Cognitive Elements of Empowerment: An "Interpretive" Model of Intrinsic Task Motivation

TLDR

Empowerment is defined as increased intrinsic task motivation, with four key cognitions—sense of impact, competence, meaningfulness, and choice—forming its basis. This article presents a cognitive model of empowerment. The model adopts an interpretive perspective, explaining how workers’ interpretive styles and global beliefs generate the four cognitions that underpin empowerment. Preliminary evidence supports the model, and the study outlines broader implications for research.

Abstract

This article presents a cognitive model of empowerment. Here, empowerment is defined as increased intrinsic task motivation, and our subsequent model identifies four cognitions (task assessments) as the basis for worker empowerment: sense of impact, competence, meaningfulness, and choice. Adopting an interpretive perspective, we have used the model also to describe cognitive processes through which workers reach these conclusions. Central to the processes we describe are workers' interpretive styles and global beliefs. Both preliminary evidence for the model and general implications for research are discussed.