Abstract

The objective of this research is to adapt an instrument for measuring structural empowerment among Cameroonian workers. Indeed, the review of the literature indicates an absence of operational tool allowing the evaluation of structural empowerment in the Cameroonian socio-professional context. This deficiency limits the possibilities for managerial intervention to allow workers to carry out their functions without problem. Among the instruments available in the scientific literature, the instrument of Migneault (2006) in five dimensions (recognition, development of skills, delegation of power, sharing of information and the quality of interpersonal relationships seemed to us to be the best indicated. We adopted the transcultural adaptation procedure proposed by Vallerand (1989). The study was carried out in two phases (exploratory and confirmatory) with two independent samples (n=200 exploratory phase and n=206 confirmatory phase) of public administration workers in the city of Yaoundé. The results of the exploratory, confirmatory and correlate analyzes demonstrate that the factorial structure in four dimensions (recognition, skills development, delegation of power and sharing of information) fits the data better (χ²/df: 2.11. CFI = .95; GFI: 0.94; SRMR = 0.04; RMSEA=.007). It seems that the quality of interpersonal relationships does not constitute a measure of structural empowerment among Cameroonian public administration workers. In reality, Cameroonian workers consider in particular that the quality of interpersonal relationships is less the responsibility of the manager than the direct transaction between colleagues (Ambassa & Nyock Ilouga, 2021). Even though the Cameroonian version of structural empowerment appears to deviate from the original 5-dimensional version, it demonstrated adequate psychometric properties regarding reliability and validity, can be used as a measurement instrument evaluating managerial empowerment practices at work in future research. 

Keywords

  • Electoral participation
  • Governance
  • Decentralisation
  • Index construction
  • Engagement

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