Moral-psychological climate (MPC) is a reflection of real relationships between members of any team. The level of favorable climate in the group determines the quality of the organization, dictates the success or decline of production (the educational process). The normalization of relations in the team and the regulation of the optimal working atmosphere belong to the field of social psychology.
The concept of moral and psychological climate
It has been proven that more than 20 cases of decrease in performance indicators at work out of 100 are the fault of adverse moral and psychological factors that have a negative impact on the employee during his work activity. It is also known that depression, bad mood or depression of team members entail a decrease in productivity by 50%. If we consider the collective as a society of people connected by the same tasks and goals, then the anxiety of such statistics and its impactto the work of the organization as a whole will become clear.
The formation of the moral and psychological climate occurs at the level of small organizational forms of the team - microgroups belonging to the smallest structural unit of the organization (team, department, committee). It is in these social groups, which include a small number of participants, that a certain psychological atmosphere develops, subsequently influencing the situation within the entire closed structure of the organization.
The great importance of the state of the moral and psychological climate of the working apparatus is due to the fact that it characterizes the position of the organization as a whole: the speed of productivity, the quality of products (services), etc. And since almost every person is ranked in one or another sphere of labor activities and is responsible for certain functions of his enterprise, then the importance of the IPC is seen as equal to the observance of both public and private interests.
IPC levels
In the course of studying the moral and psychological climate of a certain organizational structure, 2 levels of this social factor were identified:
- static:
- dynamic.
The static level of relationships within the team is permanent, stable. The once formed principles and procedures of the working process are supported by all members of the team, the difficulties that arise are also sorted out and overcome together. Periodically, team members adjust the moral and psychological climateinside the labor mechanism, which is welcomed by the main staff of the team as a necessary measure to maintain a favorable environment.
The dynamic level of relationships in a group is considered unstable, fluctuating, and is directly dependent on the mood of all members of the group, their current mental and physical state, priorities and needs. Unlike indicators of the previous level of moral and psychological climate, in organizations built according to a dynamic type, personnel and other changes occur much more often and are perceived by people quite sharply.
In the future, the development of the state of the team according to a negative dynamic scenario may lead to its complete transformation or collapse.
Assessment of the state of the IPC
The state of the moral and psychological climate in the group is always determined by polar values that do not have sublevels of transition from positive to negative. One can never say about the situation in the team that it is “normal”, since such a definition does not correspond to the emotional assessment of the current situation, which is always expressed in one of two extreme states: “good” or “bad”.
A person, whether he wants it or not, on a subconscious level evaluates every phenomenon that takes place in his social life, and these indicators are quite categorical. It is impossible to achieve a high assessment of the work and a he althy moral and psychological climate at the enterprise in general, if the own assessment of this structure by individual members of the team willconsistently low.
The founder of social psychology Boris Parygin argued that the individual psychological perception of individual factors of social life by members of the team does not yet constitute the IPC in full. Only the concurring opinion of the majority of group members (community) is a powerful mechanism that greatly enhances the intrastructural mood. At the same time, the already formed moral and psychological climate in the organization affects each member of the team, increasing or decreasing his work activity, contributing to a positive mood or blocking it.
Favorable moral and psychological climate
With the current level of demand for many goods and services, the tasks assigned to production and intermediary firms increase and become more complicated every year. This increases the psychological burden on all participants in the creation and promotion of products, however, the actual result of such a load may fluctuate within diametrically opposite values.
With reasonable stimulation of work activity and the current system of rewards, we can talk about creating a favorable moral and psychological climate in the organization, which is well guessed in a number of the following signs:
- Intolerance of team members to individual cases of negligence and irresponsibility at work.
- People are in constant readiness to improve the quality of their work.
- Heads of production and lower management are always open to new suggestions.
- There are no hostilerelations.
- People are clearly aware of their responsibility for the work they do.
- The number of absenteeism, sick leave and spontaneous layoffs of employees is at a low level.
A favorable moral and psychological climate in the organization is achieved only through the cohesion of the participants of the enterprise - people understand their dependence on each other and try, first of all, to work for quality. In such teams, creativity and innovative qualities are highly valued and welcomed, helping to find a way out of difficult situations and improve working conditions with little funding.
The concept of corporate culture
Corporate culture today is understood as a he althy moral and psychological climate in the enterprise, formed in conditions of respect for the leaders of the organization to junior management and employees in the field. The corporate culture policy includes two essential components:
- philosophy - corporate values, rules, including those of a moral and ethical nature, unconditionally accepted by all members of the organization and strictly observed;
- mission - a statement about the purpose and tasks of the enterprise, a concentrate of plans for future achievements and goals.
By default, a he althy moral and psychological climate assumes that the junior employees of the enterprise do not receive orders from the higher management, but recommendations, the control over the implementation of which lies with the performers themselves. As a result of the introductionIn such self-organization, the responsibility of field workers reaches a high level, and the need for additional supervising administration workers becomes minimal.
Adoption of corporate philosophy and implementation of its ideas
To achieve a favorable moral and psychological climate in the team, it is important that the corporate philosophy be understood and unconditionally accepted by all participants in the production process. If this condition is met, then the company develops a good reputation, supported by common efforts and equally valuable for all employees of the company.
It is interesting that in the course of the formation of a he althy moral and psychological climate at the enterprise, the main share of concern for the well-being of the common cause is assumed by employees or junior workers. It is they who, first of all, show consciousness when educating a new labor subject in the team, control his going to work, the quality of his products. Often, if a new employee does not strive to meet the already established high standards of the enterprise, the colleagues themselves raise the question of removing him from the team.
