Structural Empowerment
Rosabeth Kanter's (1977, 1993) structural theory of organizational empowerment
describes structures within a work environment that enable employees to achieve their
goals. The organizational structures of empowerment that Kanter (1977, 1993) describes
as empowering for employees are the structures that allow access to information, provide
organizational support, opportunity to learn to grow, and access to the resources required
by the employee to do the job. Formal power and informal power are job characteristics
which influence access to empowering structures within organizations. Formal power is
defined by the job's visibility within the organization and its overall importance to the
organization's goals. Informal power refers to the development of effective relationship
networks with people inside the organization and with associated professionals outside
the organization. Kanter (1977) suggests that people who have a high degree of formal
and informal power have better access to organizational empowering structures such as
information, resources, support and opportunities.