Although empowerment is a necessary change in improving education, the typical school system is not organized or governed in a way that encourages significant change. Educational systems need to be restructured to achieve decentralization in order for organizations to be ready for changes like empowerment. The current structure encourages dependency, hot spots, end run syndrome, pockets of isolation, micromanagement, squeaky wheel syndrome, generalization, and goal displacement. Restructuring means decentralization followed by professionalism and then empowerment. It requires rethinking and a shift in paradigms. Decentralization of school systems creates smaller units capable of adopting new ideas and moving with socioeconomic trends because they are more mobile. It allows staff development to become more personalized. School site management is one way to decentralize. A good way to empower teachers and still provide a quality control system is to develop work teams of three, four, or five teachers with common interests. However, such groups will not succeed unless there is careful planning about how they will make decisions. The uses and advantages of various categories of decision making (authority rule without discussion; expert experience; average of members' opinions; authority rule after discussion; majority control; consensus; and the nominal method) are discussed. (17 references). (SM)