TABLE OF CONTENTS The five agencies we reviewed implemented key empowerment and involvement practices as part of making organizational changes intended to realign organizations and processes to improve performance. The practices were (1) demonstrating top leadership commitment; (2) engaging employee unions in making changes; (3) training employees to enhance their knowledge, skills, and abilities; (4) using employee teams to help accomplish agency missions; (5) involving employees in planning, and sharing performance information; and (6) delegating authorities to front-line employees.
Top leadership commitment is crucial in developing a vision, initiating organizational change, maintaining open communications, and creating an environment that is receptive to innovation. In earlier reports and testimonies, we observed that top leadership must play a critical role in creating and sustaining high-performing organizations. Without the clear and demonstrated commitment of agency top leadership, organizational cultures will not be transformed, and new visions and ways of doing business will not take root. [14]
Consistent attention to employee empowerment and involvement issues helps to ensure that changes are sustained. Agency leaders need to commit their organizations to valuing and investing in their employees by empowering, involving, and providing them the tools to do their best, and by implementing the modern performance management and incentives systems needed to focus employees' efforts on achieving agency missions and goals. Top leadership commitment entails time, energy, and persistence in providing incentives and establishing accountability. Agency leaders must commit their organizations to valuing and investing in their...
