Preview

Organizational Behavior & Communication Paper

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1190 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Organizational Behavior & Communication Paper
Southwest Airlines Organizational Behavior & Communication Paper
Erica Sepulveda Communications for Accountants/Com 530 January 30, 2012

Southwest Airlines Organizational Behavior & Communication Paper

Airlines, such as Southwest Airlines, strive to provide the best customer service that they can offer to keep their customers happy. A prospective Southwest passenger may probably make their reservation by calling the customer service number, logging on to the company’s website, or booking at an airport with a Southwest Airlines agent. The employees that assist these prospective and actual passengers are considered the backbone of the company and do their best to represent Southwest in the finest way possible. One may question, what makes these employees happy? What kind of organization culture are they surrounded by on a daily basis? “A strong organizational culture provides stability to an organization” (Robbins & Judge., 2011, pg.520).
Culture of Southwest Airlines According to Southwest Airlines mission statement, “Employees will be provided the same concern, respect, and caring attitude within the organization that they are expected to share externally with every Southwest Customer” (Southwest Airlines, 2012). This definitely shows a positive sign that the majority of employees working for this corporation are happy. As an unemployed individual looking for employment, a position within Southwest is where they would want to be. It’s evident that this company values their employees and strives to keep them happy. “Happy Employees = Happy Customers. Happy Customers keep Southwest flying” (Southwest Airline, 2012). Recently, Southwest Airlines was honored as one of the best companies to work for. “Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV)has been recognized as one of the top 50 Best Places to Work, a significant achievement, as nearly 150,000 companies are rated by their employees on Glassdoor” (PR Newswire, 2011). This



References: Beebe, S.A., & Materson, J.T. (2009). Communicating in small groups: Principles and Practices (9th ed) Gittell, J.H., (2003). The Southwest Airlines Way. Using the Power of Relationships to Retrieve High Performance Lee, William., 1994. A Conversation with Herb Kelleher. Organizational Dynamics. Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection Database PR Newswire., 2011. Southwest Airlines Honored as One of the Top 50 Best Places to Work in 2012, a Glassdoor Employees ' Choice Award Robbins, S. P., & Judge, T. A. (2011). Organizational Behavior (14th ed.). Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection database. Southwest Airlines Company., (2012). About Southwest. Retrieved from the World Wide Web.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    As far as the employee training is concerned, the employees are extensively trained so as such to ensure that they are able to satisfy the arising concerns and needs of the customers effectively and efficiently. They are actually made to practically exercise resolving complaints and other service problems on the spot. Moreover the employees are made to look professional and behave in a professional manner because they have to deal directly with the customer. One-on-one communication and query handling requires good communication and interpersonal skills to ensure the supreme satisfaction of the customers and their complaints. Otherwise; the demand for their product will eventually die out. The product that this airline is offering is a travel solution for the customers; with the standards set as the low airfares and high service standards. They provide attentive service to the customers in the sky and on the ground and see every flight as an opportunity to underpin and reinforce its reputation for a friendly service that caters to all the flight related concerns of the employees. Another point mentioned in the case is that this Southwest Airlines has a mission statement as: delivering the services with a smile shows that the airline genuinely cares about the customers.…

    • 1202 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    On June 18, Southwest Airlines will be turning 40 years old. More than 38 years ago, Rollin King and Herb Kelleher got together and decided to start a different kind of airline. The mission of Southwest Airlines is dedication to the highest quality of Customer Service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and Company Spirit. They are committed to provide employees a stable work environment with equal opportunity for learning and personal growth. Creativity and innovation are encouraged for improving the effectiveness of Southwest Airlines. Above all, employees are provided the same concern, respect, and caring attitude within the…

    • 1261 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Southwest Airlines prides themselves on employee focus with the belief that happy employees will generate happy customers. Southwest does not have a vision statement, but has a mission dedicated to their employees. “We are committed to provide our Employees a stable work environment with equal opportunity for learning and personal growth. Creativity and innovation are encouraged for improving the effectiveness of Southwest Airlines. Above all, Employees will be provided the same concern, respect, and caring attitude within the organization that they are expected to share externally with every Southwest Customer.”…

    • 289 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Southwest Airlines

    • 474 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Southwest Airlines strict adherence to its mission to provide the highest quality of customer service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and company spirit is a key factor to the company’s success (About Southwest Airlines Co, 2013). The airlines ability to commit to employees to provide them with a stable work environment that ensures equal opportunity for learning and personal growth. Southwest prides itself on allowing all within the company to be creativity and innovative to help improve the effectiveness of Southwest Airlines. The most important benefit, employees will be provided the same concern, respect, and caring attitude within the organization that they are expected to share externally with every Southwest Customer.…

    • 474 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Southwest Airlines is known for their playful attitudes, from flight attendants, to silly in-flight announcements. Gary Kelly even has a sense of humor, just look at his past Halloween costumes they show the type of person he really is. Southwest is definitely dedicated to its employee’s happiness it shows in the lack of the turnover rate. Employees perform their jobs so much more efficiently and enthusiastically due to a much higher ratio of supervisors to employees, combined with a profit sharing program.…

