Yanahina's Blog

Well, now you know I am an immigrant and that I live in New Zealand, you also know my blood has a mixture of cultures, but what about my life journey. I mentioned before I remembered my life being a struggle and based on the "Law of Attraction" I better do not dwell on that otherwise I will get more of it. However, I do believe that being very poor and fighting for a better future has been the fuel for all the things I have done and also the reason why at the age of 34, with no international experience, I sold every single household item I had and bought a ticket to come to New Zealand. I thought that being a Licensed Psychologist would open doors for me here, however, I found myself starting all over, I had to take up cleaning jobs, I was competing for a waitress job, I even went into "milking cows” and found myself talking to the cows (in Spanish of course) and jumping over fences! It was a long ride and then I had to go back to University and get a Master in New Zealand otherwise I would not be able to register as a Psychologist and practice my profession. Believe me, after devoting 12 years to study in Uruguay, going back to University was not part of the plan!

OH well, did it anyway and kept hoping that that would be it. Good things happened though because I did build my character and become even more determined and confident. It was through a classmate from University I found “the Secret” and then I awoke to a new life!

VISUALIZING LIFE IS EASY, I RECEIVE EVERYTHING I WISH FOR, LIFE IS ABUNDANT, I FIND A MAN THAT RESPECTS ME AND LOVES ME TO DEATH AND I FINALLY BUILD A FAMILY OF MY OWN, WHERE I AM LOVED AND FEEL SAFE EVER AFTER!

That was me every single morning in the living of the house I was flatting with 3 other people. They thought I was “weird”, and I felt weird too, but you know I had to try! To be continued… thanks for following my story so far!

This information is based on the findings of a research carried out in New Zealand in 2008. There are several factors that may affect employees' motivation, however in this article I will focus on psychological empowerment as a mean to understand employee’s intrinsic motivation. Psychological empowerment is based on individuals’ perceptions and cognitions; Employees relate to empowerment as a) a sense of having control over their job content and context, b) having responsibilities and c) participating in decision making. It also reflects the extent to which employees feel a) they can perform the job proficiently, b) the job they perform has an impact on the organization and c) the job is meaningful to them.

Results of this research suggested that instituting programs that create individual’s belief in empowerment would most likely increase employees' commitment and citizenship behaviors (working beyond their job description). It also confirmed that the relationship between the manager and his/her employee/s has a significant role in the success of this process. Employee empowerment can only be successful if the relationship between leader and subordinate is one of trust, respect and partnership.

When supervisors trust and respect their employees, they are likely to allow their employees to make decisions on how to go about their job. They are also likely to consider employees’ ideas and take action upon them which would increase employees’ perception of empowerment. Empowerment implies taking new responsibilities, consequently employees should be provided with training in order to develop new skills and enhance their competence, which will allow them to take on more responsibilities and perform effectively.

In addition, the organizations should a) provide procedures and policies that support empowered employees and b) train managers to be facilitators and help employees to reach their potential rather than to direct and micromanage. The organization should also decide who should be empowered and how much. Furthermore, re-assessing employees’ rewards is another task for managers to consider upon; empowered employees would work more and have greater responsibilities, thus managers should consider the extent to which it would be fair and feasible for empowered employees to receive more pay or additional benefits that reflect those changes.

Some employees may feel their job is threatened -as a result of organization’s empowerment strategies leading to job re-design- hence the organization will also have to consider employment assurances. Simply put, the organization has to manage employees’ fears by providing clear and honest feedback on what it is expected to happen and how it is going to be achieved. Unless organization’s practices reflect clearly the organization’s vision and goals, employees are unlikely to understand their mission and achieve the expected outcomes.
For full copy of this research to go http://adt.waikato.ac.nz/public/adt-uow20081215.113604/

My name Yanahina, means Goddess of the Sea and it used to be a name used by the Guarani tribe. They were indigenes living in the territory that would later become the Latin American country "Paraguay".

However, I was born in Uruguay a heart shaped country bordering with Argentina and Brazil. On my father's side my granddad was a tall blond and green eyes Spanish man and my grandma was a Brazilian woman, the daughter of one of the African slaves brought into South America by the Spanish at the time of the Colonization.

On my mother's side both of my grandparents were Armenian, who escaped the Turkish massacre and thought they were heading to France, what a surprise to realize they were in a little country called Uruguay, in the South of South America!

I was born and breed in Uruguay, I recall my life as a straggle, nevertheless there was a time when I was old enough to take RESPONSE-ABILITY and that was when I left my pass and started to build my own present based on my dreams of the future. I migrated to New Zealand in December 2001. It was my first time in a plane, my English was very basic, I knew anyone but I also knew that I had to try.

More of this story sometime soon,
Yana