Empowerment in Business: The Current State of Knowledge and Future Directions of Research
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15678/krem.17683Keywords:
empowerment, empowerment in business, systematic literature review, future empowerment researchAbstract
Objective: The main aim of the article was to identify the current directions of research and the current state of knowledge on empowerment in business, as well as to define potential future directions of research on empowerment which have been indicated by research.
Research Design & Methods: Systematic literature review of publications from the period 2014–2022; 29 full-text publications from the Scopus database were analysed.
Findings: Previous research on empowerment in business has been compiled and organised based on the conducted literature review. The relationships between empowerment and the results of its implementation, together with the intermediary and moderating mechanisms have been presented. The authors collectively depicted future potential directions of research on empowerment put forward by researchers.
Implications / Recommendations: The arrangement of the current research directions on empowerment allows the authors to understand its diversity and complexity. The research results also confirmed many directions in which empowerment is beneficial from the human resource management point of view. The analysis sheds light on future directions for research of empowerment. It paves the way for a new pathway for future work.
Contribution: Arranging current research directions on empowerment in business and their outcomes from the perspective of management and quality science. Organising and presenting in a collective way the current state of knowledge on empowerment.
Downloads
References
Abualoush, S. H., Obeidat, A. M., Tarhini, A., Masa’deh, R. E., & Al-Badi, A. (2018). The Role of Employees’ Empowerment as an Intermediary Variable between Knowledge Management and Information Systems on Employees’ Performance. VINE Journal of Information and Knowledge Management Systems, 48(2), 217–237. https://doi.org/10.1108/VJIKMS-08-2017-0050 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/VJIKMS-08-2017-0050
Alias, N. E., Nokman, F. N., Ismail, S., Koe, W. L., & Othman, R. (2018). The Effect of Payment, Recognition, Empowerment and Work-life Balance on Job Satisfaction in Malaysia’s Oil and Gas Industry. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 8(9), 639–656. https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v8-i9/4645 DOI: https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v8-i9/4645
Ángeles López-Cabarcos, M., Vázquez-Rodríguez, P., & Quiñoá-Piñeiro, L. M. (2022). An Approach to Employees’ Job Performance through Work Environmental Variables and Leadership Behaviours. Journal of Business Research, 140(3), 361–369. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.11.006 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.11.006
Arefin, A. H. M. M., Md Altab Hossin, Md Sajjad Hossain, & Md Aktaruzzaman. (2018). The Dilemma of Investing in Human Resources: A Risky Initiative? European Journal of Human Resource Management Studies, 1(2), 139–149. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1253733
Baird, K., Tung, A., & Su, S. (2020). Employee Empowerment, Performance Appraisal Quality and Performance. Journal of Management Control, 31(4), 451–474. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00187-020-00307-y DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00187-020-00307-y
Czakon, W. (2011). Metodyka systematycznego przeglądu literatury. Przegląd Organizacji, 3(854), 57–61. https://doi.org/10.33141/po.2011.03.13 DOI: https://doi.org/10.33141/po.2011.03.13
Czakon, W. (2013). Metodyka systematycznego przeglądu literatury. In: W. Czakon (Ed.), Podstawy metodologii badań w naukach o zarządzaniu (3rd ed.). Wydawnictwo Nieoczywiste.
