Background
There is a great deal of research about power and empowerment
in nursing. Simply defined, empowerment is ‘to enable
to act’ (Chandler 1992, p. 65), but due to overuse in several
contexts, the term ‘empowerment’ has become rather nebulous.
It is a positive concept that suggests competency in
negotiating and expressing need to fellow human beings
(Ryles 1999) and is closely associated with decision-making,
choice, authority, knowledge and experience (Fulton 1997).
Kuokkanen and Leino-Kilpi (2000) clarified the concept by
providing three theoretical perspectives of empowerment;
critical social theory, organizational and management theories
and social psychological theories. Broadly speaking these
differing perspectives view empowerment as stemming
respectively from emancipation, organizational productivity
or a process of personal growth. Debate exists in terms of
whether empowerment is a process (Suominen et al. 2006);
an outcome; or a combination of both (Nyatanga & Dann
2002). Rodwell (1996) proposes that empowerment may
actually be the product of the process of empowering; a view
that captures the complexity of this notion.