, who maintained that employees will continually go above and beyond for the organization if they’re duly rewarded, treated with respect and granted real authority.

Building an organizational culture that fosters progress through performance-based rewards and empowering employees at all levels a

Six months ago, Nucor Corp. looked like it might be in big trouble. The North Carolina-based minimill steelmaker, which recycles steel from cars, dishwashers and other items to make new steel, had lost power at its Hickman, Arkansas plant. Management anticipated it would be a full week before operations there would be back online.

Yet, within hours of hearing about the electrical grid’s failure three Nucor electricians performed the business equivalent of climbing Mount Everest: they drove from their plant locations in Alabama and North Carolina to the Hickman plant and worked 20-hour shifts until the plant was up and running again, only three days later. The unusual thing about this story is that these front line workers rose to the challenge of their own accord – no supervisor had asked them to make the trip. The really unusual thing is that this scenario is not viewed as all that spectacular among the folks at Nucor.

As Business Week noted recently, “Nucor’s flattened hierarchy and emphasis on pushing power to the front line led its employees to adopt the mindset of owner-operators.” This approach stemmed from the leadership model of former Nucor President F. Kenneth Iverson, who maintained that employees will continually go above and beyond for the organization if they’re duly rewarded, treated with respect and granted real authority.

Building an organizational culture that fosters progress through performance-based rewards and empowering employees at all levels al

ns there would be back online.

Yet, within hours of hearing about the electrical grid’s failure three Nucor electricians performed the business equivalent of climbing Mount Everest: they drove from their plant locations in Alabama and North Carolina to the Hickman plant and worked 20-hour shifts until the plant was up and running again, only three days later. The unusual thing about this story is that these front line workers rose to the challenge of their own accord – no supervisor had asked them to make the trip. The really unusual thing is that this scenario is not viewed as all that spectacular among the folks at Nucor.

As Business Week noted recently, “Nucor’s flattened hierarchy and emphasis on pushing power to the front line led its employees to adopt the mindset of owner-operators.” This approach stemmed from the leadership model of former Nucor President F. Kenneth Iverson, who maintained that employees will continually go above and beyond for the organization if they’re duly rewarded, treated with respect and granted real authority.

Building an organizational culture that fosters progress through performance-based rewards and empowering employees at all levels a

until the plant was up and running again, only three days later. The unusual thing about this story is that these front line workers rose to the challenge of their own accord – no supervisor had asked them to make the trip. The really unusual thing is that this scenario is not viewed as all that spectacular among the folks at Nucor.

As Business Week noted recently, “Nucor’s flattened hierarchy and emphasis on pushing power to the front line led its employees to adopt the mindset of owner-operators.” This approach stemmed from the leadership model of former Nucor President F. Kenneth Iverson, who maintained that employees will continually go above and beyond for the organization if they’re duly rewarded, treated with respect and granted real authority.

Building an organizational culture that fosters progress through performance-based rewards and empowering employees at all levels a

tacular among the folks at Nucor.

As Business Week noted recently, “Nucor’s flattened hierarchy and emphasis on pushing power to the front line led its employees to adopt the mindset of owner-operators.” This approach stemmed from the leadership model of former Nucor President F. Kenneth Iverson, who maintained that employees will continually go above and beyond for the organization if they’re duly rewarded, treated with respect and granted real authority.

Building an organizational culture that fosters progress through performance-based rewards and empowering employees at all levels a

, who maintained that employees will continually go above and beyond for the organization if they’re duly rewarded, treated with respect and granted real authority.

Building an organizational culture that fosters progress through performance-based rewards and empowering employees at all levels allows companies to be more nimble and adaptable to change. In his recent book The Four Pillars of High Performance: How Robust Organizations Achieve Extraordinary Results, Paul C. Light brings this theory to the forefront in describing two of his pillars: Agility – giving employees the authority to make routine decisions, and Adaptability – changing with circumstances and taking advantage of new opportunities as they arise.

The government has also researched the benefits of empowering employees. In a 2005 review of 100 workplace studies, the U.S. Department of Labor examined the link between progressive employment practices and improved bottom line results. The Department found that a positive correlation exists between motivating and empowering employees and significant improvements in productivity, employee satisfaction and financial performance.

Roanoke, Virginia-based Advance Auto Parts, a leading provider of vehicle-related products and knowledge, has made good use of this correlation. Recently, after surveying the leadership team about the company’s workplace culture, the employee-centered values already in place were codified. The first value is now “We care about our tea