others get through critical


crisis, and they do not just generate followers; their followers themselves become leaders.” With

the positive attitude of such leaders, they are able to shift their relationships with their followers

past the professional one, developing a more personal connection based on trust.

According to (Boone, 1991, p. 107), “communication is part of every leader‟s job, but

may or may not play a central role in one‟s leadership strategy, when it is critical, a leader must

strive to be clear, consistent, convincing, and far-reaching.” Transformational leaders seek a

more direct form of communication with others in order to understand different perspectives and

use them towards achieving organizational goals. They also teach followers how to become

leaders in their own right and motivate them to play active roles. “Transformational leaders

challenge followers to build on their vision by offering innovative solutions and new ideas as

said by (Hellriegel, Jackson, & Slocum, 2005, p.437), and they encourage positive thinking and

problem solving.”

“Transformational leadership is a process in which the leaders take actions to try to

increase their associates‟ awareness of what is right and important, to raise their associates‟

motivational maturity and to move their associates to go beyond their own self-interests for the

good of the group, the organization, and society” as stated by Bolden, Gosling, Marturano, &

Dennison, (2003). Those leaders are always seeking a way to make their followers feel powerful

and successful, despite their performance in the organizational setting. Taken as a whole, they

believe that empowering their followers will results in the enhancement of overall organizational

performance.

“The central concept here is change and the role of leadership in envisioning and

implementing the transformation of organizational performance,” said Bolden, Gosling,


Marturano, & Dennison, (2003) whose research also examined the discovery in which a

transformational leader can promote the follower, such as:

Expand a follower‟s portfolio of needs

Transform a follower‟s self-interest

Increase the confidence of followers

Elevate followers‟ expectations

Encourage behavioral change

Motivate others to higher levels of personal achievement

Both transactional and transformational leadership styles are needed in every

organization. The transactional leaders are people who make decisions and assure that work is

done efficiently and effectively. On the other hand, the transformational leaders are seeking a

more intimate relationship with their employees through deeper levels of communication and the

utilizations of various empowerment methods. Sharlow‟s (2007) theory states that people are

motivated by reward and punishment, meaning transactional leaders can motivate their followers

through the same notion. The transactional leader‟s work ethic enables him/her to reward his/her

employees once they master their responsibilities and tasks. Moreover, transactional leaders

focus on ensuring that required conduct and procedures are implemented, according to (Ferrell,

Fraedrich, & Ferrell, 2005, p. 125).

Overall, good leaders use a combination of styles from time to time, depending on the

specific dynamics of the situations. In fact, the most successful leaders tend to have

characteristics of more than one leadership style, making them leaders of some of the highest

performing organizations where the employees are empowered and satisfied with their work.


The more leadership styles that a leader is able to master, the better he/she will become.

Certainly the ability to switch between styles as situations warrant will result in superior results

and enhance workplace ambiance. In fact, leaders that are able to master more than one

leadership style often provide greater performance from their followers as well as a healthy

climate in which to work.

That being said, it is not easy to master multiple leadership styles. Leaders must be

flexible in learning new ways, letting go of old methods, and combining their skills. Learning a

new leadership style therefore takes practice and perseverance. The more often the new style or

behavior is repeated, the stronger the link becomes in our brains between the situation at hand

and the desired reaction.

Employees Satisfaction

In her research, Ellis (2003) found that “employee satisfaction is a measure of how happy

workers are with their job and working environment. Keeping morale high among workers can

be of tremendous benefit to any company, as happy workers will be more likely to produce more,

take fewer days off, and stay loyal to the company (p. 12).” Employees with higher job

satisfaction are more committed to their organization, care about the quality of their work, reach

above expectations, and have higher productivity. Therefore, empowered employees that have

the authority and responsibility to achieve objective are able to do the best they can at the

assigned task.

(Hellriegel, Jackson, & Slocum, 2005, p.38) clearly defined satisfaction “as a

psychological state that indicates how a person feels about his or her situation, based on an

evaluation of the situation, and employee motivation goes hand in hand with employee

satisfaction.” Job satisfaction is an encouraging view of an employee‟s senses of development


and accomplishment in their job. In other words, it is what Alfred Adler would define as the

basic human needs of significance, belonging, and safety. Indeed, employees stretch themselves

in order to attain those feelings and feeling satisfied in working at their organization. In a recent

study by Lambert et al. (2009) “Being successful in a job can result in a sense of pride and

accomplishment, and therefore increased job satisfaction. Similarly, it is easier to bond with an

organization that provides training so employees can succeed.”

Consistent with that, (Leonard, & Hilgert, 2004, p.107) stated that “motivation is a

willingness to exert effort toward achieving a goal, stimulated by the effort‟s ability to fulfill an

individual‟s needs.” Motivation strongly correlates with job satisfaction, and both act as essential

elements of organizational success. “The relationship between motivation and job satisfaction are

a bit more straightforward-as a matter of fact, many theories of motivation are also theories of

job satisfaction” as addressed by, (Hughes, Ginnett, & Curphy, 2006, p. 246). Empowered

employees and employee satisfaction are playing a vital role in influencing the company‟s

satisfaction. In addition, empowered employees will not only benefit themselves, but also the

overall performance of their organization.

According to (Hughes, Ginnett, & Curphy, 2006, p. 133), “motivation is anything that

provides direction, intensity, and persistence to behavior, it is also a sort of shorthand to describe

choosing an activity or task to engage in, establishing the level of effort, and determining the

degree of persistence in it over time.” Employees that have been motivated by their leaders have

a powerful energy that they‟ll be able to use in order to achieve the organization‟s set goals.

