Morale refers to an internal feeling, which depends on the overall environment which surrounds the person. It is based on the attitude, satisfaction level and outlook of the person.
On the contrary, motivation is the act of encouraging an individual to get the desired results. It is what keeps you moving. It is a critical element in establishing and achieving the objectives.
The management of an organization should work on developing and maintaining an environment wherein the people working in the organization can achieve the desired objectives effectively. As the employees are the primary resource of the organization, their abilities should be utilized in such a manner which benefits the organization.
Content: Motivation Vs Morale
Comparison Chart
| Basis for Comparison | Motivation | Morale |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Motivation implies the reason or a set of reasons, which influences the behavior of a person. | Morale refers to the confidence, happiness and enthusiasm of an individual or group at a particular period. |
| What is it? | Inner psychological drive | Social-emotional association |
| Priority | Primary concern | Secondary concern |
| Concept | Individual Concept | Group Concept |
| Related factors | Factors which are associated with individuals performance. | Factors which are associated with the work environment. |
| Relationship | It supplements morale | It is a determinant of motivation |
Definition of Motivation
Motivation refers to that spark within us, which demands a change, either in self or the environment surrounding us, leading to engaging a person in a specific behaviour. It induces an individual to initiate and sustain an action to accomplish the work.
It is when you encounter a strong desire for doing or achieving something, and you work wholeheartedly to pursue the goal. It can arise from different sources, internal or external. Indeed people have various motives for adopting specific behaviour.
Motivation is something that encourages, directs and maintains goal-oriented behaviour. It is regulated by the satisfaction of needs which are essential for sustaining life or necessary for welfare and growth.
It is the task of the organization’s management to develop the willingness to perform the work, in the best possible manner, among the employees.
It is a well-known fact that when an employee is highly motivated, their productivity level and work quality are also high, as well as they will be more engaged and feel more committed to their work.
Types of Motivation
- Positive Motivation: It is the reward and recognition for good performance. To be precise, positive motivation is the actual motivation which is related to the individual’s pay, prestige, promotion and praise.
- Negative Motivation: When the behaviour of a person is motivated by fear or anticipation that if the employee does not perform the task effectively, then it may attract an undesirable outcome such as fear of losing a job, fear of punishment, transfer, etc.
Motivation is the internal drive that moves an individual into a specific behaviour or action and pushes him to continue the same. It impels a person to transform his potential to work into practice.
Definition of Morale
Morale can be defined as the combination of psychic qualities which shows courage, enthusiasm, and confidence to carry out the task. It is an intangible factor which is associated with the conditions of the person and the work environment as regards determination, confidence and zeal while performing the work.
It is a mental attitude, an emotional force and the state of being comfortable, healthy and happy. It has the capability to influence the output, product quality, costs, enthusiasm, initiative and other success components.
The morale of an employee is based on the total satisfaction derived by an individual from his/her job, work team, supervisor, organization and the work environment.
Factors Influencing Employee’s Morale
- Credibility of the organization
- Attitude of management towards human resource
- Job satisfaction
- Nature of work, in terms of risk, monotony, goals etc.
- Supervision
- Degree of motivation
- Reward and punishment
Morale is greatly influenced by feelings. Hence, the organizations in which the morale of employees is high, their approach towards work is enthusiastic, passionate and energetic. It can be seen in their cooperation in achieving the objectives, discipline, loyalty, participation and involvement, and reasonable initiative.
Key Differences Between Motivation and Morale
Upcoming points will discuss the differences between motivation and morale:
- Motivation refers to an internal process, which improves, encourages and stimulates the employees resulting in goal-oriented behaviour. On the other hand, morale is the psychological state of an individual, which is reflected in his mood, confidence, discipline, enthusiasm, cooperation and loyalty towards the work and organization.
- Motivation is nothing but the inner psychological impulse, which induces the employee to behave in a particular manner. As against, morale is a social-emotional association.
- Motivation is given priority over morale in every organization because when an employee is highly motivated, the productivity will also be higher.
- Motivation is an individual concept, as it considers the individual differences between employees. As against, morale is a group concept, as it takes into account those factors which have an impact on the entire work environment and the people working in that environment.
- The factor that affects the motivation of an employee are related to the individual’s performance, say pay, promotion, achievement or non-achievement of goals etc. In contrast, the factors influencing employee’s morale are concerned with the overall work environment, including the supervision, reward and recognition, job satisfaction, work climate, etc.
- Motivation supplements, i.e. complete or enhance the morale of an employee. Conversely, morale is one of the determinants of motivation, i.e. a factor which affects the motivation of an employee.
Conclusion
By and large, both the motivation and morale of the employee is related to the organization’s reward system. Therefore, at the time of deciding the reward, certain factors must be considered, such as the performance of the employee.
If the performance of the employee is not up to the mark his/her hard work and efforts for attaining the performance level, sincerity in learning and achieving the performance regardless of the difficulty. Making a comparison between jobs, to analyse and appreciate the circumstances of limited success.
It must be noted that rewarding an employee for his/her achievement is significant, but it is even more important to reward sincere efforts.
Savious Chikwanda says
Nice note
Fred says
Good