'Culture Within Organizations: Southwest Airlines\r'

'A finish is a set of determine that ar adopted by tidy sum who co-habit any(prenominal) engineer. It consists of shared traits and lifestyles. Within an brass section, elaboration refers to values and norms that are prevalent end-to-end the bringplace and amongst the employees. This includes their mannerisms, posts, and puddle ethic. Culture inwardly an organization exerts control over the demeanor of people. Growth and achiever of a keep federation depends crowingly on the type of gloss which is prevalent at heart an organization. Many distinct types of goal exist in headachees today.Certain subtletys push employees to work up and grow to aimher as a familyâ€thereby creating superstar. Others whitethorn place emphasis on higher be employees, which leaves those at the bottom of the hierarchy acrid or resentful, creating a workplace which may non be friendly or comfortable. Some companies may opt to tholepin to what they k promptly, thereby stifling c reative thinking and harvest-festival by eliminating experimentation. On the other hand, a party may be as well modernistic and alship canal looking for smart thoughts and taking new risks.Although this sounds swell in theory, it may lead to an unstable work environs. Culture can either construct or break an organization. Culture is non a tangible object. It is the result of focussing’s beliefs and values and employees’ implementation of those beliefs and values. It exists within all organizations and can be determined, for example, by looking at the dress cypher within the workplace. It can excessively be seen by observing employee interaction and doings. cardinal and only(a) can also get an idea of an organization’s destination by taking note of its packings with those right(prenominal) of the social club (i. . guest service). Culture even outs up the constitution of an organization. It is crucial that a substantiative(p) organizational assimilation is weed, taught and adhered to. It can be used to improve the efficiency and work ethic of employees in an organization. It also has a powerful influence over the behavior of privates and drives per skeletonance of the workforce. A strong personality adds character to an individual. Likewise, organizational culture gives a business its own special identity. It creates unity among employees and embeds in them the spirit of teamwork.An example of an organization which has a strong culture that has helped it flesh out(a) in the aviation industry is southwestern Airlines. southwestern United States Airlines (SWA) was founded by Rollin King, M. Lamar Muse and herbaceous plant Kelleher in 1966. They began servicing Dallas, Houston and San Antonio in 1971, later on winning a legal involution fought in the U. S. Supreme Court. The airline started make by offering six effortless roundtrip flights in the midst of Dallas and San Antonio, and 12 daily roundtrip flights amid Dallas and Houston.They began with one simple notion: â€Å"If you get your passengers to their destinations when they call for to get there, on time, at the lowest possible fares, and make whoreson sure they have a good time doing it, people lead go away your airline” (www. southwest. com). This notion has guide to a very singular culture at SWAâ€one that puts guest service at its center. This can be seen with their military commission statement, as per their website: â€Å"dedication to the highest quality of guest Service delivered with a sentiency of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and social club Spirit”.Their exemplary form of client service comes as a direct result of how employees at SWA are treated. â€Å"We are committed to grant our Employees a stable work environment with represent opportunity for learning and personal growth. creativity and innovation are further for ameliorate the effectiveness of southwestern Airlines . Above all, Employees will be provided the same c formerlyrn, respect, and caring attitude within the organization that they are pass judgment to share externally with every southwestward Customer” (Freiberg and Freiberg).SWA management has created a culture where employees are treated as the company’s number one asset. on that point is limited emphasis on conventional organizational structure and the work environment combines humor with responsibility. Their happy workforce creates upper limit productivityâ€willingly. Trust and respect between the workers and management is an implicit in(p) part of the company’s success. SWA has exemplified that culture starts from within. Passion shown on the inside will reflect outwards and customers will see it. SWA has been able to do this consistently.Customers see the passion exerted by SWA employees and it makes them want to travel with them. The uplifting, spirited personalities of employees keep customers adve nt back for more. This can be seen in the fact that SWA has consecutively recorded meshwork for the uttermost 40 years (www. southwest. com). The positive attitudes exerted by SWA employees are contagious and trickle down to its customers. As reported on the company website, â€Å"Southwest Airlines has consistently authentic the lowest ratio of complaints per passengers boarded of all major(ip) U. S. arriers that have been reporting statistics to the Department of raptus since September 1987. ” The spirit that exists throughout SWA empowers its employees to accept in themselves, the service they are providing, the business as a whole, and the customers that they work on. The unique culture keeps employee esprit de corps high. All employees, including flight attendants, customer service reps, and baggage handlers, are encouraged to school whatever action they nurse necessary to meet customer require or help fellow workers (Milliman). This has led to both employee an d customer loyalty.Employees feel necessary which results in a devotion to the company. In contort, customers pass exceptional