AN ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACT OF EMPLOYEE EMPOWERMENT TO ENHANCE JOB SATISFACTION: A STUDY ON VODAFONE, UK
Chapter 1 Introduction
Employee empowerment is a major concern all over the world in terms of enhancing the relative employee development as well as the up gradation of the respective workplace. There are several aspects that are related to the development of an empowered atmosphere at any workspace. A workplace is largely accompanied with the aspects which deal in employee empowerment and consecutively their motivation as it is considered as one of the most important aspects in terms of development and expansion of profit at any organization. This research will be focused over the impacts that are directly related with the development and implementation of employee empowerment through factors like engagement and its impacts over the development of motivating factors all around the company named Vodafone in UK. Vodafone is one of the largest telecom companies in UK and thus needs to put a carefully analyzed structure in order to enhance employee motivation through empowerment.
1.1 Background of the study
This research is concentrated with the analysis of a major factor in the present scenario at the Vodafone, UK. It provides relatively important aspect in order to describe the importance and impact of employee empowerment over motivation and ultimately the progress of respective organisation. Now days, empowering employees through appropriate responsibilities and objectives in areas like financial stability has become a major tool for developing positive motivating aspects in the employees.
1.2 Rationale of the study
Lack of employee motivation is one of the major causes of the decreasing stability of any organisation. This aspect has adversely affected and thus proper ways are required to be implemented in case of development. Increasing the profit segment as well as expansion of Vodafone is highly dependent on the factors such as empowerment among its employees. Currently, the telecom sector is largely associated with proper communication. In the current scenario the company has to change and secure an atmosphere that provided a chord completely unsatisfied as there are several factors like lack of empowering the employees. In order to understand the aspect that employee empowerment lays over the profitability of an organisation can be analysed from the fact that currently there are separate segments that are assigned with the task to manage human resource in order to provide a supportive atmosphere and thus developmental results for motivation. In addition to these empowering employees also enhances the behavioural aspects among employees that relatively enhance the development at each subordinate level. A friendly and supportive atmosphere deployed at the workplace relatively decreases the workload and stress factor associated with the employees which ultimately results in innovation and result oriented performance from employees. Currently, lack employee satisfaction is one of the major threats that many companies like Vodafone are facing. This issue is not only limited to the financial aspects related to a workplace as its major impact can be observed around the behavioural implication of employees. This study will be a major help in order to facilitate the proper understanding of one of the major factor that influences employee motivation and development of Vodafone. Employee well being is a direct influence over the customer involvement and base building as a satisfied and motivated employee will be a major influencer to customers and a dissatisfied one can be a major disadvantage to the organisation. This study is of a real important as customer satisfaction is one of the several bases that a company needs to follow while dealing with the telecom operations. A more satisfied and empowered employee can provide a major advantage to Vodafone in comparison to the less motivated or less satisfied one.
1.3 Aim of the research
The aim of this research is to guide and provide a major understanding that can be understood in order to overcome the drastically decreasing employee orientation and involvement in their respective areas of work.
1.4 Objectives of the research
- To identify the concept of employee empowerment
- To figure out the concept of job satisfaction
- To determine the impact of employee empowerment on job satisfaction
- To figure out the mitigation strategies for reducing challenges of employee empowerment and job satisfactions
1.5 Research questions
What is employee empowerment?
What is the concept of job satisfaction?
How employee empowerments influence job satisfaction?
What are the mitigation strategies to reduce challenges of employee empowerment and job satisfaction?
1.6 Research hypothesis
Research hypothesis suggests the propositions of the research and here the hypothesis of this research is
H0: Employee empowerment has impact on job satisfaction
H1: Employee empowerment has no impact on job satisfaction
Chapter 2 Literature review
2.1 Employee empowerment
Employee empowerment is a process involving a major development in differently important aspects that are relatively important in an organisation through specific implications in the field of management, decision making, financial and corporate freedom aspects. It simply involves the distribution of additional responsibilities apart from their routine work schedule (Iqbal and Hashmi, 2015, p.18). It is an autonomous distribution of relatively higher authority and decisions among different lower level employees in order to develop a major level of satisfaction among them. This process is relatively responsible for describing a more suitable process (Elnaga and Imran, 2014, p.20). The importance of empowerment in respect of the employees is equally analysed in the Kanter’s theory. This theory provides a major understanding for the importance as well as requirement of employee empowerment in a structural manner so that it must take place in a more organized and effective way. Kanter’s theory lays emphasis over some of the important aspects in its six conditions that are provided.
- Availability of advancement opportunities for everyone
- Information access
- Access to organisational support in times of need
- Availability of adequate resources for every individual working in the respective organisation
- Formalised distribution of power in order to enhance the availability of opportunities for every individual
- Availability of informal power among the employees (Zeglat et al. 2014, p.55).
