Towards an assertion perspective for empowerment: Blending employee rights and labor process theories

Employee Rights Theory (ERT) and Labor Process Theory (LPT) are two major bodies of knowledge in contemporary social science committed to empowering employees in the workplace. Despite their seemingly common goals, the two have emerged almost independently of each other. The current article compares and contrasts these perspectives and suggests that empowerment can be better understood and fostered by drawing on ERT and LPT simultaneously. Specifically, a synergistic view suggests that empowerment occurs when individuals are willing and able to assert their interests and rights in a given situation. This assertion perspective to empowerment emphasizes the interaction of micro- and macro-level processes, a combination of conflict and cooperative strategies, use of the rights rhetoric to incite action, and the role of emotions in stimulating and/or preventing change.