The Building of Morale
Submitted to JRevLib by Arvis Elaine Mortimer
In the final quarter of 2020, my father shared with me some excerpts1 written down by my grandfather – the late Mr. Whitfield Ernest Mortimer. I was moved. Not solely because that which was transcribed on yellow legal lined paper – in impeccable hand-writing – had endured, but also since the general theme – fostering morale – is still relevant today.
These extracts1 – originally published in 1957 – were shared with Public Service Managers in The Bahamas sometime in the early 1980s. It is apparent that my grandfather sought to remind them that effective teams do not just happen, rather they are achieved when supervisors are visibly considerate and fair towards those working with them. Simply put, expertise is not the only pre-requisite for organizational success.
It is my hope that readers will not only consider the following passages relevant in the workplace, but in other areas of their lives as well. They remind us that by infusing love into all that we do, the best possible outcomes are likely to be attained – and this is evidence based.2-4
Bio: The late Mr. Whitfield Ernest Mortimer – was a consummate Bahamian Public Servant, beginning his career as pupil-teacher on the island of Cat Island in 1936 and ultimately retiring from the Public Service as Deputy Auditor General in 1975. He was a man of the people, and he believed that to rise to our highest potential as a small island-nation all that we do must to be imbued with excellence and in our hearts genuine care, concern and confidence in the people should be carried.
**THE BUILDING OF MORALE**
Morale is one of the most precious elements in a business. The basic fact in morale, is that it applies to a group of people who share goals in common. To attain their purpose, they plan enthusiastically and work efficiently as a production team. Morale is a result of co-operative living.
No one will deny the emotional benefits of being one of a group that has high morale, but there is more to it than emotional pleasure. High morale generates thinking and planning, it stimulates initiative and enterprise, it is a most important ingredient of efficiency and only in its atmosphere are people inspired to seek the best. High morale pays off in job earnings and satisfaction, and in the effective operation of an office or department.
Successful business managers take pride in the teams of which they are captains. Morale and team spirit are the product of consistently high executive character displayed over a period of years. Loyalty and efficiency are not created over night by some code of appeal, or some promise, or hand out. They arise out of the personality of the executives, managers, and supervisors.
The character of leadership includes forethought in the interest of the employees, fairness and impartiality, willingness to listen to complaints and suggestions, liberality in giving credit where it is due, honesty in living up to promises. The executives who are most successful in building morale are those who are considerate of their workers in minor matters.
Great men and women are very careful in dealing with people. They know that only through people and by other people is it possible for them to progress. They do not boast only of an “open door” policy by which employees may reach them: they go out through the open door to reach their workers.
The joy of leadership and the thrill of being in charge of men and women requires spending the last ounce of your management talent so as to see the people under you fulfil their greatest abilities in their jobs and raise their stature as efficient workers.
It will pay every person who is in charge of workers, both for his own sake and the sake of his firm, to make personal inventory along these lines:
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Am I developing good human relations with my people or am I content with casual daily contact?
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Have I some guiding principles in dealing with men and women in my department or is my negative attitude putting a wet blanket on morale?
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Have I given thought to the fact that all these workers have the human instincts and emotions that I have, perhaps differently emphasized or do I look upon them as “hands” hired to make the machine run? Etc.
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Co-operation is one of our misused words. Ignorant people “demand” co-operation. They say “your co-operation will be appreciated” when they really mean: “Do it – or else”.
Co-operation must be practised by everyone; by those who are supervising as well as those who are supervised. It is a voluntary thing, a two-way street, a way of living in which people work together to get something done. When people become a team their capacity for production is increased astonishingly. Teamwork is achieved through voluntary effort pooled in a common cause.
The work that men and women do is an essential part of their lives, not only because by it they earn bread but because a person’s job gives stature and binds him to society. The belief that money is the most important motive for working is so foolish that anyone who seriously holds this opinion is thereby rendered incapable of understanding either industry or the industrial worker.
The manager that deals in evasions, half-truths or misrepresentation is subverting the fundamentals of morale building. Only a little less objectionable is the use of propaganda instead of factual information.
Besides information down, there needs to be information up. Workers have important things to tell supervisors and executive officers. Only when there is a two-way flow can there be the unity of thought that is an evidence of good morale.
Listening to what people say is the starting point toward understanding them. The supervisor who listens with an open mind, giving thought to the significance of what is said, is a bigger person than the supervisor who rebuffs workers. Both executives and supervisors will become better administrators in accord with the attention they give to subordinates’ ideas.
REFERENCES
1. About building morale. RBC Letter. 1957; 38(8). Available from: http://www.rbc.com/aboutus/letter/august1957.html
2. Ferris R. How organizational love can improve leadership. Organ Dyn. 1988; 16(4): 42-51. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/0090-2616(88)90011-3
3. Miller PE, Brown T, Hopson R. Centering love, hope and trust in the community: transformative leadership informed by Paul Freire. Urban Education; 46(5) 1078–99. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0042085910395951
4. Wang YD, Yang C. How appealing are monetary rewards in the workplace? A study of ethical leadership, love of money, happiness, and turnover intention. Soc Indic Res. 2016; 129: 1277 –90.doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-015-1160-x