Southwest Airlines Case

Author: Jody Hoffer Gittell
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-07-01
Features: Why does Southwest Airlines have a market value higher than the combined market value of all other major U.S. passenger carriers? After the 9/11 attacks, while other airlines were busy cutting thousands of employees, pleading for congressional funding, and filing for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11 of the bankruptcy code, could Southwest Airlines keep all its employees working and maintain its impeccable record in performance growth and profitability? Has the legendary "Southwest Effect" been successfully applied to other industries? In The Southwest Airlines Case, you will find answers to these questions and more. The Southwest Airlines Case explores the policies, strategies, and techniques that led to Southwest Airlines' success, and it discusses how these proven methods can be applied in any organization. It narrates how American Airlines, Continental Airlines, United Airlines, and other airlines tried to imitate Southwest—and why they failed. Based on Professor Jody Hoffer Gittell's eight years of field research in the aviation industry, this book reveals the "secret sauce" that enabled Southwest Airlines to maintain a steady 10%–15% annual growth rate for 32 years and achieve profitability every year except its first. Gittell explains why Southwest relies so heavily on its excellence relationship—a shared goals, shared knowledge, and mutual respect relationship among its employees, managers, unions, and suppliers. She analyzes how a company can leverage excellence relationships to create the same competitive advantages that Southwest Airlines has in employee motivation, teamwork, and coordination. You will also learn how to cultivate strong collaborative relationships among your employees—Gittell reveals 10 practices Southwest Airlines uses to build and nurture excellence relationships, teaching you how to:
■ Lead your company with trust and care;
■ Invest in frontline leadership;
■ Focus on relational skills in hiring and training;
■ Use conflict to build relationships;
■ Make unions your partners, not your adversaries;
■ Develop strategic partnerships with suppliers;
■ And more.
For managers seeking to improve productivity and profitability, encourage teamwork among employees, and build a loyal, dedicated, and innovative workforce, The Southwest Airlines Case offers a clear path forward.