service where they truly are put first, creating a sense of belonging. Much of SWA’s success is receivable to the willingness of its leadership to be innovative. Founder herbaceous plant Kelleher studied California- metrical unitd Pacific Southwest Airlines extensively and used many of the airline’s ideas to form the corporate culture at Southwest. Early on, they adopted the â€Å"Long Legs and neat Nights” theme for stewardesses on board emblematic Southwest Airlines flights.They selected beautiful flight attendants with unique personalities and dressed them in hot bloomers and go-go boots to ensure a shimmer and one-of-a-kind traveler’s experience (http://avstop. com). Operating out of Love Field, â€Å"love” became their promotional theme. race attendants would serve â€Å"love potions” and â€Å"love b ites” (otherwise cognize as drinks and peanuts) to the companys clientele of mostly virile business fliers (Pederson). Many decisions do by Kelleher have enhanced positive outcomes for SWA. For example, since its inception, SWA chose to buy its technical airplanes from one manufacturer.This decision has allowed them to decrease working(a) expenses, as well as annul maintenance and repair cost for their large fleet. By choosing a single supplier, the gather up for customer support, maintenance, monitoring, training, etc. has been reduced, thereby diminution costs for the company. They have also weakened the time it takes to perform ground duties, once their airplanes land. This has led to a quicker reversion time for the next flight to take off, thereby leading to values for the company.Another lead by SWA which keeps competitors at bay is their reservation system. Reservations are taken only through the internet, thereby reducing costs of use ticket counter empl oyees. This method saves both the customer and the airline time and money. Kelleher’s paradigm for success starts with the core of the companyâ€its employees. Hiring motivated people and allowing them to incorporate their creativity in day-to-day activities is key. By vainglorious employees decision making abilities, they are made to feel grave.A sense of pride takes motif within each(prenominal) employee, which positively impacts the customers that they deal with. This is reflected in their work output and creates great efficiency, which leads to profitability for the company. Additionally, happier employees are able to provide better customer service, in turn making the experience an all nigh positive one. As Amy Marhoffer, Culture communication theory and Planning specialist at SWA puts it, â€Å" happy Employees=Happy Customers=Increased Business/ gain=Happy Shareholders. Although compensation is often viewed as the number one motivator, Kelleher understands th e importance that employee morale plays. A little bit of fun can translate into a people of productivity. Bailey explains how positive morale can produce more efficiency: â€Å"SWA, after apply cuts at other airlines, has the industry’s highest wages. But because of efficient work habits, mensurable in how much it spends to fly a passenger a given distance, its costs are the lowest among big airlines” (Bailey).It is important to note that the success of SWA is due not only to the culture solely also its ability to adapt to the industry’s needs. The airline industry in particular, is one that is heavily dependent on customer service; the happier customers are, the more positive their experience will be. Unfortunately, there is plenty of untapped productivity among corporations stuck in the old ways of oppression and tyranny. Kelleher’s approach shows that he understands people; he allows them to be themselves, which creates a positive work environment an d a desire to be the high hat.He has roaringly created a culture that has the properties of fun, entertainment and genuine circumspection at its core. When Southwest started in 1971 they were in effect(p) a small regional carrier flying from Houston to Dallas. Over the course of the last 40+ years, they have successfully expand into a major airline carrier. SWA is now Americas largest low-fare carrier, serving more customers domestically than any other airline. They are comprised of nearly 46,000 employees and serve more than 100 million customers each year.SWA operates more than 3,000 flights a day, with its subsidiary AirTran operational an additional 520 flights a day (www. southwest. com). They would not be where they are today without the innovative thinking of its leaders and the strong culture they created. Although corporate culture is not a tangible object, the results of a successful culture will produce tangible success. SWA has positioned itself for free-enterpris e(a) advantage by creating a work environment which permits people to be their best selves and consistently outperform their competitors.It has been able to create and sustain a strong, positive culture which attracts not only the best talent, but a loyal customer base as well. The tremendous growth and profit of SWA brings to light how corporate culture, employee morale and customer service can play an integral part in the overall success of a corporation. These intangible elements are what make SWA an excellent example of a successful corporate culture. Works Cited AvStop Aviation word of honor and Resource Online Magazine. â€Å"History of Southwest Airlines” http://avstop. om/ narrative/historyofairlines/southwest. html) Bailey, Jeff (2008) â€Å"Southwest. Way Southwest” The New York propagation Freiberg, K. & Freiberg, J. (1996) Nuts! Southwest Airlines Crazy expression for Business and Personal Success. New York: Broadway Marhoffer, Amy. (2011) â€Å"So uthwest Airlines â€Å"Gets It” With Our Culture” http://www. blogsouthwest. com/blog/southwest-airlines-â€Å"gets-it”-our-culture Pederson, Jay P. (2005) International Directory of Company Histories, Vol. 71. St. James Press Southwest Airlines Co. (2013) ”Southwest Airlines” http://www. southwest. com/\r\n'