Southwest Airlines: Organizational Commitment and Communication Paper
Southwest Airlines: Organizational Commitment and Communication Paper
Communications for Accountants
COM/530
Southwest Airlines: Organizational Commitment and Communication Paper Southwest Airlines’ strong organizational culture is reflected in its mission as shown in its website: “dedication to the highest quality of Customer Service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and Company Spirit.” Southwest is a company that not only excels in customer service and profitability but also in employee development. Its organizational commitment is not reduce to the organization; it is actually expand it to an ongoing relationship with the employees where they have the opportunity to express their ideas, suggestions and concerns. This organizational culture has made Southwest Airlines one of the companies with the fewest customer complaints, and an employee turnover ratio of less than 10 percent (D’Aurizio, 2008). The same strong culture Southwest Airlines has built over the time is supported by every employee who has in mind that they have to deliver a warm and friendly assistance to their customers. Southwest management’s strategy could not be any better; the management treats employees as family, expecting from the employees to treat customers like family as well. The company is characterized for having a decentralized structure. In between the CEO and the frontline supervisors, there are only a few levels. Their philosophy on structure is very relaxed. Any employee who feels the need is welcomed to contact someone above their supervisor. The president has three executive vice presidents who each have five or six vice presidents who report to them. There is one vice president of Internal Audits and Special Projects who reports directly to the president. (Rivera, Cornwell, Abenes, 2003)
The Southwest culture creates and integrates a dedicated and motivated workforce that succeeds together. The owners’ leadership style is led by
Communications for Accountants
COM/530
Southwest Airlines: Organizational Commitment and Communication Paper Southwest Airlines’ strong organizational culture is reflected in its mission as shown in its website: “dedication to the highest quality of Customer Service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and Company Spirit.” Southwest is a company that not only excels in customer service and profitability but also in employee development. Its organizational commitment is not reduce to the organization; it is actually expand it to an ongoing relationship with the employees where they have the opportunity to express their ideas, suggestions and concerns. This organizational culture has made Southwest Airlines one of the companies with the fewest customer complaints, and an employee turnover ratio of less than 10 percent (D’Aurizio, 2008). The same strong culture Southwest Airlines has built over the time is supported by every employee who has in mind that they have to deliver a warm and friendly assistance to their customers. Southwest management’s strategy could not be any better; the management treats employees as family, expecting from the employees to treat customers like family as well. The company is characterized for having a decentralized structure. In between the CEO and the frontline supervisors, there are only a few levels. Their philosophy on structure is very relaxed. Any employee who feels the need is welcomed to contact someone above their supervisor. The president has three executive vice presidents who each have five or six vice presidents who report to them. There is one vice president of Internal Audits and Special Projects who reports directly to the president. (Rivera, Cornwell, Abenes, 2003)
The Southwest culture creates and integrates a dedicated and motivated workforce that succeeds together. The owners’ leadership style is led by
References: Beebe, S. A., & Masterson, J. T. (2006). Communicating in Small Groups: Principles and Practices (8th ed.). Boston: Pearson. D 'Aurizio, P. (2008). Southwest Airlines: Lessons in Loyalty. Nursing Economics, 26(6), 389-392. Holstein, W. J. (2008, February). At Southwest, the Culture Drives Success. BusinessWeek, 28-30. Linda K. Stroh, Gregory B. Norhcraft, Margaret Ann Neale. “Organizational Behavior: a Management Challenge” 2002 Business & Economics. Southwest Airlines. (2009). Southwest Cares: Doing the Right Thing. Retrieved from http://www.southwest.com Waltman, J. L. (2009). Reference for Business. Enclyclopedia of Business. Retrieved from http://www.encyclopediaofbusiness.com