(^166) 97 Things Every Project Manager Should Know
Recognize the Value of Team Morale
David Bock
Reston, Virginia, U.S.
MoRAlE IS onE oF ThoSE ThIngS yoU KnoW yoU nEED, but it is hard
to grow and measure. A team with high morale will occasionally put in extra
effort cheerfully, but a team with low morale will not. High morale isn’t just
about a better workplace, it is about a more productive team.
A few years ago, I worked with a team that exhibited high morale. At times,
the office felt more like a community of friends than a workplace. Productivity
was high. We would occasionally have crises that required a little extra “push,”
and team members would volunteer for that extra effort.
A few years later, I saw that same team at an ice cream social at the office, and
it didn’t appear happy. The team members weren’t socializing, and their body
language seemed cold. When I approached them, they were complaining that
there were only “chocolate Jimmies, not colored sprinkles” as a topping for
the ice cream. Think about that transition: same team, same project, much
different morale. It went from cheerfully working overtime, when needed, to
complaining about free ice cream.
How did this happen? The team had a new manager who made some bad deci-
sions. His errors led the team down a false path and created more work for it.
Senior management blamed the entire team. And when the manager took no
responsibility, the team lost confidence. The project became “more work and
less fun,” and morale suffered.
As the manager tried to improve the situation, he made things worse. He remem-
bered that when the team members had high morale, they would occasionally
go out to movies together. So, he instituted a “movie night.” The team had
no interest in socializing, and attendance was low. The manager began mark-
ing on performance reviews that people weren’t “participating with the team.”
That lowered morale even more.