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OB Homework Assignment 4: Case Study on Organizational Culture Option 1: Analysis on the Corporate Culture of Southwest Airlines A. Background: 1. Southwest Airlines is the most successful airline in the U.S., beating its competitors such as United Airlines, US Airways, Continental Airlines, and Delta Airlines. Following are some highlights of Southwest's success. 4% voluntary turnover of employees; 44 consecutive years of profitability, #1 airline with the lowest number of customer complaints; 85% of employees say that they are proud to work for Southwest; No layoff, no furloughs, ever. 2. Many people, including the employees of Southwest, attribute the success to Southwest's corporate culture and core values that are widely shared within the organization. Below are the core values that Southwest teaches to its 25,000 employees through its corporate University for People every year. Hire for attitudes, Train for The company deliberately looks for applicants with a positive skill attitude who will promote fun in the workplace and have the desire to color outside the lines." Do it Better, Faster, Cheaper. Cost control is a personal responsibility for employees as Southwest and is incorporated into all training programs. The Southwest philosophy? Put your employees first and they will take care of the customers. Deliver positively outrageous customer service (POS) to both internal and external customers! Walk a mile in someone else's shoes For example, a pilot works with ramp agents for a full day, a reservationist works in the University for People; a customer service agent help the skycaps. And President Herb Kelleher frequently passes on peanuts and serves drinks on flights. He even helps the baggage handlers load and upload on holidays A great value is placed on taking initiative, thinking for yourself, even if that means going against something in the policy manual. For instance, employees have been known to take stranded passengers back to their homes in Take accountability and ownership emergencies. Celebrate and let your hair down Chili cook-offs, lavish Halloween productions, and Christmas parties in July are all tools for motivating people. When people have fun on the job, their productivity and performance improve. Celebrate your mistakes as well as your triumphs. Turning failures into personal growth is part of celebrating mistakes, a philosophy that encourages trying new ideas without the fear of repercussions. Keep the corporate culture alive and well Member of the culture committee visit regularly at stations all across the country, infusing the corporate culture, reiterating the company's history, and motivating employees to maintain the spirit that made the airline great. B. Questions: 1. Use the two culture frameworks we introduced in class: the six-dimension framework, and the four-culture type framework, to identify and summaries the key features of Southwest's culture. e.g., For the six-dimension framework, how Southwest scores/emphasizes along those dimension(s)? For the four-type framework, what type(s) that Southwest's culture belongs to? 2. Based on the features you identify, assess the culture/core values of Southwest: (1) discuss the strength of such culture: what are the major advantages it creates that contribute to Southwest's success? (2) Is there any weakness in Southwest culture? What would you suggest for further improvement: what core values to change or to add, etc.? (3) Are these core values/advantages applicable to industries other than airlines? 3. Assuming you are starting an airline company in China, what can you learn from Southwest's culture: what core values can be borrowed? And what core values need to be changed or added according to the socioeconomic and cultural contexts of China? C. Materials: 1. Use the materials provided here as well as other supporting documents you found (cite the sources). OB Homework Assignment 4: Case Study on Organizational Culture Option 1: Analysis on the Corporate Culture of Southwest Airlines A. Background: 1. Southwest Airlines is the most successful airline in the U.S., beating its competitors such as United Airlines, US Airways, Continental Airlines, and Delta Airlines. Following are some highlights of Southwest's success. 4% voluntary turnover of employees; 44 consecutive years of profitability, #1 airline with the lowest number of customer complaints; 85% of employees say that they are proud to work for Southwest; No layoff, no furloughs, ever. 2. Many people, including the employees of Southwest, attribute the success to Southwest's corporate culture and core values that are widely shared within the organization. Below are the core values that Southwest teaches to its 25,000 employees through its corporate University for People every year. Hire for attitudes, Train for The company deliberately looks for applicants with a positive skill attitude who will promote fun in the workplace and have the desire to color outside the lines." Do it Better, Faster, Cheaper. Cost control is a personal responsibility for employees as Southwest and is incorporated into all training programs. The Southwest philosophy? Put your employees first and they will take care of the customers. Deliver positively outrageous customer service (POS) to both internal and external customers! Walk a mile in someone else's shoes For example, a pilot works with ramp agents for a full day, a reservationist works in the University for People; a customer service agent help the skycaps. And President Herb Kelleher frequently passes on peanuts and serves drinks on flights. He even helps the baggage handlers load and upload on holidays A great value is placed on taking initiative, thinking for yourself, even if that means going against something in the policy manual. For instance, employees have been known to take stranded passengers back to their homes in Take accountability and ownership emergencies. Celebrate and let your hair down Chili cook-offs, lavish Halloween productions, and Christmas parties in July are all tools for motivating people. When people have fun on the job, their productivity and performance improve. Celebrate your mistakes as well as your triumphs. Turning failures into personal growth is part of celebrating mistakes, a philosophy that encourages trying new ideas without the fear of repercussions. Keep the corporate culture alive and well Member of the culture committee visit regularly at stations all across the country, infusing the corporate culture, reiterating the company's history, and motivating employees to maintain the spirit that made the airline great. B. Questions: 1. Use the two culture frameworks we introduced in class: the six-dimension framework, and the four-culture type framework, to identify and summaries the key features of Southwest's culture. e.g., For the six-dimension framework, how Southwest scores/emphasizes along those dimension(s)? For the four-type framework, what type(s) that Southwest's culture belongs to? 2. Based on the features you identify, assess the culture/core values of Southwest: (1) discuss the strength of such culture: what are the major advantages it creates that contribute to Southwest's success? (2) Is there any weakness in Southwest culture? What would you suggest for further improvement: what core values to change or to add, etc.? (3) Are these core values/advantages applicable to industries other than airlines? 3. Assuming you are starting an airline company in China, what can you learn from Southwest's culture: what core values can be borrowed? And what core values need to be changed or added according to the socioeconomic and cultural contexts of China? C. Materials: 1. Use the materials provided here as well as other supporting documents you found (cite the sources)