Bruce, (2006) “there is a direct correlation between fun on the job and employee productivity,

creativity, morale, satisfaction, retention, and profitability.” Enjoying work is a great way to

relieve stress and tension while improving communication, uniting employees, eliminating


boredom, and creating positive energy. Those who work at a fun workplace see their job as a

place to fulfill many of their needs, reinforcing their motivation to perform at a higher level.

“Often leaders have been conceived as having a relatively passive role in shaping

employee motivation and commitment, motivation was presumed to flow from the relation of

employee to job, and as long as the boss was neither a bored nor a bully, a “good” job would

provide “good” motivation” as stated by Sayles, (1989, p. 65). Employee motivation is crucial to

organizational success. There is a significant relationship between motivation and job

satisfaction. In fact, many theories of motivation are also theories of job satisfaction. The

following is a motivational theory that emphasizes human needs.

Referring to Leonard & Hilgert, (2004), Maslow‟s Hierarchy of needs theory is one of the

most widely accepted theories, and it emphasize that employees are motivated by five basic

needs. The following needs rank from the least important to the most important; this theory

asserts that humans aim for self-actualization. These include the physiological needs (air, heat,

food, base salary, etc.), the safety needs (work safety, job security, health insurance, etc.), the

need of belonging and affiliating with others (coworker, teams, departments, clients, supervisors,

etc.), the need of having a high self esteem (recognition, high status, responsibilities, etc.), and

last but not least the need of self-actualization (training, creativity, growth, advancement, etc.).

Leonard & Hilgert (2004) said that “Maslow‟s theory of motivation, which suggests that

employee needs are arranged in priority order such that lower-order needs must be satisfied

before higher-order needs become motivating.”

Motivating employees to work to their fullest potential is a vital element that leads them

to job satisfaction. Employees that are motivated will go after goals with enthusiasm and an

energy that can sometimes be contagious. “Fun is motivating because of the pleasure it creates,


when employees are feeling a bit down, stressed, tired, or just not in the mind to work up to their

abilities, a laugh can make a big difference” (Bruce, 2006, p. 74). This enthusiasm is also related

to the need of an employee to belong to his/her organization, an element fundamental to

Maslow‟s hierarchy of needs. “The lack of belonging produces strong needs that most people are

motivated to fulfill; Maslow believed that all individuals will try to satisfy the need to belong”

(Leatherman, 1992, p. 63). This shows the importance of belonging, or the feeling of being a part

of a work group.

Recognition is the main element in creating a motivating environment for employees.

Recognizing hard working employees who go above and beyond their job expectations plays a

crucial role in the level of satisfaction those employees feel towards their jobs. Therefore, leaders

should be clear about two things: their standards for the job and the rewards they are offering for

the completed job. Jenkins (2009) illustrated steps for a recognition program:

Document the program: The leader should define the incentives, rewards, and

opportunities for appreciation and anything else that will be included in the program.

Determine the rewards: Rewards can be low cost, such as: staff lunches, ice cream

socials, or even bringing baked goods as long as employees are rewarded with

something notable.

Create opportunities for recognition: Sometimes being recognized for a special

accomplishment or activity is better than a physical reward. Opportunities to offer

praise and recognition might be staff meetings, company meetings, e-mail alerts, and

verbal praise.

Announce the program: Leaders should make the new rewards and recognition

program a big deal. Announcing it during a company meeting and send the policy out


to all employees; this lets the staff know that the program is important and there is

sincerity in creating it.

Follow the policy: A policy is no good unless it is actually followed. Therefore,

employers must be advocates of the rewards and recognition program and encourage

others to stick with it, which will encourage employees to keep up with their great

work.

As seen from the recognition and reward program, leaders should think of incentives to

enrich the workplace and raise the benefits of working there. Today, leaders provide their

employees with some very unique incentives and morale boosters that contribute to an ever-

changing, exciting, and motivating work environment, Bruce (2006).

Empowerment Processes and Benefits

As quoted by Ueno (2008) “empowerment can increase employee loyalty, motivation,

participation, involvement, commitment, self-esteem, adaptability to change, and satisfaction,

and will help to reduce problems of role stress, role ambiguity, employee turnover, and

absenteeism.” Employee empowerment is a process of interaction where the employee is able to

participate in decision making and other important responsibilities. Leaders who empower their

employees are known for valuing discussion of diverse perspectives, and being able to trust their

followers to make vital decisions. Hughes, Ginnett, & Curphy, (2006), in their book defined

empowerment as having two key components. For leaders to truly empower employees, they

must delegate leadership and decision making down to the lowest level possible. Rogers and

Blenko (2007, p. 3) indicated that “making decisions and making them happen quickly are the

hallmarks of high-performing organizations.” Employees are often the closest to the problem and

have the most information, and as such can often make the best decisions. Empowered


employees feel strong, confident, capable, and can accomplish more through sharing

responsibility and authority, which helps employees to perform better, said Bruce (2006).

