Dynamics of empowerment in projects

Empowerment varies depending on the targeted population, the targeted setting and also fluctuates across time. These perspectives have rarely been examined simultaneously and no theoretical framework has as yet articulated such an integrative perspective in any specific setting. The complex and dynamic nature of the project environment and the project life cycle in particular have significant implications for understanding how empowerment manifests in projects. To better understand the implications of empowerment’s multifaceted nature in a complex setting such as the project environment, we invoke complexity paradigm as a theoretical lens that is well positioned to help capture the essence of empowerment. From this theoretical framework, the true nature of how empowerment can intertwine with the complex and uncertain project context can be captured and described from the perspective of the workforce or actors engaged in the creation, execution, and closure of the project. Three preeminent questions that can aid this line of enquiry emerge from this review; how can organisations empower employees at different levels simultaneously within the same project team and still achieve goal congruence?; how does the changing nature of the project life cycle impact on employee empowerment experiences?; and what does the multidimensional perspective on empowerment add to our knowledge of empowerment in organisations?