Essay On Southwest Airlines Organizational Structure

The Organizational Structure of Southwest Airlines. One of the determining factors of the organizational behavior in an organizational structure. It includes several areas such as issues of authority and control, communication team, market and geographic structure, product division. Southwest Airlines determine all these areas and proved a strong competence in all issues. The SWA organizational structure is well-known for being functional. First of all, because their structure is multi-divisional, “each division in a multidivisional structure is essentially a different business. Moreover, the responsibility of each divisional manager is to design the divisional structure that best meets the needs of the products and customer of that division” (Jones, 2007, p. 155). The major positive aspect of such kind of structure is an increased organizational effectiveness and control. In this system, behavior is controlled through internal upward mobility. “A large divisional company possesses an internal labor market which increases managers’ motivation to increase organizational effectiveness” (Jones, 2007, p. 157). One more important issue in such type of structure is how to keep the customer’s happiness. The SWA coped with this question easily. They put the

clients first and make the decisions based on consumers’ satisfaction. Southwest keep this idea in their corporate culture as well.
The Southwest Airlines has been developing their corporate culture during last thirty-seven years so it reflects their past behavior. In1987 the Southwest’s Department of Transportation started tracking their customer satisfaction (Lauer, 2010, p. 6). “Many airlines have tried to copy Southwest’s business model. The Culture of Southwest is admired and emulated by corporations and organizations in all walks of life” (Lauer, 2010, p. 57). Thus, the SWA culture is a good illustration for many American corporations. “Doing the right thing” (Southwest Cares, 2008, p. 2), it is not just a slogan it is a unique Southwest Spirit that is a basis of the company’s culture and an integral part of organizational behavior. The company’s mission, vision, and culture are significant for the creation of job design.
Job design is a specific work task not only for individuals but also for groups as well.

It is a kind of methodology for doing the work. There are different theoretical approaches for job design and each of this way emphasize various aspects to be considered as an effective (Robbins, 1996, p. 316). The Southwest Airlines showed an unusual ability to accept diversity within work design. In order to get the better results the SWA appointed a special Diversity Council who supports company’s efforts such as, “to create awareness and show appreciation of cultural and lifestyle differences within our diverse workforce, to organize and amplify issues that improve inclusiveness and diversity” (Southwest Cares, 2008, p.

17).
The Southwest is focusing on getting the right employees in the right position. Also, all kinds of workers are encouraged to be themselves at work. The organization emphasizes the importance of labor and management partnerships. It helps to create an efficient job design and provides a qualitative implementation of the tasks.