The four psychological components of empowerment that can be examined to determine

the empowered employee include self-determination, sense of meaning, high competence, and

high influence. “Empowered employees have a sense of self-determination; they are able to

make choices about what they do, how they do it, and when they need to get it done. Empowered

employees also have a strong sense of meaning, they believe what they do is important to them

and to the company‟s success. Empowered employees have a high level of competence in that

they know what they are doing and are confident that they can get the job done. Finally they

have high influence on others and believe that they can influence their teams or work units and

that co-workers and leaders will listen to their ideas,” stated (Hughes, Ginnett, & Curphy, 2006,

p. 272). It is important to experience all four of the components of empowerment mentioned

above in order for the individual to truly benefit from being empowered. Those organizations,

which want to touch on the benefits of employee empowerment, need to create an environment

that will generate the empowerment within their organization, as founded by Ongori, (2009) in

his research.

The empowering process for employees takes many shapes and forms. It can be as simple

as listening and as complex as decision making. According to Patrick & Spence (2006) the

theoretical framework behind empowerment asserts that work environments that provide access

to information, resources, support, and the opportunity to learn and develop are empowering, and

enhance employees‟ power to accomplish work within an organization. The following are some

of the recommended processes for employee empowerment by Klose (1993):


Listening: Empowerment levels increase when employees are given the opportunity

to be heard. Though being heard is just as important as being responded to, so

employees must keep in mind that they should respond to their employees. In the end,

the combination of listening and being responsive to employees is an excellent

method for empowerment.

Training: The empowered feeling can be enhanced through training. The employees

who lack the necessary training to do their job may feel as though they are unable to

solve some work problems that come up. Training programs can give employees the

extra edge needed to be successful in their jobs. In addition, employees may need

training in areas which seem to have no relation to their jobs in order to become well-

rounded.

Encouragement: Encouragement by management and fellow employees is another

way of improving empowerment levels. It helps to provide employees with the

feeling things are being done right. In addition, encouragement is possible most of

the time through forgiving errors, focusing on assets and effort, and indication of

growth.

Necessary Resources: Employees must be provided with the necessary resources to

do their jobs. Their equipment and tools must constantly be functioning successfully.

And employee‟s ability to be proactive and reactive to the situation surrounding his or

her job is directly dependent upon the resources available.

Information: It is also essential to keep employees informed. Lack of communication

is one of the major causes for low employee empowerment. Employees should

constantly be informed of anything they need to know in order to get the job done.


Matching: Employees should be matched to their tasks in accordance with their

experience and area of expertise. Also, they should be allowed to do jobs in which

they have been trained for. Therefore, enhancing empowerment levels can be

achieved by making sure an employee does the job he or she was hired for.

Decisions: Employees must be allowed to make decisions regarding the events

occurring in their jobs. Employees may start by making small decisions and

eventually increase to more important decisions. Also, managers must be willing to

let this process occur since not only will it increase the empowerment levels of all

employees, it will also free up managers from the responsibility of making all

decisions.

Ongori (2009) indicated that employee empowerment is said to have benefited many

organizations if managed and nurtured properly, especially in enhancing employee commitment

and reducing employee turnover. Employee empowerment provides significant benefits to the

organization, as founded by Fragoso (2000) in her research, and some of these benefits include:

a. It increases productivity and reduces overhead expenses, which are needed for

carrying on a business, i.e. salaries, rent, heat and advertising

b. It gives managers the freedom to dedicate their time to more important matters

c. Managers can highlight the talents and efforts of all employees

d. The leader and organization take advantage of the shared knowledge of workers

e. Managers simultaneously develop their own job qualifications and skills attaining

personal advancements


f. Empowered employees can make decisions and suggestions that will down the

line improve service and support, saving money, time and disputes between

companies and their customers

g. Empowerment of qualified employees will provide exceptional customer service

in several competitive markets; therefore it will improve profits through repeated

business

h. Empowerment is a strong tool that increases profit and improve the bottom line

i. Empowerment is also the best way to promote a good long-lasting employee-

customer relationship

j. Empowerment brings benefits to employees. It makes them feel better about their

inputs to the company; it promotes a greater productivity, and provides them with

a sense of personal and professional balance

k. It exercises employees' minds to find alternative and better ways to execute their

jobs, and it increases their potential for promotions and job satisfaction

l. It results in personal growth since the whole process enlarges their feelings of

confidence and control in themselves and their companies

m. It is a process that makes workers utilizes their full potentials, and that enables

them to stay behind their decisions, assume risks, participate and take actions

Empowerment is a mutually beneficial process that benefits all parties involved. First,

customers benefit from the excellence of the employees‟ service. Second, organizations benefit

from raised sales because of satisfied customers. Third, employees benefit from making their

managers and customers happy, therefore gaining confidence in their abilities and success. “The


core element of empowerment involves giving employee discretion (or latitude) over certain

task-related activities,” stated Ongori (2009).

Empowered employees have latitude to make decisions, are comfortable making those

decisions, believe what they do is important and are seen as influential members of their team, as

mentioned by (Hughes, Ginnett, & Curphy, 2006, p. 272). In other words, when employees feel

like they belong to the organization, they act as the protective owners in that they are more

willing to work harder and perform at a higher level. Bruce (2006) additionally remarked that

making employees feel as if the business is their own and they belong to it motivates them to

perform at a higher level.

Overall, the benefits of empowerment are many. They include diligent employees who

are satisfied with their jobs, are given the opportunity to act as leaders, and are able to perform

and enhance overall organizational productivity. Leaders must practice empowerment and

motivation in order for their employees to deliver an enhanced value and service experience to

the customer.

In general, the focus was on the effects of empowerment on increasing employee

satisfaction, and the role that the main styles of influential leadership played in that effect.