Dedahanov, A. T., Bozorov, F., & Sung, S. (2019). Paternalistic Leadership and Innovative Behavior: Psychological Empowerment as a Mediator. Sustainability, 11(6), 1770. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11061770 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su11061770
Ekowati, V. M., Sabran, Supriyanto, A. S., Pratiwi, V. U., & Masyhuri. (2021). Assessing the Impact of Empowerment on Achieving Employee Performance Mediating Role of Information Communication Technology. Quality – Access to Success, 22(184), 211–216. https://doi.org/10.47750/QAS/22.184.27 DOI: https://doi.org/10.47750/QAS/22.184.27
Fatahi-Bayat, G., Goudarzi, A., & Goudarzi, M. (2016). Study on Variables Influencing the Employee Empowerment Case Study: Industries of Markazi Province. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 7(5), 2039–2117. https://doi.org/10.5901/mjss.2016.v7n51p102 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5901/mjss.2016.v7n51p102
Hajizadeh, H., Makvandi, F., & Amirnejad, G. (2022). The Effective Coaching Factors in Operational Managers of Persian Gulf Petrochemical Company in the Motivation of Human Resources. International Journal of Engineering Business Management, 14. https://doi.org/10.1177/18479790211037222 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/18479790211037222
Hecklau, F., Galeitzke, M., Flachs, S., & Kohl, H. (2016). Holistic Approach for Human Resource Management in Industry 4.0. Procedia CIRP, 54, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procir.2016.05.102 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procir.2016.05.102
Jena, L. K., Bhattacharyya, P., & Pradhan, S. (2019). Am I Empowered through Meaningful Work? The Moderating Role of Perceived Flexibility in Connecting Meaningful Work and Psychological Empowerment. IIMB Management Review, 31(3), 298–308. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iimb.2019.03.010 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iimb.2019.03.010
Juyumaya, J. (2022). How Psychological Empowerment Impacts Task Performance: The Mediation Role of Work Engagement and Moderating Role of Age. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 889936. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.889936 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.889936
Khatoon, A., Rehman, S. U., Islam, T., & Ashraf, Y. (2024). Knowledge Sharing through Empowering Leadership: The Roles of Psychological Empowerment and Learning Goal Orientation. Global Knowledge, Memory and Communication, 73(4–5), 682–697. https://doi.org/10.1108/GKMC-08-2022-0194 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/GKMC-08-2022-0194
Kumar, N., Liu, Z., & Jin, Y. (2022). Evaluation of Employee Empowerment on Taking Charge Behaviour: An Application of Perceived Organizational Support as a Moderator. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, 15, 1055–1066. https://doi.org/10.2147/PRBM.S355326 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2147/PRBM.S355326
Laloux, F. (2014). Reinventing Organizations: A Guide to Creating Organizations Inspired by the Next Stage of Human Consciousness. Nelson Parker.
Lassoued, K., Awad, A., & Guirat, R. B. (2020). The Impact of Managerial Empowerment on Problem-solving and Decision-making Skills: The Case of Abu Dhabi University. Management Science Letters, 10(4), 769–780. https://doi.org/10.5267/j.msl.2019.10.020 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5267/j.msl.2019.10.020
Li, Z. (2022). How Organizations Create Employee Based Brand Equity: Mediating Effects of Employee Empowerment. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 862678. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.862678 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.862678
Macsinga, I., Sulea, C., Sârbescu, P., Fischmann, G., & Dumitru, C. (2015). Engaged, Committed and Helpful Employees: The Role of Psychological Empowerment. Journal of Psychology, 149(3), 263–276. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223980.2013.874323 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00223980.2013.874323
Nel, T., Stander, M. W., & Latif, J. (2015). Investigating Positive Leadership, Psychological Empowerment, Work Engagement and Satisfaction with Life in the Chemical Industry. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, 41(1), a1243. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajip.v41i1.1243 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/sajip.v41i1.1243
Nwachukwu, C., Chládková, H., Agboga, R. S., & Vu, H. M. (2021). Religiosity, Employee Empowerment and Employee Engagement: An Empirical Analysis. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 41(11/12), 1195–1209. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSSP-03-2021-0060 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSSP-03-2021-0060
