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Şermin ŞENTURAN
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1. Introduction
Empowerment is based on the idea that giving employees power, skills, resources, authority, opportunity and
motivation as well as holding them responsible and accountable for autcomes of their actions which will contrib-
ute to their competence and satisfaction.
The core of the concept of empowerment is the idea of power. The possibility of empowerment depends on two
things:
a) Empowerment requires that power can change. If power cannot change and if it is inherent in positions or
people, then empowerment is not possible.
b) Empowerment depends upon the idea that power can expand. If people can use their powers and rights widely,
then we can speak about empowerment
Empowerment is the process of enhancing the capacity of individuals or groups to make choices and to transform
those choices into desired actions and outcomes. Central to this process are actions which both build individual
and collective assets, and improve the efficiency and fairness of the organizational and institutional context which
govern the use of these assets. It is the process of increasing the assets and capabilities of individuals or groups to
make purposive choices and to transform those choices into desired actions and outcomes.
Rappoport (1984) has noted that it is easy to define empowerment by its absence but difficult to define in action
as it takes on different forms in different people and contexts. Even defining the concept is subject to debate.
Zimmerman (1984) has stated that asserting a single definition of empowerment may make attempts to achieve it
formulaic or prescription-like, contradicting the very concept of empowerment.
Empowerment is a process that challenges the assumptions about the way things are and can be. It challenges
the basic assumptions about power, helping, achieving, and succeeding. It is needed to understand the concept
broadly in order to be clear about how and why narrow focus of empowerment for specific programs and projects
(specific dimension or level, etc.) and to allow discussion of empowerment across disciplinary and practice lines.
According to Bailey (1992), how it is precisely defined empowerment within the projects and programs will depend
upon the specific people and context involved. As a general definition, however, it is suggested that empowerment
is a multi-dimensional social process that helps people gain control over their own lives. It is a process that fosters
power (that is, the capacity to implement) in people, for use in their own lives, their communities, and in their
society, by acting on issues that they define as important.
Three components are suggested that the definition is basic to any understanding of empowerment. They are
multi-dimensional, social, and a process. It is multi-dimensional in that it occurs within sociological, psychologi-
cal, economic, and other dimensions. Empowerment also occurs at various levels, such as individual, group, and
community. By definition, it s a social process, since it occurs in relationship to others. It is a process that is similar
to a path or journey, one that develops as it is worked through it. Other aspects of empowerment may vary accord-
ing to the specific context and people involved, but these remain constant. In addition, one important implication
of this definition of empowerment is that the individual and community are fundamentally connected.
2. Personal Empowermentment
Many other, more detailed, definitions exist. These usually centre on the idea that personal empowerment gives
an individual the ability to:
• Take control of their circumstances and achieve their own goals in their personal and working life.
• Become more aware of their strengths and weaknesses and therefore be better equipped to deal with problems
and achieve goals.
• Enhance the contribution they make both as an individual and as a member of a team.
• Take opportunities to enhance personal growth and a sense of fulfilment.