Sharlow‟s (2007) theory illustrated that people are strongly motivated by a system of reward and

punishment in transactional leadership. Therefore transactional leaders are more effective at

motivating employees by rewarding and recognizing their accomplishments than at empowering

them. From the cited sources above, it is clear that the transformational leader works harder to

empower and motivate his/her employees to greatly exceed their previous levels of

accomplishments because they put passion and energy into everything which, in the end, results

in individual, group, and organizational achievement beyond expectations.


CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY

Project Description

Studies in Management Consulting and Organizational Leadership (MCOL) include

helping organizations and managers understand the chaotic processes and problems that might

influence workplace behavior and performance. The other approach to doing so would be

through counseling and determining the clients‟ needs and wants. The purpose of counseling is

to empower individuals, groups, and organizations to grow and foster various aspects of their

lives as well as to discover their long-term goals and have a plan to achieve them. This

researcher‟s experiences allow her to work with people of a diverse background in a caring and

empathetic beneficial approach.

The main motive for this researcher is to help create a healthy organizational

environment by working with the management and leadership levels of an institution.

Management and leadership are the key factors that would influence the whole organization to

obtain the needed amount of change. Most importantly, leadership is the ability to get followers

to do what they do not want to do and to transform their attitude in order to make sure that they

enjoy doing it. Leadership is about having the right combination of communication skills,

authority, dependability, ethics, and the ability to motivate and empower others. Building an

effective management team that is able to work efficiently with every department within an

organization would form the ideal healthy organization.

The other motive for helping an organization is building an effective team and working

towards its organizational goals. Building a cooperative team is the most important aspect a

manager can work on to achieve success. Furthermore, the counselor‟s work in the

empowerment of managers and their teams is the ideal method to attain the desired level of


achievements. Management has to involve an effort to plan change and apply influence on

everyone. One of the most significant essentials for achievement is teambuilding and successful

leaders are the ones who can challenge, motivate, support, and empower their teams through

change.

This researcher had the opportunity to work with the Vice President (VP) of the TCF

bank Call Center to assess and modify the organizational environment and to create a unique

profile for the qualifications of each candidate in the employment process. Because of the

importance of communication between the consultant and client, the VP prepared a detailed

explanation of the problem, background information, and the appropriate solutions. After

describing the problems of the organization to this researcher, the VP presented a complete

summary of the qualifications and experiences of an ideal candidate, and also provided preferred

criteria for the different positions in the calling center and their importance to accomplishing the

mission and guiding principles of the company.

The company‟s mission statement states that the number one priority in the Call Center is

providing quality service to its customers. Moreover, the company is committed to making every

customer experience a helpful and informative one. In addition, the Call Center promises a

professional, courteous and engaged interaction in every conversation and a full dedication when

it comes to making it easy for customers to do business with TCF. This researcher‟s main job in

this project was to collaborate with the VP to find the right methods that would help make the

Call Center‟s mission a reality.


Project Mechanisms

This researcher would use two significant personality assessments, I-Speak Your

Language and BASIS-A. Those selected assessments have had a reputation for having a great

impact on understanding job candidate‟s communication styles and personalities, and their

positive affect has been experienced by many major organizations. This researcher hopes to

attain the same level of success using these personality tests while helping the TCF bank Call

Center to improve its hiring process.

The I-Speak test helps managers to identify the primary and backup styles of their work

team and to evaluate the positive and negative behavioral implications. I-Speak is an extremely

important assessment designed to help establish an essential communications bond with other

people, regardless of personal style. This is an easy to use self-assessment tool that gives people

a profile of their most important communication styles. It helps to identify and understand the

various communication styles of others and appropriately adjust one‟s style to enhance

communication and relationship. There are four vital communication styles that normal

individuals convey; intuitor, thinker, feeler, and senser.

On the other hand, the BASIS-A assessment provides a quick and easy way to understand

how an individual's personality attributes are used to solve problems. BASIS-A measures five

major themes or interpersonal styles: Belonging-Social Interest, Going Along, Taking Charge,

Wanting Recognition, and Being Cautious. The BASIS-A is useful in organizational

consultation/training or whenever it is helpful to understand an individual‟s motivations, problem

solving strategies, and how the candidate will manage the assignments associated with a job. It is

also useful to help individuals understand the interaction of their personality attributes and

problem solving strategies related to work and relationships. Many professionals have found that


using the BASIS-A provides more reliable, valid, and time efficient information and insights

than other assessment procedures they have tried.

After examining the qualifications in the job descriptions with the VP of the TCF call

Center, this researcher worked on creating a profile of personality traits and communication

styles based on the tests and applied them to the appropriate position. For each position, this

researcher gave two options for each job candidate. Each option contains one trait from the I-

Speak test and another from the BASIS-A, as this researcher saw fitting. The following list is a

compilation of the alternative traits that an ideal candidate for each of the positions should have,

according to (Wheeler, Kern & Cureltte, 1993) and (I-Speak Your Language, 2002).

First option: Level 7 Agent: Intuitor “I-Speak” / High Taking Charge “BASIS-A”

They tend to be comfortable discussing various aspects at the same time. They are

creative and have a very well developed ability to juggle ideas. They are good

communicators and accept others‟ opinions and suggestions. They are able to master

complex concepts quickly. They are comfortable taking charge of a group, tend to be

task-oriented, and can push to get a job done.

Second option: Level 7 Agent: Senser “I-Speak” / High Belonging-Social Interest

“BASIS-A”

They are able to get things done and tend to be pragmatically-oriented and enjoy making

things happens. Sensers seem to learn best through their direct personal experiences

rather than on a conceptual basis. They are reliable workers who commit themselves to a

task to make it success. Sensers tend to be very direct in their communication and have

little patience for rambling dialogues. They feel as if they belong in a group, and are

supportive, people-oriented, and cooperative.


