Morale in the Federal Public Service of Canada : societal, structural and political influences
Date
1992
Authors
Hogan, Bernard Michael
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Abstract
This thesis examines morale in the federal public service of Canada. Three areas of analysis are considered: the relationship between morale and societal perceptions of the federal bureaucracy, the structural and organizational context of the federal public service, and the restraint policies of the present Conservative government. They are seen as a hierarchy - with the broad societal influences on top, narrower structural considerations in the middle, and the most narrow political influences on the bottom. A funnel metaphor is used to describe this hierarchy.
Morale is an often used, yet somewhat vague concept. This thesis seeks to eliminate the confusion surrounding the general nature of the term and draws on work-psychologist Saul Gellerman's interpretation of morale in terms of needsĀ satisfactions.
"Off the job" satisfactions form the base of this hierarchy, and deal with issues such as income, security, and stature. "On the job" satisfactions make up the middle part of the hierarchy, and deal with issues such as job interest, prestige, and career advancement. The top part of the hierarchy is formed by personal satisfactions, which deals with issues of personal growth and power, achievement, and job mastery. The basic premise is that those needs on the lower levels of the hierarchy must be satisfied before those higher on the structure become important. A pyramid metaphor is used to describe this hierarchy.
The relationships between the funnel of influences and the pyramid of needs are examined to develop a structured model of individual employee morale. Generally, societal influences are seen to correspond most closely to personal satisfactions, structural influences to on the job satisfactions, and political influences to off the job satisfactions. Political influences, however, impact on both of the two lower levels of the needs pyramid. A model outlining the collective dimensions of morale was also developed.
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UN SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth