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Keyword of the Day | Esprit de Corps
Esprit de corps means the spirit of unity, loyalty, morale and collective commitment within an organisation.
Fayol included esprit de corps among his 14 principles of management, arguing that managers should promote harmony and unity among employees.
Thinker of the Day | Philip Selznick
Work – TVA and the Grass Roots
Views
- Selznick distinguished between an organisation as a formal structure and an institution that acquires values, identity and informal relationships over time.
For administrative morale, this is important because employees develop
Sense of belonging
Institutional loyalty
Shared values
Informal group
relationships Commitment beyond formal rules
Formal organisation → Informal relationships → Shared values → Institutional commitment → Morale
Selznick showed that organisations are influenced by their social environment and internal informal structures, making morale more than a question of salary or incentives.
for e.g, institutional culture of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) professional identity, shared norms, training and institutional traditions can generate commitment and esprit de corps beyond formal service rules.
At the same time, excessive institutionalisation may produce organisational rigidity and resistance to reform.
Morale is sustained not merely by formal incentives but by the values, identity and informal relationships through which an organisation becomes an institution.
PUB AD PYQ VAULT | Day 52 | PYQ (2004)
The success of administration depends on the quality of its personnel. Discuss.