2.2 Employee job satisfaction
Employee motivation in any organisation is very important as the responsibilities are critical and need a more analysed description in order to derive any major conclusion. The importance of motivation for employees has been also described in Maslow’s needs hierarchy theory due to the fact that its implication is equally important in an all round development of the employees as well as the organisation which is being analysed. This theory is also described as human motivation theory (Ukil, 2016, p.178). This theory indicates the involvement of human needs in order to facilitate with the developing requirements of an organisation. There is a five levelled hierarchy system involved in this theory for examining the impact of human needs and requirement over developed motivation in the workplace. Following are the five basic deciding factors that influence employee motivation all along the employees:
- Safety factors
- Belongingness self actualization
- Physiological needs
- Esteem level of the company as well as the employees
- Self actualisation
Job satisfaction can only be described as a process that can be a result of proper analysis related to the development of this theory oriented impacts that have a major involvement of the theories like Employee empowerment and motivation (Kim and Fernandez, 2017, p.21). This theory especially describes the importance of motivation among the workforce that can be a rigorous result in order to facilitate the introduction of healthcare facilities and financial introduction. This theory relatively explains the impact a self satisfied employee provides to the company in a better way. Motivation is not at all only implicated in the field employee empowerment of developing the organisation, one of the major implications that a company or an organisation faces relates to the self development of employees (Anjum et al.2016, p.360).
2.3 Employee empowerment and job satisfaction
Employee empowerment leads to employee loyalty and in order to facilitate the development at organisational as well as individual level employee loyalty is a major requirement. A loyal employee is a perfect example of true motivation as it implicates workforce stability. An empowered employee has faith in its organisation and this faith relates with the motivation factor associated with it (Javed et al. 2014, p.131).
2.4 Gap in literature
A major gap that is left behind in this theory relates with the availability and introduction of appropriate measures that must be implemented in the form of training programs in order to enhance employee empowerment and thus employee motivation.
Conceptual framework of employee empowerment as major factor in enhancing job satisfaction
Chapter 3 Research design and methodology
3.1 Research philosophy
This research will be basically based over in order to provide the most suitable and understandable approach to the research paper. The main purpose of this selection of positivism philosophy is its importance in reflecting the reality aspects of the research work. The topic in this research provides a major issue being faced in current scenario which is regarding the importance of employee empowerment in motivation and the positivism approach provides an overall understanding related to this topic. This aspect of philosophy perfectly fulfils the demands that are required in this research work. Interpretive method of philosophy cannot be used in this research as it describes the truth by intercepting facts for the research topic (Hanaysha, and Tahir, 2016, p.273). Truth obtaining is the main issue in this research and that is the reason positivism philosophy is used in this case.
Figure1: Research philosophy
(Source: Hanaysha, and Tahir, 2016, p.274)
3.2 Investigating type
In this research, the researcher will use descriptive research design as it is the most convenient method of researching. It provides a major objective in terms of data collection and real time experiences and thus is an essential part of any research of this kind. The whole concept of descriptive research design is based on proper observation of the facts that are in the form of data (Nawaz et al. 2014, p.600). It provides a researcher with the availability of useful information and knowledge in respect to the concerned topics which are extracted from the important sources. Another major important aspect that is related to this research technique is the availability of survey conduction in order to gather the raw first hand information from the affected group of people (Pradhan et al. 2017, p.590).
Deductive approach which will be used in this research method is conducted through proper analysis of the various theories that are extracted from pre existing sources. The availability of this theory helps the researcher to draw a proper hypothesis of the situation in order to provide a better understanding in the research. Another major part that dominates deductive approach of research implicates the introduction of various aspects that are related to the conduction of tests and observations by the researcher. Another major factor that influences the importance of deductive approach in this research is related to the use of theory (Hanaysha, 2016, p.170). These theories are a major factor that provides the researcher with a proper way for conducting the research by understanding of the topic and its applications in various theories applied.
Figure 2: Deductive Approaches
(Source: Hanaysha, 2016, p.171)
3.3 Data collection methods
Secondary data collection method will be used by the researcher in order to obtain actual and real time data for information gathering and understanding of the subject that is being illustrated. The use of secondary data collection method is used as it is time efficient and easily accessible at the same time. In addition to this, the use of secondary data also facilitates the comparative study as the information is easily available and since it is previously reviewed, reliability and authenticity of the information is high enough.
3.4 Sample size and sampling techniques
The samples that are to be taken must be in accordance with the topics that are used in the research. Relevant journals, books and websites are the most suitable sampling aspects that can be used in this research. 8 journals and 2 books would be perfect for the sampling purpose along with several reports of the company as well as government.
3.5 Ethical issues
The researcher will come across several ethical issues in accordance with the Data protection act 1998. Since, a large segment of workforce will be acquired in this research appropriate regulations must be considered while performing various activities under the research like information storage and distribution (Tariq et al. 2016, p.240).
3.6 Data analysis method
Both secondary qualitative and secondary quantitative methods are used in order to describe the topic as the factors which are emphasised in this research are important in both the aspects. Availability of data must be analysed in terms of quantity as well as quality.
3.7 Research time frame
| Task | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10 | Week 11 | Week 12 |
| Topic identification | ||||||||||||
| Designing of literature review | ||||||||||||
| Secondary data collection process | ||||||||||||
| Finding area analysis | ||||||||||||
| Investigation process | ||||||||||||
| Accessibility of sources | ||||||||||||
| Data analysis | ||||||||||||
| Drafting | ||||||||||||
| submission |
