Psychology research suggests that an individual’s perception and interpretation of his or her
work environment is an important determinant of his or her level of psychological empowerment
(Thomas and Velthouse 1990; Spreitzer 1995, 1996; Burney et al. 2009). Spreitzer (1995) contends
that there is a positive relationship between an individual’s work context and psychological
empowerment, and that the direction of the influence in this relationship flows from the work
environment to empowerment.