First option: Level 9 Agent: Feeler “I-Speak” / High Social Interest “BASIS-A”

They understand, facilitate, and respond to others. They place great values on personal

experience and harmony in their interactions with others. They are responsive to the

needs and feelings of the people around them (relationship focused). They feel as if they

belong in a group, and are supportive, people oriented, and cooperative.

Second option: Level 9 Agent: Intuitor “I-Speak” / High Taking Charge “BASIS-A”

They are interested in what should be done in the future and committed to any changing

environment. They can move from one topic to another in a smooth and easy way. They

are able to develop profitable new directions or solutions that others have missed. They

are comfortable taking charge of a group, which includes instructing and leading others.

They tend to be task oriented and can push to get a job done.

First option: Lead: Thinker “I-Speak” / High Taking Charge “BASIS-A”

They are driven by facts, logic, and reason. They like to look at the evidence and then

reflect on the pros and cons before making any decision or judgment. They identify

problems and develop solutions, and they tend to be very rational individuals with an

extremely open mind. They demonstrate objectivity, are task-focused and often critical.

They are comfortable taking charge of a group and leading others. They are task-oriented

and push to get a job done.

Second option: Lead: Senser “I-Speak” / High Going Along “BASIS-A”

They place high value on action and thrive on getting things done. They are able to get

things done and are likely to express a direct, down-to-earth, and energetic approach to

work and life. They are idea-oriented and tend not to accept an idea until they have seen

it translated into something practical and workable. They know what is expected of them


and what the rules are so that they can judge how to behave properly. They tend to be

agreeable and prefer to avoid confrontations.

First option: Supervisor: Senser “I-Speak” / Low being Cautious “BASIS-A”

They are concrete, pragmatic, detail-oriented, and realistic. They pay attention to facts

and details, relying on information that is practical and useful. They focus on the present

and what is happening, and ask lots of “what” and “how” questions in order to get things

done. They work diligently to coach the less skillful on the team to develop their skills as

well. They trust that problems can be solved and the company‟s needs will be met, and

they value real-life experiences.

Second option: Supervisor: Intuitor “I-Speak” / High Taking Charge “BASIS-A”

Intuitors place high value on ideas, concepts, innovation, and long-range planning. They

are able to assist in identifying problems, policy-making, prioritizing program

development, coordinating, and innovatively pulling together the efforts of a variety of

groups or functions. They are comfortable taking charge of a group, which includes

instructing and leading others. They probably have an assertive, take charge approach to

life, and tend to be task-oriented and can push to get a job done.

Problem Resolution

First option: Admin and Support Specialist: Senser “I-Speak” / Low Going Along

“BASIS-A”

Sensers want details and specifics and place high value on action. They are quick to put

into action that needs to be done and judge the actions of others as evidence of their

commitment to a given task. They are able to get things done and are likely to express a

direct and energetic approach to work and life. They like clear and concrete information;


and dislike guessing when facts are fuzzy. They are more task-oriented and focused on

getting the job done according to the requirements.

Second option: Admin and Support Specialist: Feeler “I-Speak” / Low Belonging

“BASIS-A”

Feelers try to understand and analyze their own emotions and those of others, and have

great concern for people, and often have an excellent understanding of them. They spend

too much time talking about the past, and rely too much on personality. Feelers are good

at encouraging and supporting others, and are extremely skilled communicators and

facilitators. They may be more comfortable and creative when allowed to do things by

themselves, and they may be more easily interactive with one person or just a few others

as opposed to a bigger group of people.

First option: Problem Resolutions Specialist: Thinker “I-Speak” / Low Belonging-

Social Interest “BASIS-A”

Thinkers make decisions based on objective and impersonal logic and what clearly makes

sense. They tend to see the cause and effect of the problem and look at it with a critical

and reasoning eye. They are highly motivated by achievement, have a high self-

confidence, are aware of their own strengths and have no doubts about their abilities.

They like to get to the bottom of things because curiosity is one of their strongest

motives. Thinkers are quite independent of social relationships and are very self-

sufficient. They are able to develop a vision and use that vision as a foundation for

strategic thinking and planning.

Second option: Problem Resolutions Specialist: Intuitor “I-Speak” / Low Going Along

“BASIS-A”


Intuitors like to brainstorm and are comfortable developing and relying on hunches when

facing a problem. In problem-solving situations, they tend to inspire others to think in

creative ways. However, they frequently do not succeed in fully explaining the details

behind their concepts. When giving facts and details, they want to know how these apply

to the larger issues being examined. They tend to be independent thinkers who don‟t

mind disagreeing, because it gives them a chance to express their opinions. They tend to

see the big picture, and their bent toward free-spiritedness can be an asset in many

situations. They also can be aggressive and combative in pursuit of goals.

First option: Technical Writer: Intuitor “I-Speak” / High Wanting Recognition

“BASIS-A”

Intuitors are conceptual, synthesizing, inductive reasoning, and projecting individuals.

They place high value on ideas, innovation, concepts, theories, and long-range thinking.

They talk about the future implications of activities and engage in making things correct.

They focus on the longer term perspective and prefer to see the whole picture first and get

the finer details later. They are most comfortable when the people they respect give

recognition and approval for their success.

