Dodging Dysfunctional Dynamics In Power Exchange

Abstract

In today’s organizations, the impetus for employee empowerment remains strong. By developing an internal talent base, companies increase the likelihood of comprehensive contributions and also engender loyalty within the ranks. A proclivity for power dispersion is evident among many pundits, with some even decreeing it an ethical mandate. Yet, if rashly executed, empowerment can result in dire outcomes for the individual and dysfunctional consequences for the firm. Through reference to the medium of film, this paper portrays four situations where empowerment efforts have gone awry, accentuating employee estrangement and eroding corporate ethics. Because the behavioral dynamics of film are frozen in time and thus susceptible to recursive scrutiny, students can glean institutional insights that will facilitate career advancement. Just as important, they will confront value conflicts that impel them to clarify their own ethical stance.