Motivating Employees: Ben & Jerry's vs. Southwest Airlines
This paper examines how Ben & Jerry's and Southwest Airlines use intrinsic and extrinsic motivational strategies to build engaged, loyal workforces. Drawing on Douglas McGregor's Theory X and Theory Y framework and Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, the paper argues that both companies rely heavily on Theory Y — or intrinsically motivated — approaches. It explores specific programs such as Ben & Jerry's "Joy Gang" and Southwest's culture committees, showing how each organization moves beyond competitive pay and benefits to foster community, fun, and a sense of shared mission that drives employee performance and organizational success.
- Introduction: Two Companies, One Motivational Philosophy: Overview of Ben & Jerry's and Southwest as Theory Y employers
- Theory X and Theory Y: Internal and External Motivation: McGregor's theories and Maslow's hierarchy applied to workplaces
- Ben & Jerry's Employee Motivation Strategies: Joy Gang, social justice values, and intrinsic motivation programs
- Southwest Airlines Employee Motivation Strategies: Fun culture, hiring for attitude, and internal customer philosophy
- Conclusion: Both companies succeed through people-centered corporate culture
✍️ How to write this paper — guide, tools & examples ▾
What makes this paper effective
- Uses a clear comparative structure that keeps the two companies in productive dialogue throughout, rather than treating them as entirely separate topics.
- Grounds the case-study analysis in established motivational theory (McGregor's Theory X/Y and Maslow's Hierarchy), giving the practical examples academic context.
- Draws on specific, named programs — Ben & Jerry's Joy Gang, Southwest's culture committees, performance appraisals — to support general claims about corporate culture.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates applied theory-to-practice reasoning: it introduces a theoretical framework first, then systematically applies that framework to real-world organizational examples. This technique shows how abstract managerial concepts (intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation) manifest in concrete business decisions, making the argument both intellectually grounded and practically relevant.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a brief comparative introduction, then devotes a full section to the theoretical foundations (Theory X/Y and Maslow). Two parallel body sections — one per company — apply those theories through specific programs and cultural practices. A short conclusion synthesizes the comparison. This symmetrical structure makes it easy to follow the comparative argument from theory to practice to conclusion.
Introduction: Two Companies, One Motivational Philosophy
Motivational theories, by their very nature, address companies in a fairly generic, prescriptive format. However, two corporations exist that continue to be very successful after many years of impressive financial growth, seem to break all molds, yet confirm one of the most noteworthy theories regarding what motivates employees: intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation. Ben & Jerry's began as a small company based in Vermont that, despite — or perhaps because of — its ethical ideals, has become an integral part of American culture. Ben & Jerry's changed the way Americans consume ice cream, shifting the focus from quantity to quality. Southwest Airlines is a largely regional airline that has remained profitable despite the many setbacks faced by the airline industry as a whole. Its idiosyncratic style is even manifested in its NYSE ticker symbol "LUV."
There is, however, a method to both Ben & Jerry's and Southwest's unconventional approaches. Both companies value employees as critical to the success of the firm, and both use internal as well as external strategies to encourage workers at every level to perform to a high standard.
Theory X and Theory Y: Internal and External Motivation
According to managerial theorist Douglas McGregor, there are two primary managerial styles: Theory X and Theory Y. Theory X assumes that the average employee is task-avoidant and works only for external motivating factors such as promotions and increased pay. In contrast, Theory Y views employees as seeking self-fulfillment. Theory Y grants that workers need certain external comforts addressed — such as fair pay, benefits, and humane working conditions — but Theory Y-style managers believe employees are motivated to truly serve the company at an optimal level only when their higher-order needs are satisfied by their tasks. It stresses the need to delegate responsibilities and to ensure that all workers have enough autonomy to put their own unique "spin" on tasks while still feeling part of a larger corporate unit. It is these internal motivational concerns for self-fulfillment and community association that Theory Y strives to address.
Theory Y stresses that managers must make work an enjoyable and engaging place to be. Human beings are social animals and can be motivated by teamwork as well as a paycheck. If treated fairly, they will work hard. Furthermore, "people will be committed to their objectives if rewards are in place that address higher needs such as self-fulfillment; under these conditions, people will seek responsibility" (Theory X/Theory Y, 2012, Net MBA). Both Ben & Jerry's and Southwest Airlines make use of Theory Y's intrinsically motivating strategies. Although Ben & Jerry's may project a countercultural image while Southwest was famously founded by a hard-drinking, chain-smoking Texan, they are united in a common belief that people are central to the company's product, and that finding and honoring the spirit of good, committed employees is just as essential as using quality ingredients or carefully maintaining a fleet of aircraft.
Theory X and Theory Y strategies of internal and external motivation can be traced in their origins back to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Maslow ranked human needs on a spectrum spanning from lower-order external needs such as food and shelter to the highest-order need of self-actualization. According to Maslow, human beings can only take genuine interest in satisfying higher-order needs once their lower-order needs are met (Cherry, 2012). Translated into the workplace, this means that if workers are not receiving adequate pay and benefits, they will have little interest in inspiring company vision statements or taking on additional responsibilities. While McGregor believed that workers could sometimes be motivated to pursue higher-order needs even in the absence of fully met lower needs — such as when employees accept lower paychecks during a company's startup phase — both Ben & Jerry's and Southwest offer competitive salaries and benefits. Workers' lower-order needs are satisfied by external motivational factors, and the organizations' genuine commitment to also serving workers' internal needs is what makes the two companies so distinctive.
References
Activism. (2012). Ben & Jerry's. Retrieved from
Bailey, J. (2008). Southwest. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/13/business/13southwest.html?pagewanted=all
Cherry, K. (2012). Hierarchy of needs. About.com. Retrieved from
Employee motivation. (1999). Ben & Jerry's. Retrieved from
Holstein, W. (2008). Culture drives success. BusinessWeek. Retrieved from
Marhoffer, A. (2011). Southwest "gets it." Southwest Airlines Blog. Retrieved from
Mission statement. (2012). Ben & Jerry's. Retrieved from
Occupy movement. (2012). Ben & Jerry's. Retrieved from
Our history. (2012). Ben & Jerry's. Retrieved from
Oswald, D. (2009). Southwest Airlines. Retrieved from source.
Theory X/Theory Y. (2012). Net MBA. Retrieved from http://www.netmba.com/mgmt/ob/motivation/mcgregor/
Create your account
Always verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.