Southwest Airlines Culture

Most will agree that culture is an important (if not critical) aspect of an organization's success. Culture is an attractor of talent (employees), as well as customers. This article will explore management's role in building and affecting organizational culture.

Culture at Southwest Airlines

Herb Kelleher, the co-founder and retired CEO of Southwest Airlines was the chief architect of the organization's culture. Numerous articles have been written about Kelleher's leadership style and approach to running the most successful airline in the US, if not the world. Kelleher built a culture based on "employees first," and created policies and practices that reinforced the culture.

For decades the airline has maintained a "no layoff" policy, as well as a profit sharing program that has paid out consistently over the years - something unheard of in the airline industry. These policies are not just words; they demonstrate the commitment of building the "employees first" culture in the organization.

Kelleher (also known as the "High Priest of Ha-Ha") and his leadership team were known for their jokes, antics, and pranks that became part of the airline's history, stories, and traditions. The Southwest stories and traditions act as "culture training," and show employees that it's okay to have fun on the job.

Even though Kelleher is no longer running the day-to-day operation, the spirit of the culture he designed still lives in all parts of the organization. When employees "look up" to their leaders at Southwest they observe behaviors that are consistent with the defined culture. That gives employees permission to follow in their leaders footsteps to support, and nurture the culture.

A Culture of Excellence Pays