empowerment

Intermediate 👥 Human Resources

Definition

The corporate buzzword for giving employees just enough authority to feel important without actually changing power structures or decision-making hierarchies. This feel-good initiative involves delegating responsibility (but rarely resources) while management maintains veto power over everything important. It's what happens when companies want engagement without surrendering actual control—autonomy theater at its finest.

Example Usage

Our empowerment initiative lets employees choose their own desk plants while executives still approve vacation requests.

Source: Common HR and management terminology

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