Mid-Term Case Study Exam HRM 300 - Southwest Airlines

1.How does SWA use organizational culture and focus on people as its strategic competitive advantage? SWA puts employees first and customers second, a policy that seems to go against the way most companies operate. The source of this policy came from the outgoing CEO Herb Kelleher and can be seen every day in the motivation of Southwest's employees. Herb believed that a happy, motivated employee communicates the same attitude toward customers. At SWA they use …

…dedicated to service. They allow themselves and others to make mistakes, to be creative, humorous, empathetic and involved. This is reflected in the company motto that states, "If the employees are happy, satisfied, dedicated, and energetic, they'll take real good care of the customers. When the customers are happy, they come back, and that makes the shareholders happy." Thirty years of continued success at SWA following this approach makes it hard to argue any alternative.