Morale Studies,

Motivation Theories
& Personnel
Research By- yash
 Morale
“It is a state of mind & emotions
affecting the attitude & willingness to
work, which in turn, affects individual
& organisation objective”
- Theo Haimann
What is Morale??

“It is an attitude of mind & esprit de corps, a state of well being

& an emotional force.”

What does it do??

It affects output, the quality of a product, costs, co-operation,

enthusiasm, discipline, initiative & other ingredients of success.
Where does it reside??

It resides in the minds & emotions of individuals &

in the reactions of their group or groups.
What does it affect??

It affects an employee’s or a group’s willingness to

work & cooperate in the best interest’s of the
individuals, groups & the organisations for which
they work.
Whom does it affect??

It affects the employees & executives in their

interactions. Ultimately, it affects the consumers &
the community.
Measurement of Morale

Morale is an intangible & subjective

concept it cannot be directly measured or
evaluated. A properly designed programme
has, therefore, to be utilised to test the
morale of individuals in an organization.
Measures of Morale :

• Observation
• General Meetings
• Questionnaires
• Company records & Reports.
• Speaking with departing personnel
• Outside Consultants
Indicators of Low Morale

• Work place conflicts.

• Absenteeism/ Lateness
• Stress.
• Trouble with the supervisor.
• Performance shortcomings.
• Lack of pride in work.
• Wastage & Spoilage.
• High labour turnover.
Improving Morale

Research indicates that the number one cause of conflict

& low morale at work is the way the people
communicate with each other.
Communicate! is a program of continuous morale
boosting communication & education for all employees.

“There’s only one way to know how good morale

really is in your company ask the people who
work there.”
 Ways of improving
morale :

1. Effective Communication.
2. Review meetings.
3. Counseling.
4. Job satisfaction.
5. Active participation.
6. Friendly atmosphere.
Effective tools for Morale
building
• Motivation
• Team building
• Make time for people
• Provide regular feedback
• Training & Development
• Provide Leadership
Motivation
IGNITE THE SPARK WITHIN
What is missing is the “SPARK”
●

A Spark Called “Motivation”

What is Motivation ?

Motivation is the process by which Inner Striving Condition

which activates or moves individual into action and continues him
in the course of action enthusiastically.

“Motivation is the art of stimulating someone or oneself to take

desired course of action”.
“Motivation means a process of stimulating people to action to
accomplish desired goals”.
 Motivation is the driving force in our lives
It Comes from a desire to succeed. Without success there
is little pride in life. No enjoyment or excitement at
work or at home

Difference between Inspiration & Motivation

Inspiration Motivation
Inspiration is Motivation is
“Change in thinking” “Change in Action”

Motive – As an inner-state that energizes activities and

directs the behaviour of individuals towards certain goals
 Maslow’s Hierarchy of
Needs
Level of hierarchy of Needs - from
lowest to highest
Extrinsic Instrinsic Upper
Factors Factors Level 5
4
Growth
3 Esteem
Needs
2
Social Self Growth
Needs Prestige, by carrier
1 Self
Safety Plans,
Love & respect, Talent,
Needs Confidence
Affections, Knowledge,
Physiological Protection Friendship,Pu , Courage, Power, Job
blic Autonomy, Responsibili
Needs against
relations,Stat Achieveme ty
Food, Shelter,
Danger, Threats nt,
us or Goodwill
Air, Clothing or Harm, Job Appreciatio
Security n,
Lower level Recognitio
n
Assumptions of Maslow’s
Theory

a Man is a wanting animal

a Satisfied needs looses its capacity
a Man’s needs have a hierarchy
Fredrick Herzberg’s Two-Factor
Theory
Two Factors Motivation Model
Goal
oriented
Hygiene Motivational Factors
Factors
Dissatisfiers Satisfiers
Company Achievements,
Policy, Advancements,
Administration,
Recognition,
Salary, Job
Security, Group Growth
relations Opportunities,
status,Working Power & Work
Conditions,Com itself.
munication.
Negative – X Employee Positive –Y Theory
Theory
 Motivational Factors
Job Enlargement:
Challenging by increasing expected output
Adding other tasks to the job
Rotating the assignments

