The Influence of Reflection on Employee Psychological Empowerment: Report of an Exploratory Workplace Field Study

The study examined the influences of reflection on the self-perception of empowerment in the workplace. The convenience sample consisted of non-management knowledge workers at a software company headquartered in the United States. A pretest, posttest control group design was used. The experimental group kept guided journals of their learning activities for three months. Immediately prior to and following the journaling period, both groups completed Spreitzer's Psychological Empowerment Scale. Though no significant within-group results were found, between-group analyses revealed that participants who kept guided journals were able to maintain a high level of psychological empowerment, even during turbulent periods at the host organization, while the psychological empowerment of the control group worsened. The results suggest that reflection through guided journaling may sustain the perception of empowerment for individuals who already possess a fairly high level of psychological empowerment. The paper concludes with implications for further research.