Neurocognitive Analysis of Cognitive, Structural, and Interactive Approaches to Human Resource Empowerment

Abstract

The objective of this study is to develop a neurocognitively informed model integrating cognitive, structural, and interactive mechanisms of human resource empowerment in governmental organizations. This qualitative study employed a phenomenological design to explore the lived experiences of nine senior human resource managers from governmental organizations across multiple provinces. Participants were selected through purposive sampling until theoretical saturation was reached. Data were gathered through in-depth, semi-structured interviews and validated using member checking. The second analytical phase used theoretical sampling to conduct implication-based analysis grounded in neuroscientific literature. Phenomenological reduction, horizonalization, thematic clustering, and textural–structural synthesis guided the qualitative analysis, while neurocognitive concepts were extracted through a structured implication-identification framework linking neural processes with empowerment phenomena. The analysis revealed that cognitive empowerment is reinforced through neural mechanisms related to learning, dopaminergic activation, myelination, focused attention, and hippocampal strengthening, leading to improved decision-making speed, accuracy, and attitude change. Structural empowerment was associated with autonomy-driven neural reward activation, dendritic network growth, and strengthened executive functioning, enhancing leadership, problem-solving capability, crisis management, and conflict resolution. Interactive empowerment corresponded with social-reward circuits, oxytocin release, emotional regulation, and prefrontal social-cognition development, producing higher teamwork tendency, stronger interpersonal communication, and greater enjoyment in organizational participation. Together, the results indicate that empowerment emerges from interconnected neural, cognitive, and social systems rather than isolated managerial interventions. Empowerment in governmental organizations is a multidimensional phenomenon supported by integrated neurocognitive, structural, and social mechanisms, indicating that sustainable empowerment requires interventions that simultaneously cultivate learning, autonomy, and social connectedness