Southwest Airlines Organizational Culture - Case Study Example

Case study-Southwest Airlines Name Institution Course Lecturer Date Southwest airlines culture Question 1 Southwest airline organizational culture Southwest Airline’s culture begins from its purpose statement, vision statement to its real actions in the performance and delivery of the services by its employees. The purpose statement of the airlines reads; “Connect people to what’s important in their lives through friendly, reliable, low-cost air travel”. While its vision statement posits that, “To become the World's Most Loved, Most Flown, and Most Profitable Airline”. The airline has all through since its unwelcomed starting point, been trying as much as possible to uphold a culture of its kind. The values, mission and the driving force as well as the mode of doing things of Southwest Airline as guided by its organization cultures is quite different from other airlines; ranging from its mode of service delivery to treatment of its employees. (Ravasi & Schultz, 2006) First, the southwest culture is seen to stand out through a warrior spirit that it exhibits in its day to day activities through its employees. This spirit compels its well trained employees to work hard in bid to attain the company’s common set goals and the vision. The goals which comprises of desire to be the best, ability to display urgency, self-motivated and self-driven workers with a servant’s heart, innovativeness, displaya proactive customer service as well as portraying a fun-loving attitude to its customers. The values of the company are also well pronounced to in that it ensures that they accommodate the will and desires of the organization’s workers as well as pleases the customers. (Bass,& Avolio, 1993) Southwest Airline values its organization culture such that it seeks to inculcate real andactive organization socialism among the workers and with the customers who receive its services. For instance, the company uses team measurements rather than individual performance metrics in bid to encourage team work. It also encourages mutual influencethrough knowledge and goal sharing among the workers. This encourages cooperation and workers commitment thus efficiency in the company, for examplegate agents and the flight crews cleans the planes together with the members of the maintenance department to attain a goal of 15 minutes turnaround or a third of the time needed by others.On the other hand,the company ensures that it does not hurt any of its customers so as to earn an extra coin from them. Southwest Airline culture value to the customers is that, “laying people off breeds a lack of trust, a sense of insecurity and a lack of loyalty”. Therefore, Southwest Airline organization culture largely depends on ensuring proper service delivery and well cared customer-worker relationship. Question 2 The roles of the organizational culture The Southwest Airline culture has helped promote the workers’ sense of identity, loyalty and increases their commitment to the organization. At one instant the former Southwest Airline CEO, Keller stated that,“having simple set values for the company is a very efficient and an expedient way to go, however it only works well if the people in a company understands and defines the values and the culture for themselves”. Southwest Airline has been able to promotemember participation and commitment in various aspects of its activities through its workers friendly organizational cultures. For instance the company involves its employees in making decisions and ensures that every employee has an equal say irrespective of their job hierarchy in the company. This further helps in giving employees a sense of belonging to the company.(Cameron & Quinn, 2011) Southwest Airline has also been able to motivate its workers through the wise and diligent employment of its cultures for examplepaying its pilots in terms of trips covered other than the number of hours in fight motivates its workers to work even extra hours. Similarly, the flight attendants are able to work for 150hours a month which is a higher working rate than attendants in other air lines.In addition the organization culture upheld by the Southwest Airline has all through been promoting a developing dedication to excellence. This is done through ensuring that every new employee undergoes six month indoctrination and mentoring training in the company before they begin to work. This ensures that the new workers will be able to express their intent to remain or not. The company’s cultureis used to reinforce the organizations values. For example Southwest Airline does not hire its employees on the basis of their technical skills rather their attitudes matter most. This value has helped the organization to win the employees dedication and inbuilt passion and determination to attain their goals in the company. It further helps the workers to effectively and positively carry out their duties with a desire, not only to please their employer but also for personal satisfaction. This in return has reduced the rate of workers strikes because even though there are worker’s unions,workers associate more with the company than the union.(Powerful, 2003) In addition, culture in a company also serves as a control mechanism for shaping behavior. Southwest Airline does not tolerate pointing of fingers to one another rather advocates for personal responsibility for any action that one does. It also encourages meetings in between the working hours so as to address any burning issue. For that reason there are rocking chairs all over the company’s compound. The impromptu meetings also help in relieving the employees in high-stress jobs. The company encourages workers to be very self-confident in delivering services so they can be able to share their sense of humor and fun with their customers. This helps in maintaining the company’s fun-loving trait that enables its customers to be free and at ease while in the airline. Question 3 Creating, reinforcing and perpetuating organization culture Culture is created through involving all the parties in an organization in forming common norms, values, systems, symbols, beliefs and habits that guide them in performing their duties in the organization. Groups and teams in an organization helps in creating or developing a culture in thatthey agree upon each other to achieve a common mission or performance by holding themselves mutually accountable. For example in Southwest Airline the culture is developed from a group perspective, however each individual has a personal role to play in this. It starts from the training, where every employee has the responsibility for their self-improvement and training. In the working situation every employees is required to uphold the employees’ vision of offering, ‘positively outrageous service’ in a friendliness, caring, warmth and company spirit.However it should be noted that leaders are the ones, who articulate the culture, make it real and transfers it throughout the organization (Schein, 2010). This organization culture is reinforced at the company in various aspects. For example by paying the pilots in terms of the trips they cover automatically compels them to work hard. Moreover,using group measurements rather than individual performance metrics promotes team work in the organization thus maintaining the organization’s culture.The culture is also reinforced by ensuring there is always a friendly working environment for all employees starting from the subordinate to the senior staffs. The company even allows the employees to work while in pajamas in bid to create a conducive environment for them and thus easy to adhere with the set company principles. Southwest Airline also maintains a humorous and fun loving environment both among the employees as well as between the employees and the customers. This reinforces the company’s culture each day as the customers will feel at ease to raise any disturbing issue to the employees. In bid to perpetuate the Southwest Airline organization culture, the company ensures that every employee undergoes sixmonth indoctrination and mentoring trainingso that they may be able to learn what is expected of them in the organization. During this training period the company is also able to determine whether the employee will be able to cope with the culture or not. In addition, allemployees attend a program every year designated to reinforce shared values among the employees. Another activity that is carried out in the company so as to perpetuate the organization culture is the holding of picnics every year. Such an activity is usually attended by all employees including the mechanics in the company.These activities in the company help to perpetuating the organization culture.(Schein, 2010) Question 4 Key symbols and slogans in Southwest Airlines The company has number of advertising symbols and slogans that portrays the company’s culture. These include; “Love is still our field” this shows that the company advocates for love in its operations. Another one is that, “The Somebody Else Up there Loves You” this also promotes love as illustrated by its culture. Othersinclude, “The Low Fare Airline” meaning the company offers its services at alow price, “Welcome Aboard”illustrating the company’s servant heart. The airline’s current slogan is that, “If It Matters To You, It Matters To Us” this shows that the company values the quality and interests of its customers.(Ravasi & Schultz, 2006) References Bass, B. M., & Avolio, B. J. (1993). Transformational leadership and organizational culture. Public administration quarterly, 17(1). Cameron, K. S., & Quinn, R. E. (2011).Diagnosing and changing organizational culture: Based on the competing values framework. John Wiley & Sons. Powerful, W. I. O. C. (2003). Leading by leveraging culture. California Management Review, 45(4), 20. Ravasi, D., & Schultz, M. (2006). Responding to organizational identity threats: Exploring the role of organizational culture. Academy of Management Journal, 49(3), 433-458. Schein, E. H. (2010). Organizational culture and leadership (Vol. 2). John Wiley & Sons. Read More