Second option: Technical Writer: Feeler “I-Speak” / High Belonging “BASIS-A”

Feelers appreciate communication that reflects values, harmony, and sensitivity to others.

They want to assure that complete research, data, and documentation is accomplished.

Feelers tend to be friendly, approachable, and agreeable. They are respected for their

patience, listening skills, and the accuracy of their observations. They are supportive,

people-oriented, and cooperative. They feel as if they belong to a group, which is

considering an aspect of social interest.


Training/Quality

First option: Trainer (1 & 2): Feeler “I-Speak” / High Taking Charge “BASIS-A”

Feelers enjoy the stimulation of “personal” relations and are responsive to the needs and

feelings of the people with whom they come in contact. A feeler is someone who is

eagerly familiar to subtle changes in other people‟s behaviors, and is intelligent in

reading between the lines about what motivates them. Feelers are good at providing

encouragement and support to others and may go out of their way to do so. They assume

that others see and do things as they do and they expect their actions and communication

to be understood by others. Overall, a feeler is friendly, approachable and agreeable.

Second option: Trainer (1 & 2): Senser “I-Speak” / Low Going Along“BASIS-A”

Sensers are people who move forward with determination. Even if working on a variety

of projects at once, sensers can still demonstrate what seems to be an incredible amount

of attention to detail. Sensers are steadfast and reliable workers who have committed

themselves to a task which will move mountains to make the undertaking a success. They

are resourceful, well organized, pragmatic, and hard driving. They tend to be

independent thinkers and they don‟t mind disagreeing, because it gives them a chance to

express their own opinions. They tend to see the big picture and their free-spiritedness

can be an asset in many situations.

First option: Communications Coordinator: Intuitor “I-Speak” / High in Belonging-

Social Interest “BASIS-A”

Intuitors assume that others see things as they do, and expect their actions to be

understood by everyone. They like things to be stated generally and tend to present

insights, concepts, and ideas first. They want to know the challenges and future


implications for a current action, they develop profitable new directions or solutions that

others have missed and recognized for their ideas, and they inspire others to think outside

the box and be more innovative. They feel attached to the group and have the sense of

belonging, and they are supportive, cooperative, and people-oriented.

Second option: Communications Coordinator: Thinker “I-Speak” / High Being

Cautious “BASIS-A”

Thinkers are logical, results-oriented, deliberative, and very objective individuals. They

make decisions based on facts, data, details, and information. They prefer observation

and proof and are very disciplined and consistent in analyzing data. They like to get to

the bottom of things through because of their curiosity. Being cautious is an issue in their

life, and may affect their reactions to life in two ways. They may be sensitive to cues

from the environment and others and good at reading nonverbal behaviors. Or, they may

not care about what others think and can act without worrying about consequences.

First option: Quality Specialist: Senser “I-Speak” / High Being Cautious “BASIS-A”

Sensers provide the necessary details, either in the presentation or in an appendix. They

focus on the details on each slide and determine information through careful observation.

They are hard working, focus on the bottom line, organized and realistic, good at multi-

tasking, ask a wide array of questions, and are not slightly concerned with the long-range

picture.

Second option: Quality Specialist: Intuitor “I-Speak” / Low Social Interest “BASIS-A”

Intuitors are creative and have a very well-developed ability to juggle ideas. They are

good communicators and expect others to share opinions and suggestions. They are able

to master complex concepts quickly. They are conceptual, synthesizing, and projecting.


They place high value on ideas, innovation, concepts, theories, and long-range thinking.

They are more comfortable and creative when allowed to do things by themselves. They

may be more at ease when interacting with one person or just a few others.

Workforce Management

First option: Schedule: Thinker “I-Speak” / High Taking Charge “BASIS-A”

Thinkers make decisions based on facts, data, details, and information. They prefer

observation and proof and are very disciplined and consistent in analyzing data. They

seek to be task oriented in order to get a job done; they take charge of a group, and enjoy

leading others.

Second option: Scheduler: Senser “I-Speak” / Low Going Along “BASIS-A”

Sensers are concrete, pragmatic, detail-oriented, and realistic individuals who thrive on

getting things done. They want details and specifics and place high value on action. They

work on a wide variety of tasks at once, and they are reliable people who commit

themselves to a task and make it successful. They are independent thinkers who don‟t

mind disagreeing, because it gives them a chance to express their opinions. They can be

aggressive and combative in pursuit of goals. They tend to see the big picture and their

free-spiritedness can be an asset in many situations.

First option: Coordinator: Senser “I-Speak” / High Belonging-Social Interest “BASIS-

A”

Sensers place high values on action and thrive on getting things done as they work on a

wide variety of tasks at once. They are reliable people who commit themselves to a task

and make it successful. They are well organized, pragmatic, hard driving and demonstrate


incredible attention to details. They tend to be very direct in their communication. They

are supportive, people-oriented, and cooperative.

Second option: Coordinator: Thinker “I-Speak” / High Taking Charge “BASIS-A”

Thinkers are analyzing, systematic, objective, and logical individuals. Thinkers generally

function in a steady, tenacious manner, and they tend to avoid emotionalism and

speculation and are dependable when the emotions around them run high. They are often

seen as consistent producers. They are comfortable taking charge of a group, which

includes instructing and leading others. They probably have an assertive, take-charge

approach to life, and tend to be task-oriented and can push to get a job done.

First option: Technical Analyst: Senser “I-Speak” / Low Going Along “BASIS-A”

They are energetic and their approach to problem solving is very practical. They evaluate

growth and progress in specific and measurable ways and they tend to see the big picture.

