The Measurement of Morale

Abstract

An instrument measuring organizational morale was constructed from unit member satisfaction response aggregated to the battalion level. The data was gathered at three different points in time from military personnel within 55 CONUS battalions. Significant positive correlations between the satisfaction scores and an independent index of affective orientation supported the widely held, but rarely tested assumption that satisfaction measures are a true indicant of an individual's affective orientation toward his/her unit. Analysis of the instrument's psychometric properties showed it to be a reliable and valid measure of morale as an organizational characteristic as distinct from an individual level variable. Theoretical and applied implications of these findings for the study of organizational morale in military and nonmilitary units are discussed.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 1981
Accession Number
ADP001340

Entities

People

  • Francis E. O'mara
  • Melvin J. Kimmel

Organizations

  • U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Combat Support
  • Job Satisfaction
  • Measurement
  • Military Commanders
  • Military Organizations
  • Military Personnel
  • Military Research
  • Orientation (Direction)
  • Personnel Management
  • Psychology
  • Social Sciences
  • Social Security
  • Statistics
  • Supervisors
  • Surveys
  • Warfare

Fields of Study

  • Psychology

Readers

  • Organizational Psychology.
  • Theoretical Analysis.