2003 IMTA Proceedings - International Military Testing Association

- My home front is proud of me.
- My home front respects my decision to work for the Royal Netherlands Army.
- I think there are sufficient opportunities to let the home front know how I am.
Job satisfaction
Characteristics of the job go hand-in-hand with satisfaction and (inner) motivation and thus
also with morale. According to Hackman and Oldman (1976) five objective task
characteristics can be distinguished which influence employee motivation: skill variety, task
identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback. The more a job meets these
characteristics, the more motivated employees will be.
In order to achieve high morale, it is important that individuals have a clear idea of their role
and view their role as useful and significant. On the one hand, this concerns their share in the
units’ objectives in a specific situation. Also, it is the role, which relevant other people (the
group and the leader) expect of an individual. Roles ensure predictable behavior and regulate
the co-ordination of tasks among the group members.
Examples:
- In my job I can show my capabilities.
- I have a useful function/task within my section.
Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB)
Members of the unit show organizational citizenship behavior, when they are willing to do
more than they are asked for in the description of their job without being ordered. They show
‘extra-role’- behavior without expecting a reward. This behavior is linked to unit cohesion
and raises the efficiency en effectiveness of the unit (Organ, 1988). Where unit members
show more OCB, unit cohesion will grow.
Examples:
- If necessary I will die for the interest of my unit.
- Even under the most badly circumstances I will try hard to fulfill my tasks.
Personal aspects
The definition showed that morale is an individual attitude. Every individual soldier
contributes in morale within the unit in his own way, for example because of his age, military
experience and experience in humanitarian missions (Labuc, 1991). To inform the
commander about the personal aspects of his unit members and the relationship with the
aspects of morale development, the questionnaire starts with a few personal questions.
Unit aspects
Cooperation within the unit, identification and respect are all related to unit cohesion.
Unit cohesion is a major factor of influence on morale. In a cohesive unit, members feel
secure and protected. The higher the unit cohesion, the more influence the unit will have on
its members: unit members accept objectives, decisions and norms more quickly. There is
stronger pressure to conform to the unit and there is less tolerance of unit members who do
not agree.
Where there is high cohesion, membership of a unit is maintained for longer, unit objectives
are achieved sooner, there is greater participation and loyalty from unit members, good
cooperation, better communication, less absenteeism and the members feel more secure (Van
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45 th Annual Conference of the International Military Testing Association
Pensacola, Florida, 3-6 November 2003