Case Study
Southwest Airlines 1. Using the five attributes of attitude-behavior correspondence discussed in the chapter, explain the linkage between employee attitudes and customer service at Southwest Airlines.
The five attributes of attitude-behavior correspondence and their corresponding behavioral effects are:
0 Attitude specificity: specific attitudes have a stronger behavioral effect than general attitudes. 1 Attitude relevance: attitudes pertaining to issues that are personally relevant have a stronger behavioral effect than attitudes about issues that are irrelevant to one’s self-interests. 2 Timing of measurement: the shorter the time between attitude measurement and the observed behavior, the stronger the linkage to behavior. 3 Personality factors: certain personality factors, such as self-monitoring, encourage correspondence between attitudes and behavior. 4 Social constraints: the social context provides information about acceptable attitudes and behaviors. * * Due to the lack of sufficient information, timing of measurement is irrelevant to the case scenario. However, the other four attributes can be applied to the case scenario. * The attitudes that can be implied from the values of having fun at work, being compassionate and caring, and taking one’s job seriously are both specific and personally relevant for Southwest’s employees. These implied attitudes play no small part in the quality of Southwest’s customer service. Indeed, these implied attitudes both promote and reflect employee behavior that produces outstanding customer service. * Southwest’s hiring practices and culture––clear examples of social constraints—reflect the types of people that the company values. In turn, this indicates the types of personality characteristics that Southwest Airlines
The five attributes of attitude-behavior correspondence and their corresponding behavioral effects are:
0 Attitude specificity: specific attitudes have a stronger behavioral effect than general attitudes. 1 Attitude relevance: attitudes pertaining to issues that are personally relevant have a stronger behavioral effect than attitudes about issues that are irrelevant to one’s self-interests. 2 Timing of measurement: the shorter the time between attitude measurement and the observed behavior, the stronger the linkage to behavior. 3 Personality factors: certain personality factors, such as self-monitoring, encourage correspondence between attitudes and behavior. 4 Social constraints: the social context provides information about acceptable attitudes and behaviors. * * Due to the lack of sufficient information, timing of measurement is irrelevant to the case scenario. However, the other four attributes can be applied to the case scenario. * The attitudes that can be implied from the values of having fun at work, being compassionate and caring, and taking one’s job seriously are both specific and personally relevant for Southwest’s employees. These implied attitudes play no small part in the quality of Southwest’s customer service. Indeed, these implied attitudes both promote and reflect employee behavior that produces outstanding customer service. * Southwest’s hiring practices and culture––clear examples of social constraints—reflect the types of people that the company values. In turn, this indicates the types of personality characteristics that Southwest Airlines