They base opinion on personal experiences and are result-oriented. They tend to be

independent thinkers who don‟t mind disagreeing because it gives them a chance to

express their opinions.

Second option: Technical Analyst: Thinker “I-Speak” / Low Social Interest “BASIS-A”

Thinkers tend to be principled individuals who are respected for their ability to treat

everyone fairly. They are logical, result-oriented individuals who tend to be valued for

their thoughtful analysis rather than for their skill in mobilizing the enthusiasm of others.

They can be highly effective in organizing themselves and others to research and plan in

systematic ways. They tend to be logical and objective in their approach to problem

solving. They are more comfortable and creative when allowed to do things by


themselves, and they may be more at ease interacting with one person or just a few

others.

Project Management

First option: BSA1 & BSA2: Thinker “I-Speak” / Low Going Along “BASIS-A”

Thinkers are logical, results oriented, deliberative, and very objective people. They rely

on observations and rational principles, avoiding emotionalism, and tend to have high

value on logic, objectivity, and systematic inquiry. They tend to be independent thinkers

who don‟t mind disagreeing, because it gives them a chance to express their opinions and

perspectives as they see the big picture.

Second option: BSA1 & BSA2: Senser “I-Speak” / Low Social Interest “BASIS-A”

Sensers are concrete, pragmatic, detail-oriented, and realistic individuals. They pay

attention to facts and details and rely on information that is practical and useful. Sensers

are able to get things done and are likely to express a direct and energetic approach to

work. They are resourceful, well organized, and hard driving people. Sensers are more

comfortable and creative when allowed to do things by themselves.

First option: Project Management: Senser “I-Speak” / High Taking Charge “BASIS-

A”

Sensers place a high value on action and thrive on getting things done. They have a direct

and effective communication style. They are engaged in activities that provide them with

opportunities for concrete, tangible, and immediate feedback because their approach is

action-oriented and down to earth. They tend to be the driving force and the dependable

players within an organization. Sensers demonstrate what seems to be an incredible

amount of attention to details when working on a variety of projects at once. They are


task oriented and can push to get a job done as they are comfortable taking charge of

group and leading others.

Second option: Project Management: Thinker “I-Speak” / High Going Along “BASIS-

A”

Thinkers like to get to the bottom of things as curiosity is one of their strongest motives.

They make decisions based on facts, data, details, and information. Thinkers tend to

extend their logical and sometimes impersonal approach to others through their written

communications. Their writing tends to be connected to the consistency or cohesiveness

of the ideas of facts presented. They know what is expected of them and what the rules

are so that they can judge how to behave properly. They tend to be agreeable and prefer

to avoid confrontations.

The two recommended options of the assessment results create a more flexible

employment process for the staffing department as there exists a wider range of characteristics

for them to choose from. In addition, the multiple options maximize the traits to look for in the

search for an ideal employee for each position. Refer to Appendix A, TCF Career Path: Call

Center Operations, for an illustration of how the different positions in the organization operate

together.

Project Development

Empowering employees of an organization and motivating them to bring out their

leadership potential is the key element of this project. Influential leaders have the capability to

empower and encourage employees to enhance their job satisfaction. By placing employees in

the right position according to their communication style and their personality traits can and will

provide them with a stronger sense of belonging and the incentives to perform at their highest


expectations. This researcher‟s main purpose in conducting personality and communication

assessments was to aid the process of job placement for the human resource officials in order to

maximize employee satisfaction and lengthen their retention and success in the organization over

the long run.

After deep examinations of the situation in the Call Center, this researcher proposed the

detailed circumstances of this project to the Vice President. Suggestions were provided by this

researcher to conduct training sessions to the Human Resource department. This training was a

measure to thoroughly explain the methodology and instruments needed to perform the

mechanisms of this project. Unfortunately, implementation of the project was rejected by the

TCF Call Center. Various causes led to this refusal, including internal conflicts between upper-

level leaders of the company, as well as disagreement on the proposed costs of the two

assessments.

Regardless of that adversity, this project would have yielded guaranteed profit to the

organization in ways that would have benefitted not only the employees, but also the customers

of the company. Implementing this project would have established an effective long term plan

that would lead an effective organization built on satisfied and empowered employees.

Moreover, it is important to remember how the internal conflicts of the company play an

enormous factor in the unhealthiness of the organization, so the first step here is to determine

those issues and find ways to rise above them in order to move on and transform the company

into a more healthy organization.


CHAPTER FOUR: SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

Summary

Organizations are comprised of multiple levels of working elements interacting together

to produce a profitable product or service. The leaders of such organizations are the vital engines

that give power to employees to perform their best and reach their potential. They also act as the

connecting body between the different yet essential loops in the organization. On the other hand,

leaders are essential to the process of employee empowerment which will ensure a deeper level

of employee satisfaction and profit.

The basis of influential leadership is the ability to not only support those employees who

are not up to par with their work, but also support those who are excelling to achieve even

further. Ideal leaders are those who possess a combination of transformational and transactional

leadership styles where the leader is able to manage the business efficiently while inspiring

change effectively. These leaders have a variety of skills that include, but are not limited to,

motivating, trusting, empowering, listening, guiding, supporting, and most importantly

maximizing the full potential of those around them.

Successful leaders are ones that value ideas and inputs from employees and give them the

sense of empowerment. This process includes sharing information and making decisions based

on the negotiations between leaders and employees that discuss the best method of solving a

problem. Empowering employees by giving them an opportunity to give their opinion in the

decision-making process provides them with a higher level of confidence. In addition,

empowerment is beneficial to the organization as well because empowered workers make up

powerful organizations.


