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Essay / Why Southwest Airlines Needs Improvements in Its Company Culture spirit to fly into his soul. As the late Herb Kelleher famously said, “If you don’t change, you die.” I believe Herb built Southwest Airlines on this mantra because he always knew it was headed for greatness. However, no matter how great a company can be, there is always room for improvement to make an exceptional company even better. In this essay, I will explain how and why Southwest Airlines needs some improvements. Say no to plagiarism. Get a Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the Original EssayThe mission statement of the organizationSouthwest Airlines is dedication to the highest quality of customer service delivered with a sense of warmth, of conviviality, individual pride and entrepreneurial spirit. As an employee, I believe this state of mind is present every day in our company. Employees exude pure joy at work, and with their dedication to the late Herb Kelleher's mission, these employees couldn't imagine being anywhere else. The feeling of engagement is strange and truly unfamiliar because all employees are pursuing the same goal in different ways. There's a saying at Southwest that my teammates have learned over their 20 years with the company: Come for the free flights. and stay for the LUV. In my three years of existence, I have certainly felt the same LUV and when I travel, I am always amazed by the amount of dedication throughout the country. Southwest Airlines now has more than 65,000 employees and we continue to experience exponential growth each year. With this growth comes many changes, physical and emotional, in operations and at headquarters. As a reminder, in 1967, when the company was founded, we traveled to three cities in Texas with three planes on the way. Today, we transport 750 aircraft to more than 100 cities. This is a lot of growth, but with that growth comes a lot of unknowns and a lot of demands on the company's part that it may not be quite ready for. Our Biggest Problem Southwest Airlines is known for having a great company culture, familiarly known for having a good time with lots of parties and a drink or two to celebrate any accomplishment. There are over ten major corporate celebrations a year, with tons of excitement and corporate messages surrounding each one. Outward facing, this is a great selling point to prospective employees because it communicates that we get the job done and have a lot of fun doing it. Although this feeling of celebration is positive and always seems to keep morale and general happiness high, it brings with it absolute difficulties. Employee emotional imbalance and inconsistent engagement levels at Southwest Airlines are a major struggle that affects all departments. Some companies don't realize how essential emotions are to creating the right culture and keeping the business thriving. There are two sides of the spectrum. First, there are employees who have been with Southwest for a very long time, who call all employees family, offer hugs to everyone, and are happy to participate in all culture events because they believe that they deserved it thanks to their mandate. and experience. Then there isOn the other side of the spectrum, employees who enjoy coming to work, enjoy completing their tasks on time, who don't mind partying, but don't view it as necessary to their job role, and can sometimes become uneasy. easy. This fact has created a large divide among employees, as each party has a negative view of the other and is not working together to fix it, and more importantly, neither is the company. Emotions play an important role in any business, big or small. I believe that how the company manages its share in the emotions of its employees remains the most important element and can move a company forward or backward. With constant change in the world and workforce, Southwest Airlines must become more inclusive and emotionally respectful to all employees. The Importance of Emotional Intelligence According to Jason A. Colquitt, Jeffery A. Lepine and Michael J. Wesson (2019), emotional intelligence is a set of abilities related to the understanding and use of emotions that affect one's social functioning. With this definition in mind, this is why Southwest Airlines is heading down a slippery slope of leaving many employees behind. The first step to emotional intelligence is self-awareness. It's about understanding the individual's emotions, recognizing them and expressing them in a natural way. Another awareness that plays a role is awareness of others, the recognition of emotions in others. These points amplify key problematic facts at Southwest Airlines and their misinterpretation causes harm and confusion. In many ways, it seems like the two groups of employees mentioned previously, the long-time employee versus the new hire, are working against each other. other. Every group of employees has experienced the most difficult, but also most influential, side of emotional intelligence. Starting to engage in counterproductive behaviors such as gossiping and harassment is the first point of contention between these two groups, I believe, orchestrated by Southwest Airlines. There are three parties here that are all trying to work together, but are actually working against each other. Emotional cultural intelligence refers to the level of effort and perseverance an individual expends when trying to understand and adapt to new cultures. This is the main point for Southwest Airlines, because I believe employees are trying to adapt, but have not been given the appropriate resources and opportunity. In almost all companies, emotional intelligence is not managed at all and businesses suffer as a result. I believe that for Southwest Airlines to continue to be successful and grow, emotional intelligence must become a top priority. Recommendations I believe there are three key steps Southwest Airlines can begin to take to close the employee gap. First, I believe in implementing training for all employees based on inclusion. Second, reduce the number of company-sponsored events for employees. Finally, I would recommend that all leaders sit down with all of their direct reports to have a conversation about their combined needs, both the employee and Southwest Airlines. Since the beginning of 2019, we have implemented Fearlessly Authentic training, four modules built with management. inclusion in the workplace is a priority. This training would be constructed by an external source and would be mandatory for all managers, defined as an employee with a direct report, and optional for all employees. This training would focus on teaching the basics of being able to come together, even with opinions.
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