Another necessary condition for observing the principles of corporate culture is not to elevate the achievement of a he althy moral and psychological climate to the rank of the mission of the enterprise. A positive atmosphere within the organization cannot be an end in itself, but is only a consequence of the constant improvement of the quality of working conditions for employees and the competent setting of tasks.
Formation of a favorable climate in the team
Both positive and negative moral and psychological climate is developed under the influence of the following factors:
- The nature of production and economic relations in the environment of the formation of a work team.
- Organization of labor at the enterprise, compliance with legal and other conditions of labor activity.
- Individual attitude to their duties of the members of the administration of the enterprise.
- Guide type.
- The level of correspondence between formal and informal group structures.
- Specific features of the group: by gender or age, psychological conformity, social status, etc.
Corporate culture managers concluded that the greater the knowledge base of the people that make up the group, that is, the higher the level of development of its members, the more likely it is that a moral and psychological climate with a “+” sign will form in the team. However, with a more careful approach to the selection of new employees, when selecting them on the basis of common interests, aspirations, ways of solving problems, it is possible to achieve almost the same result with an average or even low level of development of most members of the team. True, in this case there is a danger that in this group not workers, but the personal interests of workers will prevail, which already serves as a low probability of achieving a high level of development of the enterprise as a whole.
Before the moral and psychological climate is finally formed, the young enterprise mustsurvive two stages:
- Stage I is characterized by increased formality of relations in the group - team members only get to know each other, communicate with each other purely on work topics, try to “not stand out”.
- Stage II has already been marked by the formation of interest groups or other unifying factors at the enterprise, “leaders” and “followers” are clearly distinguished in the team, a leader is clearly identified. The current position of some members of the organization may already cause controversy and disagreement. The future structure of the relationship between management and employees is clearly looming.
Depending on the direction (positive or negative) that the second stage of development of intra-collective relations takes, features of the moral and psychological climate in the group are formed. With a positive development, the employees of the organization feel pride in belonging to the group and try to do their job to the best of their ability. The development of a team according to a negative scenario leads to the growth of conflicts, the constant search for someone else's wrong and, as a result, the paralysis of the work process.
Leadership as a method of covert management
In fact, at the head of the management of the moral and psychological climate of any organization is the leader of the group, nominated from the ranks of non-management members of the working team. Unlike a direct manager appointed by a formal procedure, any person who has the necessary character traits, abilities and experience to solve specific tasks that arein front of the team.
The acting leader has unconditional authority in this society, thanks to which people voluntarily obey him and consciously take on the role of followers. The leadership qualities of the same person, relevant in one society, may be unclaimed in another (other values, differences in gender, demographic, age, etc.).
In corporate culture, there are 5 examples of leadership types:
- Organizer. A confident optimist who takes the problems of the group as his own and successfully and quickly resolves them. In communication, he is distinguished by the gift of persuasion, he knows how to encourage and gently, tactfully scold for mistakes. Located in the center of all events.
- Creator. Captivates people with innovative ideas, unexpected (but successful) proposals. Ready to take risks, skillfully arranges tasks in a group. This type of leader never acts like a commander and acts more like an advisor.
- Wrestler. Decisive, may show signs of aggression, impatience. Often too direct. Often the need for this leader disappears immediately after he solves some critical or especially protracted problems.
- Diplomat. He is in the know of all cases and has a large number of hidden levers of influence on the “right” people. Does not strive to open all its possibilities, but justifies the expectations placed on it.
- Comforter. A distinctive quality of this leader is benevolence. He consoles the suffering, finds the right words to resolve conflicts. serious problemsa representative of this type may not decide, but in his presence it becomes easier for people to endure difficulties.
The existence of a full-fledged team without a leader is impossible, so many managers try to make it easier for themselves to manage personnel by allocating a special manager for these purposes. In practice, such actions are ineffective, since for a formally appointed person, control and distributive functions are of primary importance, and for a leader, a comfortable psychological atmosphere in the team.
Methods of leadership affecting the IPC
The moral and psychological climate in the enterprise to a large extent depends on the management style carried out by the management. Only 3 types of management style have been identified that have a strong influence on the IPC:
- Authoritarian (dictatorial). Establishment by the head of strict control over the performance of employees of their duties, the introduction of a system of fines and reprimands. No one is interested in the opinion of employees and the difficulties that arise in the course of their work.
- Collective. The leader is open to two-way communication and does not make important decisions without bringing the controversial issue to the public discussion. Control over the performance of work and the result obtained is carried out mainly by the employees themselves with minimal intervention from higher authorities.
- Liberal anarchist. Otherwise, this management style can be called "who is in what much" - employees do notadhere to no protocols, do only what they see fit, without fear of punishment. At the same time, the team constantly feels the inferiority of management and the decline in spirit.
Of the listed types of management, the preferred type is the collective type of intra-group relations, which is moderately democratic and adequate to the current situation in the economy.
Recovery of the situation
To improve the moral and psychological climate in the team, management must adhere to several golden rules of management:
- select personnel from the point of view of the psychological suitability of the candidate for the expected position;
- to carry out advanced training of all employees with the necessary frequency;
- regularly arrange semi-formal events that help improve mutual understanding between team members;
- clearly set goals and avoid major deviations from production plans;
- to allow and welcome manifestations of creativity in employees, in every possible way to encourage individuality and an innovative approach to work.
The leader must understand that the "improvement" of the atmosphere within the organization is a complex step-by-step work that does not bring instant results. All members of the board and middle managers (foremen, managers, administrators) will also have to make an effort to improve the IPC in small corporate structures by introducing into their practice direct communication withpeople on the ground.
A he althy psychological environment occurs only in a team where they realize the value and uniqueness of each employee. Correction of existing shortcomings in communications between members of management and junior staff is carried out in such a way that the former do not suppress the latter with their authority.
