Organizational Commitment and Communication: Southwest Airlines

Leadership Southwest airlines, a company that is known to have strong employee relationships, believes that the happier an employee the better productivity they will have. Southwest Airline CEO, Gary C. Kelly, has stated that in order to have a strong company he needs to take time building strong relationships as well. “Happy Employees = Happy Customers. Happy Customers keep Southwest flying” (Southwest). He created an environment that challenges employees to be innovative which lead to creative solutions. Gary C. Kelly is able to initiate structure within the company, since he had a clear goal and direction for the company employees were not confused. If Southwest Airlines was to change their leadership style to reflect a different way of approaching tasks, the company may not be as successful as they are today. Southwest Airlines would be like every other company, and may not have employees who are as committed to Southwest Airlines or their goals. For example, a transactional leader would be focused on employee rewards or discipline; these traits would make employees feel as though they are working for just a job. When employees are made to feel like just employees it is difficult to communicate with one another. Even something as simple as calling Gary C. Kelly by his first name creates a trust between each other; this trust opens up communication and consideration within the company. Since employees are made to feel important, they are eager to go above and beyond on issues that matter such as customer satisfaction. Southwest Airlines recognizes that they cannot focus solely on reward and discipline to run their company; employees would feel scrutinized for their every move. Southwest Airlines was able to create an environment that creates relationships built on trust, respect and consideration for employees while maintaining structure and vision. Since they have a balance between employee relations and work ethic they have created a

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