Job Enrichment:
Removing some controls with retaining accountability
Increasing Accountability
Granting additional authority
Introducing new and more difficult tasks not handled
previously
Specific and Specialised tasks to make experts
Douglas McGregor -Theory X and
Theory Y

Traditional Theory or Theory ‘X’

Assumptions of ‘X’-Theory
ü Workers are not interested to work
ü Fear alone can force action
ü Workers are passive as they prefer security
ü Money alone can make people work
ü Labour only a factor of production
ü Authority synonymous with control
ü Lack of ambition, dislikes responsibility
ü Self centered and indifferent to organisational
needs.
Modern Theory or Theory ‘Y’

Assumptions of ‘Y’ Theory

ü Work is reward in itself

ü Inherent sense of responsibility

ü Recognition Financial Reward

ü Decision making ability not the

monopoly of a few
ü Democratic nature
 David McCellands’s
Theory
There are three major relevant motives or
needs in workplace situations.This theory is
closely assosciated with the achievement
motive. These motives are:

- The need for Achievement

- The need for Application
- The need for Power
 Seek Situations

ü Attain personal responsibility for finding

solutions to problems.
ü Immediate feedback information
ü Moderately Challenging goals
ü Accomplishing a task intrinsically satisfying
 Characteristics
ü Achievers closely align with qualities
necessary for successful entrepreneurship.
ü High achievers are attracted to
commissioned sales
ü They like to involve themselves with
challenging risks
ü Need rapid feedback
ü Opportunities to influence the outcome
ü Habitually spend
 Rewards &
Achievements
ü Get more raises in Salary, perks and extra
fringe benefits
ü Promoted faster.
ü Organisations with many such people grows
faster and earns more profit
 Conclusion

Human beings are difficult to research and it is

difficult to say which theory of motivation
stands completely valid and acceptable.
All things do not mean the same to all men.
Topic of motivation is an inter relationship
type of topic in that worker and the job are
continually in interplay one with the other.
Personnel Research
Meaning
Personnel research as defined by Jucius, “is the task of
searching for and analyzing of facts to the end that
personnel problems may be solved or principles and
laws governing their solution derived.”

In simple words it provides a way of taking an

objective look at problems and developing policies and
procedures based on facts obtained through scientific
study rather than opinions resulting from personal
experiences.
Purpose of Research
The purpose of research is to seek answers to problems through the application of scientific
methodology which guarantees that the information is reliable and unbiased.

Research has the following advantages:

to measure and evaluate present conditions
§

to predict future conditions, events and behavioural patterns

§

to evaluate the effects and results of current policies, programmes and practices
§

to provide an objective basis for revision of current policies, programmes and practices
§

to appraise proposed policies, programmes and activities

§

§to keep management abreast of its competitors by replacing old products by new products, old
techniques by new techniques & old organisational practices by new old organisational practices and

to discover ways and means of strengthening the abilities and attitudes of employees at a good or a
§

high level and on a continuing basis.

Why personnel
research?
Personnel Managers have started to use research
findings to solve human problems and to improve
management practices. Most managers now rely on
research findings for such problems as absenteeism,
motivation, wages and attitudes of employees towards
their jobs and organisations :
1. To build upon existing knowledge.
2. Appraisal of proposed programmes and activities.
3. Evaluation of current and new policies and
practices.
4. Anticipation of personnel problems.
Methods & Tools of
Personnel Research
Research is a selection of facts
on a specific problem and a
search for trends and patterns
that will help in solving this
problem. We will briefly explain
five approaches to Personnel
Research :
1. Case Studies :
Case studies investigate a specific
problem of an organisation or of an individual in an
organisation. The case presents the relative facts and
the context of the problem. It presents the series of
action/decisions undertaken for the problem under
study.Case studies identify and establish problems,
objectives and alternative courses of action. Having
evaluated the alternatives they choose the most
feasible action plan to solve the problem.
2. Historical Studies:

