Does Structure Limit or Enable Empowerment?

Based on the organizational structure and job characteristics literature, the current study examines how perceived structural characteristics (centralization and formalization) influence employees’ empowerment and proposes preference for structure as a moderator in the relationships between structure variables and employee empowerment. The purpose of the current study is to examine the classical assertions regarding the conflicting attributes of structure / bureaucracy suggested by Adler and Borys (1996), which would potentially allow us to offer new theoretical and practical insights on the effect of such structural characteristics as centralization and formalization on employee’ feelings of empowerment. Using a sample of state government employees, the current study found that 1) while centralization is negatively associated with empowerment, its negative effect is mitigated among employees who have a strong preference for centralization and 2) while formalization is positively associated with empowerment, its positive effect is reduced among those who have a strong preference for task variety. Ultimately, the findings from this study contribute to our knowledge base regarding structure and managerial strategies in public organizations.