Obi, C. N., Leggett, C., & Harris, H. (2020). National Culture, Employee Empowerment and Advanced Manufacturing Technology Utilization: A Study of Nigeria and New Zealand. Journal of Management & Organization, 26(4), 460–482. https://doi.org/10.1017/jmo.2017.70 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/jmo.2017.70
Ochoa Pacheco, P., Cunha, M. P. E., & Abrantes, A. C. M. (2022). The Impact of Empowerment and Technology on Safety Behavior: Evidence from Mining Companies. International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics, 28(1), 581–589. https://doi.org/10.1080/10803548.2020.1808343 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10803548.2020.1808343
Okechukwu, E. U., Nnamani, E., & Jude, E. (2015). Employee Empowerment and Team-work in Management of Change: Techniques, Challenges and Prospects. Journal of Policy and Development Studies, 9(3), 126–141. https://doi.org/10.12816/0011171 DOI: https://doi.org/10.12816/0011171
Okolie, U. C., & Ochei, J. O. (2020). Employee Empowerment and Continuance Commitment in the Nigerian Manufacturing Industry. International Journal of New Economics and Social Sciences, 11(1), 209–222. https://doi.org/10.5604/01.3001.0014.3542 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5604/01.3001.0014.3542
Özbağ, G. K., & Çekmecelioğlu, H. G. (2022). The Relationships among Employee Empowerment, Corporate Repututation, and Firm Performance: Research in the Turkish Manufacturing Industry. Review of Business Management, 24(1), 23–47. https://doi.org/10.7819/rbgn.v24i1.4148 DOI: https://doi.org/10.7819/rbgn.v24i1.4148
Permana, I., Tjakraatmadja, J. H., Larso, D., & Wicaksono, A. (2015). Exploring Potential Drivers of Employee Engagement, Enablement, and Empowerment: A Quest toward Developing a Framework for Building Sustainable Employee Excellence for Manufacturing Environment in Indonesia. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 6(2 S1), 577–587. https://doi.org/10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n2s1p577 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n2s1p577
Potnuru, R. K. G., Sahoo, C. K., & Sharma, R. (2019). Team Building, Employee Empowerment and Employee Competencies: The Moderating Role of Organizational Learning Culture. European Journal of Training and Development, 43(1–2), 39–60. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJTD-08-2018-0086 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/EJTD-08-2018-0086
Rana, S., & Singh, V. (2016). Employee Empowerment and Job Satisfaction: An Empirical Study in IT Industry. IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 21(10), 23–29.
Rayan, A. R. M., Sebaie, A. S. M., & Ahmed, N. A. (2018). The Mediating Role of Psychological Empowerment in the Relationship between the Empowering Leadership Behavior and Work Engagement: A Study Applied on the Cement Sector in Upper Egypt. International Journal of Business and Management, 13(12), 18–30. https://doi.org/10.5539/ijbm.v13n12p18 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5539/ijbm.v13n12p18
Rhee, J., Seog, S. D., Bozorov, F., & Dedahanov, A. T. (2017). Organizational Structure and Employees’ Innovative Behavior: The Mediating Role of Empowerment. Social Behavior and Personality, 45(9), 1523–1536. https://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.6433 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.6433
Saira, S., Mansoor, S., & Ali, M. (2021). Transformational Leadership and Employee Outcomes: The Mediating Role of Psychological Empowerment. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 42(1), 130–143. https://doi.org/10.1108/LODJ-05-2020-0189 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/LODJ-05-2020-0189
Sun, L., & Bunchapattanasakda, C. (2019). Employee Engagement: A Literature Review. International Journal of Human Resource Studies, 9(1), 63–80. https://doi.org/10.5296/ijhrs.v9i1.14167 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5296/ijhrs.v9i1.14167
Tukiman Hendrawijaya, A. (2019). Demographic Factors and Employee Performance: The Mediating Effect of Employee Empowerment. Media Ekonomi Dan Manajemen, 34(2), 116–136. https://doi.org/10.24856/mem.v34i2.962 DOI: https://doi.org/10.24856/mem.v34i2.962
Yildirim, F., & Naktiyok, S. (2017). The Mediating Role of Organizational Support in the Effect of Transformational Leadership on Employee Empowerment. Polish Journal of Management Studies, 16(1), 292–303. https://doi.org/10.17512/pjms.2017.16.1.25 DOI: https://doi.org/10.17512/pjms.2017.16.1.25
Yusoff, R. B. M., Imran, A., Qureshi, M. I., & Kazi, A. G. (2016). Investigating the Relationship of Employee Empowerment and Sustainable Manufacturing Performance. International Review of Management and Marketing, 6(4S), 284–290.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Krakow University of Economics
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
