An Instrument for Measuring Morale of Military Personnel in the Malaysian Army

While there is a myriad of factors contributing to accomplishing a mission, one that has been consistently emphasized by military strategists over the years would be the soldiers’ morale. Morale is an intangible and abstract factor. It needs to be translated and verified empirically through systematic and objective observation in order for it to be properly managed. Unfortunately, no valid and reliable instrument for measuring morale has been established. This paper aims to expound the process of developing an instrument for measuring the morale of soldiers in Malaysian Army. Through a literature search, six dimensions of morale were identified and the first draft of the instrument was crafted. Next, two focus group discussions were conducted in which senior military officers from various departments were engaged as subject matter expert and improvements were made on the instrument based on feedback received. The first meeting reviewed the instrument’s construct and content validity and the second, with the help of an English Language instructor, focused on the constructs as well as the clarity of the language used. The final instrument incorporated the following six dimensions; 1) Team’s task and objective to be accomplished (5 items), 2) Mental/Psychological state (8 items), 3) Selflessness (5 items), 4) Affective state (8 items), 5) Team cohesion (10 items) and 6) Individual’s spiritual state (6 items). The instrument was tested on 100 soldiers who were randomly selected from the 5th Battalion Border Regiment of Bukit Kayu Hitam. Analysis of the reliability of the instrument shows that the Cronbach’s Alpha values range from 0.80 to 0.98, suggesting an excellent reliability. This instrument would be used in the next phase of the research to evaluate the extent of morale in Malaysian Army.