Morale

Morale

 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Morale (also known as esprit de corps) is the capacity of a group's members to maintain belief in an institution or goal, particularly in the face of opposition or hardship. Morale is often referenced by authority figures as a generic value judgment of the willpower, obedience, and self-discipline of a group tasked with performing duties assigned by a superior.

According to Alexander H. Leighton, "morale is the capacity of a group of people to pull together persistently and consistently in pursuit of a common purpose".^[1]

Military

“	An American general defined morale as "when a soldier thinks his army is the best in the world, his regiment the best in the army, his company the best in the regiment, his squad the best in the company, and that he himself is the best blankety-blank soldier man in the outfit."	”
—H. R. Knickerbocker, 1941[2]

In military science, there are two meanings to morale. Primarily it means unit cohesion, the cohesion of a unit, task force, or other military group. An army with good supply lines, sound air cover and a clear objective can be said to possess, as a whole, "good morale" or "high morale." Historically, elite military units such as special operations forces have "high morale" due to both their training and pride in their unit. When a unit's morale is said to be "depleted", it means it is close to "crack and surrender". It is well worth noting that generally speaking, most commanders do not look at the morale of specific individuals but rather the "fighting spirit" of squadrons, divisions, battalions, ships, etc.

"Clausewitz stresses the importance of morale and will for both the soldier and the commander. The soldier's first requirement is moral and physical courage, both the acceptance of responsibility and the suppression of fear. In order to survive the horror of combat [,]he must have an invincible martial spirit, which can be attained only through military victory and hardship. The soldier has but one purpose: "The end for which a soldier is recruited, clothed, armed and trained, the whole object of his sleeping, eating, drinking, and marching is simply that he should fight at the right place and the right time." ^[3]

"Military morale is in a large sense inseparable from civilian morale because each reacts upon the other and both are in large measure based on fidelity to a cause. But there is a certain kind of morale that is distinctly military. It begins with the soldier's attitude toward duty. It develops with the soldier's command over himself. It is a spirit that becomes dominant in the individual and also in the group. Whether the soldier has physical comforts or suffers physical hardships may be a factor but is seldom the determining factor in making or unmaking his morale. A cause known and believed in; knowledge that substantial justice governs discipline; the individual's confidence and pride in himself, his comrades, his leaders; the unit's pride in its own will; these basic things, supplemented by intelligent welfare and recreation measures and brought to life by a spirit of mutual respect and co-operation, combine to weld a seasoned fighting force capable of defending the nation."^[4]

In August 2012, an article entitled "Army morale declines in survey" states that "only a quarter of the [US] Army’s officers and enlisted soldiers believe the nation’s largest military branch is headed in the right direction." The "...most common reasons cited for the bleak outlook were “ineffective leaders at senior levels,” a fear of losing the best and the brightest after a decade of war, and the perception, especially among senior enlisted soldiers, that “the Army is too soft” and lacks sufficient discipline." ^[5]

Esprit de corps is tied very closely with the British Royal Marines and their brother organization from across the Atlantic ocean the United States Marine Corps. It is not only a phrase that means, roughly, the Morale of the/a unit, but also a core philosophy within the foundation of both organizations. In the USMC it is a phrase that sits along side the core values Honor, Courage, and Commitment as a living, breathing, entity that is not only the fighting spirit but the pride for the unit, service branch, and country, and the devotion and loyalty to the other members of the unit that the men and women fight and serve with. Within the USMC and the BRMs there is a special meaning and place in the hearts of the men and women for the phrase "Esprit de corps".

In the workplace

Workplace events play a large part in changing employee morale, such as heavy layoffs, the cancelation of overtime, canceling benefits programs, and the lack of union representation. Other events can also influence workplace morale, such as sick building syndrome, low wages, and employees being mistreated.

The entire wiki link on this subject can be found at:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morale

 

Poster's comments:

The "blue collar" point of view on morale would suggest during hard times anything to provide warm healthy food, a sense of security, medical help, protection from the elements, being warm and dry as best one can, and good clean water and waste water systems will help morale a lot. Even having a pillow or expectation of some wadded up clothes to pillow our head during sleep will be good for morale.

Leaders should listen as well as lead. It's a tough job. Few are born knowing how to do it. Most have to be trained. There are taught skills usually involved.

One expression that always appealed to me was: "A Marine is not happy if he is not bitching".

Last, for those who say or think they have no experience with morale, or even trust those  that might teach them, consider what you do to help your pets and keep their loyalty and morale up.