Description
Book SynopsisEmpowerment produces the conditions for high performance. Especially for middle managers and below. Empowered cultures attract and retain talent. They produce high achievement, high accountability and high commitment.
Table of ContentsPrologue: To Read or Not to Read ix
Introduction: Why Empowerment Now and Again xv
1 Managers in the Middle 1
Part One Politics in the Workplace—Rekindling the Entrepreneurial Spirit 7
2 Personal Choices That Shape the Work Environment 9
The Road Most Traveled 9
Now You See It, Now You Don’t 11
Choosing an Entrepreneurial Path 12
When to Play It Safe 19
3 A Culture of Empowerment 21
The Bureaucratic Cycle 22
The Entrepreneurial Cycle 24
The Patriarchal Contract 26
Myopic Self-Interest: The Myth That Advancement and Self-Esteem Are Related 35
Manipulative Tactics 50
4 The Empowerment Choice 59
The Entrepreneurial Contract 66
Enlightened Self-Interest 78
Authentic Tactics 87
Part Two Positive Political Skills at Work 97
5 Creating a Vision of Greatness 99
Claiming Our Autonomy by Creating a Vision 99
What Is a Vision and Why Is It Important? 100
Creating the Vision 106
Communicating Our Vision 117
Coaching Others in Creating Their Vision 119
6 Negotiating with Allies and Adversaries 127
The Critical Skills: Negotiating Agreement and Negotiating Trust 128
7 Balancing Autonomy and Interdependence 151
Political Scripts 153
The Right Use of Scripts 167
Interdependence 169
Autonomy and Interdependence 171
Finding Peace with the Boss 172
8 Facing Organizational Realities 177
Nonsuicidal Courageous Acts 179
9 Enacting the Vision 187
Moving Toward Tension 188
Final Thoughts 189
Annotated Bibliography 195
About the Author 197
Acknowledgments 199
Index 201
