Leadership
Herb Kelleher is making waves in the air. As one of the world's foremost examples of democratic leadership, the co-founder and executive chair of Southwest Airlines is an exemplar for effective leadership behavior. His and his company's business model is firmly committed to imparting a democratic-participative corporate culture that approximates Lewin's definition of democratic leadership more than any other major executive today. Kelleher's leadership style and the leadership traits practiced by all of Southwest's staff regardless of rank, means a high level of employee job satisfaction, an extraordinarily low turnover rate, and a high level of customer satisfaction. The Southwest model might have caused chuckles in the boardrooms of yore, but the airline's model is catching the attention of researchers not only because of the uniquely upbeat and friendly corporate culture but also become of the bottom line. According to Allan Cohen, James Watkinson, and Jenny Boone, "no airline has performed as consistently profitable, with high growth rates and with high customer satisfaction as Southwest has." Therefore, something Kelleher is doing is working, and working well.
When Kelleher and Southwest's leadership behaviors are analyzed, they can be easily fit into Lewin's model for the democratic participative organization. According to David Boje, the democratic participative leadership style includes the following specific behaviors: active recruitment of employee input into the decision-making process; delegation of authority with the intent of empowering employees; encouragement of employee participation...
The possible positive results of the democratic-participative leadership style include a high level of job satisfaction, cooperation, and camaraderie in the workplace. When analyzed in light of these traits and their outcomes, Southwest Airlines clearly serves as the ultimate model for the democratic-participative leadership style. Moreover, the Southwest Airlines example proves the efficacy of the democratic participative leadership style because of the financial and social successes of the company.
The democratic-participate leadership style involves cooperation; unlike the authoritative form of leadership in which employees are not consulted for input or feedback, the democratic participative style demands that both employees and company leaders be responsive to the needs, ideas, goals, and visions of other people. By extension, employees and leaders alike are responsible for the well-being of the company. One of the key ways to ensure the effective functioning of the democratic participative leadership style is by honing in on one specific leadership behavior to trace how it is implemented in the workplace. In the case of Southwest Airlines and other organizations like it, one of the key leadership behavior traits evident in their company leaders is the ability to listen. Herb Kelleher is aware of the importance of listening to his job. In an interview with Cohen, Watkinson, and Boone, Kelleher summarized Southwest's commitment to listening to their employees: "We believe that every person in the company is a leader in one way or…
