Final answer:
The Container Store can implement its founding principle of realizing both employees' and the company's potential by encouraging employee empowerment and development, which leads to increased productivity, efficiency, and a supportive work environment.
Step-by-step explanation:
Among the options provided, C) Encouraging employee empowerment and development is the approach that helps The Container Store implement its founding principle of realizing both employees' and the company's potential. Unlike strict hierarchical structures, which might have been effective during the Industrial Revolution, the current information age places higher value on flat organizational structures and employee empowerment. This is because today's work environment often requires creativity and adaptability, which are fostered by empowering employees and encouraging their development.
Employee empowerment can lead to higher productivity and efficiency, as employees are given the resources and freedom to innovate and make decisions that benefit their work and the organization as a whole. This approach aligns with management theories like Theory Y, which suggests that workers are naturally motivated and can be more productive when given autonomy. Additionally, transformational leadership, which is characterized by inspiration and individual consideration, also supports the empowerment and development of employees.