Southwest Airlines Analysis Using the Maslow Hierarchy

Southwest Airlines Analysis Using the Maslow Hierarchy of Needs

Are Southwest Airlines Inc. leadership and policies fulfilling Maslow's needs ' theory stages? Please apply Maslow's hierarchy of needs to work motivation at Southwest Airlines, showing how various levels are or are not being met by Southwest Airlines Leadership and Human Resources Management. (for example, are there employees at Southwest Airlines ever fired? How does that relate with lower level needs, such as safety needs?)

The leadership strategies and initiatives at Southwest Airlines are deliberately designed to support each level of the Maslow Hierarchy of Needs. Beginning with the initial physiological needs, Southwest is known for being an airline that pays better than comparable national carriers, while also having excellent medical benefits compared to its competitors (DAurizio, 2008). This ensure the physiological needs of the employees are met. As Southwest is an airline, the safety concerns are a critical success factor in this business. Founder Herb Kelleher set safety and concerns over passenger health., along with employee welfare, as top priority when he created the airline (Nirenberg, 1997). This level of the Maslow Hierarchy of Needs is fully met as well.

On the next level of the Maslow model, which is love and belonging, Southwest has gone to exceptional levels to make sure its employees and customers have a very clear idea of how valued and appreciated they are. The founders of Southwest deliberately created a culture that is focused on participative leadership and customer listening (Lee, 1995). The result is an airline that is unmatched its is ability to use relationships to connect with customers and create raving fans while also creating the most stable workforce in the airline industry, unmatched in its low turn-over (Walsh, 2004).

Progressing to the Esteem and Self-Actualization levels of the Maslow Model, Southwest has a multitude of programs and initiatives in place to give employees a clear sense of task and job ownership. The depth of customer ownership of these factors leads to greater levels of brand loyalty and a consistently higher level of expectation with every experience (Laszlo, 1999). Southwest has been able to transform the customer experience however by concentrating on customer experiences as a means to further give employees a chance to experience higher levels of esteem and self-actualization (Walsh, 2004). Only by creating a highly effective strategy for ensuring customer satisfaction through the use of autonomy, mastery and purpose can Southwest continue to gain greater share of wallet over the long-term as well. In conclusion, Southwest has no choice but to continually scale the Maslow Hierarchy of Needs to ensure both their customers and their employees continually fuel its growth. And like any company, Southwest must continually invest in programs to ensure self-actualizing opportunities exist for its employees, because only then will they exist for their customer's.

Question 2: Are the Southwest Airlines Inc. leadership and HRM applying concept of Reinforcement Theory in order to motivate their employees?

Please apply Reinforcement Theory of Motivation to work motivation at Southwest Airlines, showing whether concepts of reinforcement theory are being utilized Southwest Airlines Leadership and Human Resources Management

Yes, the many aspects of Reinforcement Theory are evident in the many systems and processes in place within Southwest (Lee, 1995). From the use of employee rankings and programs to indicate relative contribution to customer satisfaction (Walsh, 2004) to the development and fine-tuning of programs to create ownership of customer-facing processes (Nirenberg, 1997) Southwest is a strong supporter of Reinforcement Theory over the long-term. It is also evident on how thoroughly Southwest audits and evaluates the performance of customers service and customer loyalty (Laszlo, 1999). The ability to create more ownership, and in so doing open up opportunities for greater recognition, is exactly how Southwest's culture works. It looks to use Reinforcement Theory to create highly effective programs for strengthening and solidifying relationships, showing the value to employees of being loyal to the foundational elements of the company (Shumsky, 2006). Reinforcement theory plays a major role in the development of overall customer service, service planning and customer experience initiatives within the company.