Empowerment in Business: The Current State of Knowledge and Future Directions of Research

Objective: The main aim of the article was to identify the current directions of research and the current state of knowledge on empowerment in business, as well as to define potential future directions of research on empowerment which have been indicated by research. Research Design & Methods: Systematic literature review of publications from the period 2014–2022; 29 full-text publications from the Scopus database were analysed. Findings: Previous research on empowerment in business has been compiled and organised based on the conducted literature review. The relationships between empowerment and the results of its implementation, together with the intermediary and moderating mechanisms have been presented. The authors collectively depicted future potential directions of research on empowerment put forward by researchers. Implications / Recommendations: The arrangement of the current research directions on empowerment allows the authors to understand its diversity and complexity. The research results also confirmed many directions in which empowerment is beneficial from the human resource management point of view. The analysis sheds light on future directions for research of empowerment. It paves the way for a new pathway for future work. Contribution: Arranging current research directions on empowerment in business and their outcomes from the perspective of management and quality science. Organising and presenting in a collective way the current state of knowledge on empowerment.