Final answer:
Empowerment refers to the practice of giving employees greater involvement in decision-making within their jobs and the organization, aligning with the Theory Y management approach which sees employees as motivated and fulfilled by their work.
Step-by-step explanation:
Giving employees greater involvement in their jobs and the organization's operations by permitting them to have greater involvement in decision-making is known as empowerment. Empowerment is seen in the shifting trends in managerial approaches where organizations are transitioning from a traditional hierarchy to one acknowledging the benefits of a partnership between the employer and employees. Particularly, this aligns with the Theory Y management approach, where managers assume that employees seek inner satisfaction and fulfillment from their work and function better under leadership that allows for participation in decision-making processes. Empowerment allows employees to contribute meaningfully to the organization, which can lead to increased autonomy, job satisfaction, and overall organizational performance.