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Southwest Airline Case Analysis Case Study

Training and development was strategic importance to Southwest Airlines because it contributes to organizational effectiveness in numerous ways. Improving the competencies of the workforce and organizational competitiveness are the most direct results of well-designed training activities. By offering employees opportunities to improve their skills, employers also address employers concerns about maintaining their long term employ ability. In learning organizations, employees are leaning every day throughout the organization, and they help each other learning organization, and they help each other learn by participating in communities of practice. The action Southwest Airlines took once a year is to have all the Southwest employee, including all senior management participate in training programs designed to reinforce shared values. Except for flight training, which is regulated and certified, all training is done on employees own time.

Performance management helps to direct and motivate employees to maximize their efforts on behalf of the organization. When looking expectancy theory it state that people choose their behavior and effort levels after considering whether their behaviors and effort will improve their performance and lead to desired consequences. Performance measure used at Southwest are border and more cross-functional that mangers judgment. This motivates cooperation rather than competition, consistent with Southwest culture. At Southwest Airlines, performance management is used as a tool to foster cooperation, learning and improvement. To promote employee awareness of the effects of their efforts on the company’s bottom line, LUV lines report break even volumes per plane. This measure is a group rather than individual measure.

The aspect that Southwest Airlines takes to compensate its employee that is connected to the company’s low turnover rate was pay its employees at a somewhat below market in...