A firm's competitive edge often lies in the intellectual capital of its staff. Businesses that encourage their employees to be resourceful, exercise creative decision making and take appropriate risks are more likely to achieve future success. One of the most efficient ways to increase the performance of your staff, and your firm, is to empower your employees.

Empowerment gives decision-making power to staff members who might otherwise feel frustrated at their lack of authority. Taking advantage of the following strategies can significantly increase employee productivity and satisfaction in your office.

Encourage Creative Decision-Making
Allow employees as much flexibility as possible in order to achieve project objectives. While everyone assigned to a particular case shares the common goal of a successful outcome, the road to accomplishing this may not be the same for everyone. Recognizing this allows you to capitalize on the creativity of your workforce. Specific training on problem-solving, time management and decision-making can help prepare your staff for increased responsibility.

Provide Necessary Information
Providing legal personnel the information necessary to make informed decisions is crucial. Communicate openly about your firm's "big picture." Let workers know how the business is doing and how their actions affect the bottom line. On a regular basis, provide key facts, such as progress on important cases and long-term strategies.

Don't forget that exchange of information should work both ways. Encourage your staff members to share their observations, concerns and ideas, and provide a convenient method for them to do so. Regular meetings between employees and management, staff surveys and even a traditional "suggestion box" can be effective. Be sure to respond swiftly to input from employees, since lengthy silence can lead to discouragement.

Allow Room for Error
When people are challenged to become more resourceful and responsible – which inevitably entails risk taking – a certain amount of error will occur. Rather than giving up on empowerment strategies, learn from mistakes. Carefully consider why they occurred and how they might have been prevented. Did the employee have the information necessary to render a good decision? Use your findings to develop a sturdier empowerment framework that can continually be built upon.

Empowering your team, while providing maximum flexibility, communication and support, can result in increased worker productivity and a healthy bottom line.