    • 399 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    According to Southwest.com (2007), Southwest Airlines employs over 33,000 people. The size of the company means that the work specialization will be relatively high. Each employee will have specific tasks that they are responsible for. These tasks include flying, administration needs being taken care of, creating advertising campaigns, repairing equipment and many more tasks. The employees are departmentalized by their job function in order to achieve the most effective method of utilizing their employees.…

    • 2390 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Southwest feels as though their purpose is to “connect people to what’s important in their lives through friendly, reliable, low-cost air travel” (Southwest Culture). On Southwest’s website they show that their culture is built around ‘Living the Southwest Way,’ by a warrior spirit, servant’s heart, fun-LUVing attitude, and working the Southwest way (Southwest Culture). Southwest founder, Herb Kelleher, is one of the main reasons Southwest cultures as admirable as it is. He placed emphasis on Southwest’s culture, and not only that as the leader he lead the organizations in carrying out their strategies and vision. “According to Kelleher, really focusing on every person at the company, not just their work but them personally requires a huge…

    • 324 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Sw Airlines

    • 3417 Words
    • 14 Pages

    There are many successful, leading edge corporations in the world. Some of them are Federal Express, Microsoft, and the Disney Corporation; however, none of these corporations compare to Southwest Airlines. Southwest Airlines is one of the most desired employers. "In 2003 alone, Southwest received more than 202,000 resumes of which only 908 were selected for employment" (Ivie, n.d., para. 7). One of the reasons that Southwest Airlines attracts so many potential employees is because of the benefits it offers. The benefits are not just monetary in nature, some of the most attractive benefits stem from the way Southwest Airlines treats its employees. The history and background of Southwest Airlines helps explains how the corporate culture of the company came about. The corporate culture remains the way it was first established because of the type of motivational strategies that Southwest Airlines uses to keep its employees motivated.…

    • 3417 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Southwest Airlines Union

    • 568 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The mission of Southwest Airlines to their employees is that they are committed to provide their employees a stable work environment with equal opportunity for learning and personal growth. Creativity and innovation are encouraged for improving the effectiveness of the airlines. Above all, employees will be provided the same concern, respect, and caring attitude within the organization that they are expected to share externally with every Southwest Airlines customer (Southwest, 1988).…

    • 568 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    South Africa. A leader's job is to get followers to believe they are capable of doing more…

    • 1206 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Southwest Airlines (SWA) is consistent in their culture, business model, and customer interactions and engagement, all collectively reducing costs and enabling their point-to-point, efficient, low cost, friendly service. Their culture favors personal connection, community, recognition, support, and love. This “luv” has been the central theme of SWA for decades, especially with regard to their customer interactions. Luv fortifies the SWA value chain, spanning across corporate vision, operations, marketing, cost control, people, and corporate culture, thus creating value in reducing costs and growing bottom lines, maximizing (minimally spent) marketing dollars, capturing customer interest, sustaining customer loyalty, and maximizing work output of all employees.…

    • 596 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Southwest has established an outlook that helps the employees feel comfortable and proud of their job. “New employees must feel that they belong and are important to the organization. The supervisor, HR unit, and coworkers should be prepared for a new employee’s arrival” (Mathis & Jackson, 2010). This can only benefit the company’s goals. Southwest wants to instill these emotions during their orientation; Feeling welcomed, comfortable, proud, excited, inspired, and confident. (Lee) Everything matters to the employers at Southwest. Grounding these emotions into the workers has produced success in their industry. Southwest has a three year retention rate at 73% and 5 around 55%(n.d.). Southwest topped the charts in 2010 for one of the best companies to work for. A flight attendant said, “The Company was founded on the principle that in order to succeed you need to treat your co-workers as well as your customers.”(Smith)…

    • 391 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    1. Southwest Airlines in 2010: Culture, Values, and Operating Practices: Essentials of Strategic Management, Third…

    • 21090 Words
    • 85 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Employee Satisfaction

    • 433 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Southwest Airlines with its simple philosophy that it would fly people directly to where they wanted to go, and when they wanted has become a leader in a very turbulent industry. Herb Keller founder and other industry analysts have said the reason for the success is its culture of the firm and its dedicated employees. Aspects of its people oriented culture include employees considerable freedom and responsibility and high level of employment involvement in decision making, Southwest also does a good job of hiring the right people, it also places an emphasis on training and flexibility in using of employee skills.…

    • 433 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    A culture is a set of values that are adopted by people who co-habit any place. It consists of shared traits and lifestyles. Within an organization, culture refers to values and norms that are prevalent throughout the workplace and amongst the employees. This includes their mannerisms, attitudes, and work ethic. Culture within an organization exerts control over the behavior of people. Growth and success of a company depends largely on the type of culture which is prevalent within an organization.…

    • 1815 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays