Southwest Airlines has been a successful airline company since 1971 (Wharton 2008). Southwest Airlines has managed to keep their business model, despite the slow economy and rising fuel prices, profitable since 1973. Southwest has come far from its humble beginnings. They now have 34,000 employees and fly to over 600 cities each year using over five hundred planes (CBS News 2007.
Southwest vs. Competitors. Southwest believes that the key to their success is in the people and their business model. These advantages enable them compete with American Airlines (Delta Airlines), Jet Blue Airways and American Airlines (Hoover’s Inc.). Southwest is different from their competitors who value the customer more than the employee. Southwest Airlines believes that employees will respond to customer service if they are treated with respect. Customers who are happy become repeat customers and happy shareholders (Wharton 2008. Southwest believes this business model will lead to inexhaustible success. Southwest has not had to lay off anyone since opening its doors in 1971. CBS News, 2007: Southwest is one of the highest-paid and most unionized airlines in the sector. Their innovative business model, employee appreciation, and superior customer service are just a few of the things that make Southwest stand out from the rest. Southwest Airlines’ average turnaround time is only twenty-three minutes. Southwest has been able omit reserve seating because of their caring attitude towards pilots and flight attendants. Southwest Airlines’ customers will be more happy to travel with them because they offer a more welcoming and friendly environment.
Southwest Airlines, a company of immense size, requires that the entire organization is under control. Southwest uses a functional organization structure for organizational control. This structure allows top management to make all the decisions and maintain control (Liu 2012).
Southwest’s second strategy is to foster a sense community (Wharton (2008) Southwest Airlines President Colleen Barrett is well-known for referring to Southwest’s family-like atmosphere. This allows employees freedom. The employees will be more inclined to respect authority and follow the guidelines if they feel loved and cared for.
Southwest Airline’s third method of controlling organizational behavior is extraordinary employee training (Wharton, 2008). Employee training is an effective and old method of controlling organizational behavior. The training process is designed to make employees feel comfortable and confident that they will be able to complete their tasks according the company’s expectations. This reduces the stress on both employees as well as management. Management is confident that employees will be able to perform their tasks without any supervision once training has been completed.
It might not be obvious but controlling and organizing tend to go hand in glove even though they may seem different. Organizing means to find the best uses of resources within a management organization (Dutton). To put it simply, the management of a company must organize them so that they can generate some kind of benefit for the company. The management has control to enable them to evaluate the performance of all employees (Dutton). Organizations cannot exist without control. Management must have complete control over employees to ensure organization. Otherwise, chaos and disorder will reign. The company can have complete control over its employees and resources, which makes it much easier to run any kind of business.
Southwest Airlines uses many methods to measure employee performance. Some methods are more unusual than others. I was able to interview three individuals regarding their monitoring methods.
My first participant is an 20-year-old male working as a designer in an international oil company. When asked about his monitoring system, he replied that he had an employee performance management system. This means that he has to set goals that are aligned with both the company’s and department goals. I must also state my career goals. Then, I have a one to one review of my boss’s goals and performance two times a year.” He was delighted to interview me. He seemed to have a very open workplace. His boss will be happy if he does his job on time.
My second participant was a 18-year-old female who works at the local gas station. When asked about her supervisors, she said that both her and her managers monitored her performance. They do the same work as us so if they’ren’t there, they have to make up for it. Each shift’s manager will give an informal assessment at the end. She basically tells each of us if our day was great or not. I felt that she was not a person who talked about work often with her friends.
My third participant, a twenty two-year-old male, was a cook at a local diner. He laughed when asked how his boss monitored him. He (owner) can be found in his office looking at us through the cameras, even if he’s not working on the line with us. It is really unpleasant. Time cards are also kept close to our eyes. He seemed to be comfortable during the interview. He was open and honest about his feelings, even if he had to vent.
Employees seem to enjoy having their managers be more hands-off, and expecting them to be more self-reliant. The interviews gave me the opportunity to learn how a friendlier and more fun workplace can ease stress and improve business performance. Employees value independence and trust in their managers.
