Southwest Airlines
A High Performance Organization
American companies, even the most successful ones, are facing challenges that require fundamental rethinking of the workplace. For the leaders of this change, whether a CEO, mid-level manager, or team leader, these challenges also call for a redefinition of their roles. The global marketplace has changed the rules of the game forever. Southwest Airline strives to create an organization that is flexible, adaptable and highly productive. Recognizing that competitive firms can no longer compete on the basis of price alone, Southwest Airline is focusing its organizational strategies on customer service and quality to gain a competitive advantage. To realize the full potential of their workers, Southwest Airline leaders are redesigning workplaces and work practices to enhance the skill, autonomy, and responsibility of their workers. Implementing such change will require a style of leadership that goes far beyond anything they have experienced in the past.
What is high performance organization? High performance organizations must be designed to flexible, very flat to minimize bureaucracy, highly productive and able to transform themselves overnight to meet any unexpected turbulence (Putnam, Howard). They must be nimble and quick just like SWAT teams. It is no longer possible to provide every service that every citizen asks for. Southwest Airlines focus on simplicity, high productivity of people, of facilities and aircraft, shorten process times and be the lowest cost operator in the industry. Southwest Airlines also hired attitudes and taught them skills to fit their businesses. Its culture supported the business and vision and outstanding customer service and profitability were the ...