Historical Studies are used to trace the development

of problems in order to understand them and isolate
possible causative factor. They offer a perspective of
current events in view of similar past experiences.
The essence of historical studies is their systematic
investigation on a time span or longitudinal
dimensions.
One major problem of historical studies is the time
gap between the occurrence of an event and its
analysis. Historical Studies take a long time and for
that reason are costly.
3. Survey Research :

Survey Research is used for problems requiring a

systematic collection of data from a population or a
representative sample of population through person
contact.
Limitations :
a. Willingness of the sample to desired information.
b. Time limitation.
c. Considerable investment of manpower and time.
4. Exploratory Studies :

Exploratory Studies emphasises the discovery of ideas

and insights in seeking familiarity with a phenomenon
or in achieving new and or greater insights in order to
formulate the precise problem or develop hypothesis.
Exploratory Studies are not terminal and just a
starting point of a large study, they are very useful
in formulating hypothesis for subsequent tests. They
provide sufficient flexibility in information
collection and are less demanding in terms of time and
cost.
5. Experimental Studies :

Experimental Studies consist of investigating the

effect of one condition on behaviour,
attitudes,opinions, etc., while controlling others to
establish a casual relationship between any two
variables, conditions, or situations. It helps in
isolating a single variable that influences a
phenomenon thus making its occurrence more
predictable and controllable.
Experimental Studies is a rigorous method if a
researcher can demonstrate proximity between real
and simulated situations. It is extremely useful in
understanding industrial behaviour.
Process of Personnel
Research :
To carry out personnel research a sound
knowledge of the process of research, the
various steps followed in research i.e.- from
identification of the problem to the drawing of
conclusion - and the methods of data collection
are extremely important.
1. Statement of Purpose :
The researcher must point out what he proposes to do and why
and how the research could be useful. The statement of purpose
should also point out that the given problem the present
research is the most parsimonious way of seeking answers or
alternatively
that the purpose could not have been achieved without
carrying on this research.

2. Statement of Problem :
The most important step in personnel research is to state the
problem concretly and explicitly. Once the problem is clearly
identified the next step is to develop the hypothesis of the
suggested answers. The final step is defining the concept.
3. Statement of Method and
procedure :
Method and procedure refer to the arrangement of condition for
collecting data in a manner that ensures relevance and economy.
Method and procedure will differ depending upon the nature of
research problems and hypothesis. An important part in this section is
the identification and selection of a sample group.
The researcher also has to mention what is dependant and independent
variables are. Dependant variables are the reactions, responses and
behaviour. An independent variable is one who effect on dependant
variable is to be seen. Next is to consider method of data collection,
questionnaire, rating scale, interview or simple observation of
behaviour.
4. Statement of Results :
Results based on information collected refer to the relationship of
dependant- independent variable. They may support or reject the
hypothesis. A clear statement concerning the acceptance or
rejection of the hypothesis is the key function of results.
Application of statistics quantifies the data, facilitates analysis
and summarises the data to permit generalisation.
5. Statement of Analysis and
Implications :
The personnel researcher must visualize the implications of the
result and utilize them for policy formulation and decision-
making. The result should not be narrowly viewed to find only the
answer to the problem faced. It should also be seen in a larger
perspective which may support a theory or a conceptual
framework. The personnel researcher ought to point out the
limitation of a study because this will open avenues for future
research. The ultimate aim of a personnel research is production
of organisational behaviour and this possible if a large number of
variables are tested and their effect on behaviour is established.
The findings from research studies are of little or no value unless
they are translated into personnel policies and practices.
Summary :
Personnel Research is an important activity of
personnel manager. It helps in reviewing
existing personnel policies and developing
more effective systems. It also helps in
anticipating personnel problems and building
up existing body of knowledge.
THANK YOU