Conger and Kanungo (1988) argued that a view of empowerment as “sharing power” is incomplete and that a complete conceptualization must also include the motivational effect of empowerment on subordinates. Building on this work, Thomas and Velthouse (1990) presented a more complex model focused on intrinsic task motivation. Kirkman and Rosen (1997, 1999) extended the concept of empowerment to the team level. They argued that empowered teams experience high potency and autonomy in performing their tasks; in addition, they find their tasks more meaningful and impactful, leading to higher intrinsic motivation. As Spreitzer and Doneson (forthcoming) concluded, these perspectives complement one other. Accordingly, we define empowering leadership as behaviors whereby power is shared with subordinates and
that raise their level of intrinsic motivation. To clarify the concept further, we offer the following important examples of empowering leader behavior: leading by example, participative decision making, coaching, informing, and showing concern.