Rick wrote:
>He (Peter Senge) goes on, saying roughly, "So, empowerment cannot come from
>another
>human being. If someone else empowers you, they could take it away, so you
>aren't truely empowered. True empowerment can only come from an idea...."
>This fits for me with something I've discussed a couple of times here,
>that I don't think one should try to control another human being. I can
>influence, I can help, but it's up to them whether they are empowered or
>not. I've found this very helpful in my work.
I would agree, but I also see empowerment as something that's negotiated.
To assert one's own empowerment without checking on the consequences can
easily leave others bruised. That isn't empowerment, it's bullying. True
empowerment, in my view, is the negotiation of shared power that leaves
all parties with a sense of appropriateness. That is, all parties are in
positions that are appropriate to their organizational identities,
personal vision, individual skills and abilities, etc.
In a nutshell, I'd say that the process of empowerment is the same as the
process of democracy.
I'll leave it there in the middle of the conversational street - others
can pick it up and play with it, or it can just get run over by the next
car.
Time for lunch,
Dave
--David E. Birren Project Manager and Consultant, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (608) 267-2442 "Teach your tongue to say 'I do not know' and you will progress." -- Maimonides
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