Southwest Airlines is in the top ranking US Corporation in terms of profits and reputation. This airline has always applied strong strategies in order to be on the top in terms of profits, innovation, and image. This constitutes the culture of this company, which matured over the last quarter–century, and enabled the company to support its mission both to the customers and the employees.
This essay will be divided into three stages which characterize each organizational culture. Firstly we will deal with the action of the top management, secondly, we will develop the process of socialization, and thirdly we will develop the process of selection.
In each of these parts, we will demonstrate the link between the stage of organizational culture, the forms or ways through which this culture is transmitted (i.e. the specific language, rituals, symbols, or stories specific to the company); and eventually, how both can match the mission statement of the company (which is to provide a stable work environment to employees, encourage creativity and innovation, and ensure a high customer service).
According to an article written by Bryant Elizabeth (Dec 2007, p.36-39) Gary Kelly, the actual CEO of SWA talks about “investment in people”, they usually meet leaders and ask them about their professional situation, their view and their expectations for the future.
[...] In the case of SWA, focusing on personality and attitude are like rituals at every hiring, which guarantees them long term success. The strength of this company is that even though it offers barebones services at budget prices, the staff members make a difference, and make customer satisfaction flourish. This is the key to satisfy clients, and to complete the mission statement. Gary Kelly, the CEO of the company, relates a hiring process for candidates selected for the intense Manager in Training program. [...]
[...] Now that we have a better knowledge of the vision of the top management of the core values of the company, we may study how SWA creates a liable and sustainable model through socialization. Gary Kelly interviewed by Bryant Elizabeth, (Dec 2007, p 36-39) explains how they socialize the employee through his career. The enterprise provides courses and programs that are designed for education, in order to be applied in the company itself. Moreover, these are called “orientation programs” and are intended for people”, i.e. [...]
[...] Southwest Airlines is one of the companies in the world which has experienced the most positive route from its first day in existence. It has had the best time record, lowest prices, least lost luggage, and the most loyal travelers, which infers the highest customer satisfaction. Indeed, thanks to the strong culture which has taken root in the company over these 35 years, the work was transformed into play, challenge was transformed into achievement and commercial success came in parallel with public support. [...]
[...] As Bob Nelson asserts, Southwest Airlines achieved deep respect because the chairman ran his business and company with love, not with fear, and this is one of the factors that enabled the organizational culture to strengthen. As a matter of fact, there is no need of rules or formalization to monitor or guide the employee's attitude. It became natural to them, and this is called metamorphosis, the last step of socialization. The culture itself provides a kind of instruction to act with their counterpart and their clients, as an implicit mechanism. [...]
[...] shaped the organizational culture of the company displaying some of his values which are based on respect and care for employees. Let us rely on Bob Nelson's article (Aug 2002, p.38). He demonstrates that Herb was convinced that a company could be efficient only when it was run by love and not fear. Moreover, the first concern of the company is the employee; second the customers and only then the shareholders. If employees are well treated, they will act in the same way with customer who will in turn become loyal and enrich the shareholders. [...]
APA Style reference
For your bibliographyOnline reading
with our online readerContent validated
by our reading committee
