Structural empowerment among social workers in Hong Kong: its relationship with job satisfaction and psychological well-being

Abstract

Kanter’s model of structural empowerment developed in Western individualist culture has similar functionality in Hong Kong where collectivism is valued. Structural empowerment exerted a direct effect on job satisfaction and an indirect effect on psychological well-being via global psychological empowerment and job satisfaction. Opportunities for training and self-growth were most accessible to social workers, but least related to job satisfaction and had no bearing on psychological well-being. To empower social workers to provide a quality service, access to information, resources, and support in the workplace is more essential than access to training and self-development.