Organizational Behavior at Southwest Airlines

p Running head : Organizational behavior in Southwest Airlines

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Organizational behavior in Southwest Airlines

Abstract

Southwest Airline has grown from a simple idea that two people had , to a billion dollar airline . It is not by chance that the airline has experienced such tremendous growth in such a short time . It is through careful planning and implementation of organizational behavior concepts This attempts to look at various concepts of organizational behavior that Southwest Airline practices that led to its success

Introduction

p Organizational behavior is a tool that any organisation that wants to be successful must use in to attain its goals and objectives Organizational behavior interprets all the relationships in an organization and manipulates them in to attain the organizational objectives . The relationships that are assessed include the relationships between the organization and a person , people , groups and the society in general . The major goal of organizational behavior is to improve all these relationships so that in the process , the organizational objectives can be achieved . It is a broad concept that can be viewed from different dimensions

Organizational behavior has many elements which are dictated by the management 's approach to operations of an organization . The approach used determines the culture in an organization . Culture is the way in which an organization carries out its activities , including the communication links , leadership style , and other dynamics which workers derive their motivation from . The motivation determines the performance and growth of the organization

Four models are usually used within organizations , and the model used is determined by the management strategy . The first model is the autocratic model and it vests power with the management , according to Davidson (2003 . He says that the employees are required to obey the chain of command and that this approach does not usually yield high performance results . The second model is the custodial model and it is geared towards rewarding the employees according to the performance This type of approach does not yield optimum performance results as employees cooperate with the management passively . The third model , he further explains , is the supportive model and this model stresses the need for a leadership structure that supports employees in terms of performance . This approach motivates the employees to achieve optimal performance . The last model is the collegial model and this emphasizes team work among employees in performance of their duties . It encourages discipline and responsibility thus achieving moderate performance results . It is important to note that most organizations use a combination of the models to achieve their goals

Organizational structure

Southwest airlines was started in 1971 by Herb Kelleher and Rolling King , according to Harris (2001 . The reasoning behind the idea , he says , was that passengers would use an airline if the airline reached the destination on time , was reasonably priced and if passengers enjoyed their flights . That idea is what has propelled Southwest airlines to be the among the top four largest airlines in the United States . Every year , the airline transports...