The Effects of Staff Empowerment on Supervisory Relations, Burnout and Job Satisfaction: A Comparative Case Study of Two American Prisons

This comparative case study assesses the effects of an empowered staff management model on staff perceptions of the delegation of authority, opportunities to participate in decision making, supervisory relations, supervisory relations, prison management, job satisfaction and burnout. Indices of staff work environment were created by factor analysis of responses of 149 staff to organizational climate surveys. Bivariate analysis showed that the decentralized model provided a significant difference for only two out of six indices. Staff generally reported more positive relations with management under a flatter organizational structure that is part of an empowered staff management model. When two empowered staff sites were compared, it was found that the delegation of authority and relationship with supervision were significant effects of empowerment. The effects on staff burnout and job satisfaction were not significant.