Information AboutMorale |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT MORALE | |
| psychological warfare | |
| psychological attitude | |
| motivation | |
|
Morale, also known as Esprit De Corps , is a term for the capacity of people to maintain Belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others. The term applies particularly to Military personnel and to members of Sport s Team s, but is also applicable in business and in any other organizational context, particularly in times of stress or controversy. 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". Alexander H. Leighton , "Human Relations in a Changing World: Observations on the Uses of the Social Sciences" (1949) Military Morale In a military sense, there are two meanings to morale. Primarily it means the cohesion of a unit, task force, or other military group. An army with good Supply Lines , sound air cover and a clear objective possesses, as a whole, good morale. Historically, elite Military Unit s such as the Praetorian Guard , Napoleon's Imperial Guard , and many Special Forces or elite units like the French Foreign Legion , Green Beret , SAS , and Spetnaz , have high morale due to both their elite training and pride in their unit. When a unit's morale is depleted, it will usually crack and surrender, as was the case with Italian units in North Africa during World War II. 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 divisions, battalions, ships, etc as a whole. FACTORS AFFECTING MILITARY MORALE Despite the intangible nature of morale, improvements in material factors (such as Remuneration , food and shelter) can improve the morale. However, history is filled with stories of the self-will and determination of a poorly supplied army maintaining morale to the very end, such as the Army Of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War . Unit, and wider military morale can benefit from:
National Public Morale in War Morale in War fare is also related to the morale of a nation's population. A nation whose citizens lose their Will To Fight often loses the war as well. A nation's population is likely to retain high wartime morale when:
The morale of a Civilian population can also increase or decrease due to exposure to Propaganda from their government or Opposition forces, respectively. Psychological Warfare is a major part of modern warfare. Nation States , politically motivated individuals, Religious Activists , and Secular Pressure Groups employ psychological warfare to target the minds of citizens in nations and cultures they are opposed to. Since at least the time of Carl Von Clausewitz ' '' On War '', maintenance of morale has been considered one of the fundamental "Principles of War"; while Sir Basil Liddell Hart regarded morale even more fundamentally: The aim of a nation in war is to subdue the enemy's will to resist,... Sun Tzu , in his book The Art Of War , also mentions morale of nations, as well as armies. Morale In The Workplace Events play a large part in morale, such as heavy layoffs, the cancellation of overtime, cancelling benefits programs, and the influence of unions. Other events can also influence workplace morale, such as Sick Building Syndrome , low wages, and employees being mistreated. Factors influencing morale within the workplace include:
SEE ALSO REFERENCES |
|
|