Conceptualisation and measurement of the empowerment of workers : an educational perspective

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:In the era of globalisation, demands for increased productivity and multiple skills presentchallenges to adult educators in their role of facilitating empowerment in individuals. Theproposed link between productivity and empowerment has stimulated interest in the conceptby management and there has to be accountability to ensure that the needs of individuals andorganisations are balanced.The aim of designing a standardised measuring instrument comprised the first phase of thisresearch. The questionnaire was compiled based on the outcomes of empowerment identifiedin the literature on three levels (Micro-level, Interface level and Macro-level). Afterexploratory testing, the summated ratings method was applied in order to reduce andstandardise the questionnaire. This instrument was tested for validity and the questionnaire of61 statements was retained for the experiment.The experiment was conducted in the second phase to measure the effects of an interventionon the empowerment of workers. The questionnaire was applied in the Pre-, Post- and Postpost-test design in eight companies in the Western Cape where the life-skills trainingprogramme FREE TO GROW was implemented. Qualitative data collected identified theoutcomes of empowerment and also validated the measuring instrument. Statisticalprocedures applied identified the patterns of empowerment in respondents. The respondentsin the experiment were mainly females and the mean age was 33.9 years. The majority wereAfrikaans and most classified themselves as part of the Coloured ethnic group.The FREE TO GROW training programme succeeded in achieving the objective ofempowerment because it was found that there was a statistically significant improvement inthe empowerment status of workers both in the short and long term. Most of the total groupwas empowered on the Interface level prior to the course and on the Micro-level after thecourse and in the long term. The males were more empowered on the Macro-level before thecourse, but had increased sustained Interface-level empowerment. The females benefited moston the Micro-level directly after the course and in the long term. Before the course theColoured group was more empowered on the Micro-level compared to the whites, but they benefited most on the Interface level directly after the course. The Coloured group andfemales had statistically significant higher scores on the Interface level in the long term.In terms of the patterns of empowerment, it was found that the Micro-level issues weredominant prior to the course with a greater spread of perception of the other aspects ofempowerment over time. Before the course, the respondents tended to react to personal andfamily issues where no action was needed. They were motivated to achieve their goals andhad a desire for control over aspects affecting them. Directly after the course they had a morepositive view of life, a sense of personal responsibility, and an ability to cope. They wereprepared to take the initiative, were more ambitious and felt confident of their abilities in theworkplace. In the long term their experience of empowerment was more balanced and theyfelt good about themselves, were more assertive, able to think critically and more involved inissues external to themselves.The measuring instrument designed in this study measured the outcomes of empowerment onthree levels and helped to identify the patterns that emerged over the course of anintervention. A standardised empowerment questionnaire can increase accountability, assistin balancing the needs of individuals and management, and can provide insights toeducationalists seeking to empower adults.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University