Comparison between Motivation and Morale are given below:
Edwin Flippo (1961) defined, morale as ‘… a mental condition or attitude of individual and groups which determine their willingness to cooperate.’ Yoder Dale (1972), on the other hand, explained morale as ‘the overall tone, climate or atmosphere of work perhaps regularly sensed by the members.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
If workers appear to feel enthusiastic and optimistic about group activities, if they have a sense of mission about their job, if they are friendly with each other, they are described as having a good or high morale. If they seem to be dissatisfied, irritated, cranky, critical, restless and pessimistic, they are described as having poor or low morale.’ Elton Mayo defined it as ‘the maintenance of cooperative living’, which means a sense of belongingness.
On the other hand, many authors defined morale as a ‘pursuit of a common purpose’, attitude, individual and group job satisfaction, participative attitudes, team spirit, etc. Whatever may be the way of defining, it is evident that morale is a cognitive concept, encompassing feelings, attitudes and sentiments, which together contribute to a general feeling of satisfaction in the workplace.
Image Source: 185.26.182.219
Like morale, motivation is also a cognitive concept but it is different from morale on certain important aspects. Motivation stimulates individuals into action to achieve desired goals. It is, therefore, functions of need and drives. It mobilizes energy, which enhances the potential for morale. Morale on the other hand, is the individual or group attitude towards a particular subject. It contributes to general feeling of satisfaction at the workplace.
It is, therefore, is the function of freedom or restraint towards some goal. It mobilizes sentiments, which form an important part of organizational climate. Attitudes and sentiments, i.e., morale, perse, affect productivity. High morale is an index of good human relations, which, inter alia, reduces labour turnover, absenteeism, indiscipline, grievances, etc.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
Factors which affect morale are primarily attitude and job satisfaction level of individual employees. We have discussed about attitude and its measurement, in chapter on ‘Recruitment, Selection and Induction’. From the organizational point of view, such factors can be delineated into, organizational goals, leadership style, attitude of co-workers, nature of work, work environment and the employee himself.
High morale is, conventionally, considered as a contributor to high productivity, but such correlation may not be always true. This is because the high productivity may be the outcome of many other organizational initiatives, which may be independent of employee morale. Hence, even with low employee morale, high productivity is achievable. This can be illustrated using the model of Prof. Keith Davis, which goes as follows:
The table indicates the pattern of industrial relations problems in terms of various casual factors. Analysing this trend, we can understand the pattern of motivation or demotivation factors in India. From this pattern, it is interesting to observe, wage-related disputes are still highest in India, followed by indiscipline and other casual factors. Therefore, it is important to go through these aspects carefully to nurture the proper motivating environment in the workplace.