Empowerment is an essential cause of employee satisfaction, which is a measure of how

pleased workers are with their job and work environment. Satisfied employees are much more

loyal and committed to maintaining a high quality of work that exceeds the expectations of their

organization. These high-performing, satisfied workers are much more willing to exert effort

toward achieving the set goals of the company. Overall, they will benefit themselves by being

recognized for their accomplishments, and most importantly, they will benefit the organization‟s

performance and effectiveness in achieving its goals.

Utilizing the right combination of leadership styles, empowerment of employees, and

maintaining their job satisfaction are key elements to the transformation of organizations from

unhealthy conditions to effective and healthy ones. Employees of such healthy organizations are

believed to have acquired the three basic human needs which Adler believed to be the basis of

social interest. Feelings of safety, significance, and belonging are the most vital human goals, as

Adler emphasized, because they give humans a sense of contribution to the greater social good.

In the realization of the basic human needs, people are in constant collaboration with

each other as they strive to develop and achieve in order to live their life better. Moreover,

people are in a constant need to develop a sense of belonging as they work to contribute to the

world around them. “Success, in Adler's terms, dealt with how we fit into the environment while

being true to ourselves” (Daniels, 2011). A person must cooperate with and contribute to the

organization to aim for both personal and organizational goals. In a typical situation of change,

an organization will win employees‟ cooperation, helping them to develop a sense of

significance through contributing to others, minimizing their inferiority feelings, stimulating

their courage, guiding them to be active, and helping them to feel like a significant part of the

organization.


Conclusion

To build a successful organization, change that leads to a healthy, positive, and effective

organization must be implemented. In order to achieve that immense goal, organizations must

have an effective plan which involves everyone within the organization. This researcher

provided a significant long term plan for the TCF bank Call Center in order to assist the

organization to become effective and sufficient. The main purpose of this project was to create a

plan that would establish an easier and more effective hiring process and maximize employee

retention. This was made possible through high quality personality and communication

assessments that helped place new employees in the best position possible based on a profile of

their skills, qualifications, and personality traits.

Overall, the methodology of the project illustrates how the theories presented earlier can

be applied to assist an actual organization‟s issues. In helping the TCF bank Call Center establish

a healthy organization, this researcher had the opportunity to obtain information regarding the

company‟s operations and various other data. Working with the Vice President made this

researcher realize that the main concern at hand was making the organization‟s mission more

feasible. The collected data and company information portrayed to this researcher the need for

assessing the hiring process of new employees. The two assessments utilized gave this researcher

a clear backdrop on the type of personality and communication style needed for an ideal

candidate for each position.

The two assessments used in this project, the I-Speak Your Language and the Basis-A,

helped to identify the key personality traits in each candidate as well as develop effective

strategies for communication within the organization. Therefore, alternative characteristics were

created for each position based on the multitude of possible qualities necessary for an ideal


candidate to possess. The two options available for each position consist of a combination of two

traits: one from the personality test, and another from the communication test. This gives the

human resource department a wider array of candidates that would be viewed as ideal for the

position.

Although the methods presented in this project were not utilized by the company due to

several internal and external conflicts, this researcher was able to create a profile of the

personality type and communication style of the ideal candidate for each position. In addition,

the idea of using assessments to place employees in the right positions correlates strongly with

Adlerian principles, and this researcher was able to make that connection through the notions of

safety, significance, and belonging: the three elements that base the fundamental beliefs of

Alfred Adler.

When employees are placed in jobs that fit well with their personality traits, they feel a

much greater sense of belonging to the organization. In addition, when placing employees in

accordance with their qualifications, as can be done through the communications assessment

results, the employees will be performing at a high level of excellence. As a result, employees

will feel safe as they exceed expectations in their performance and establish stability without

fears of losing their job.

The TCF Call Center has a set of specific guiding principles to steer them towards

achieving their mission. These guiding principles are in agreement with this researcher‟s thesis,

which is concerned with employee empowerment and satisfaction. First, the Call Center is

committed to employee development through empowerment and recognition. The center will

provide its employees with the necessary tools and systems to ensure that they effectively

perform their job. Second, the Call Center promises to foster employee satisfaction through


promoting and sustaining employee engagement. The center promises to work collaboratively to

achieve an environment where respect and open communication are valued and inclusive

decision-making prevails. The TCF Call Center‟s initial priority is providing great customer

services, and that would not occur without empowering its employees and encouraging them to

achieve the highest satisfaction from each customer.

Finally, followers see leaders as role models when it comes to the combination of

positive and effective behaviors as well as their outlook on approaching different circumstances.

Leaders act as the primary source of influence on followers who get inspired and motivated by

the diligence of their leaders. Anyone can be a successful leader by adapting a combination of

the styles, qualities, and aspects mentioned earlier. This researcher believes strongly in the

superiority of influential leadership in motivating, inspiring, and empowering employees,

changing to a positive organizational direction, and building the next generation of leaders.


Appendix A:

TCF Career Path: Call Center Operations

Problem

Resolution

Lead

Agent

Level 9

Agent

Level 7

Analyst

Trainer

Supervisor

Project

Manager

Career Path

Throughout

TCF

tcf

1 Year

Able to participate in

Nesting Program at 1

year

6 Months - 1 Year

Able to participate in

High Potential Program

at 6 months

3-5

Years

3-5

Years

3-5

Years


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