Health Information Technology

After reading the case study about Southwest Airlines that was done by the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, I felt truly inspired and happy. The case examines the great success of Southwest Airlines that was contributed by human capital and corporate culture not found anywhere else. It is great to know that such a company exists, and I am envious of employees at Southwest Airlines. The airline has been a pioneer in the way they manage operations. It is not surprising that they are so successful since their competition is incompetent. In order to succeed one must evolve, and even though United and Continental have tried, they have failed. The reason for Southwest Airlines’ success is overall corporate culture. You cannot change corporate culture overnight without the right people. When Southwest was started some 30 years ago it was on track for success. The vision of CEO Herb Kelleher from the beginning was to make a difference in the airline industry. The vision was carried out every day and the right people were hired and trained. A foundation was built to last and carry the airlines to prosperity. It is not surprising that no other airline can compete with Southwest – the reasons are many. Low cost of airfares, point to point routes, short flying time, customer satisfaction and return policy are just a few reasons for their high competitiveness. In order to impress and keep the customer happy the company needs human capital that is willing to make that extra step. Greeting you with a smile, ensuring your flight is very comfortable and thrill free starts from the top. Happy managers make happy employees. The productivity of Southwest airlines is the evidence that you can be paid less than the competition and yet be more productive and more satisfied with your job. I like the quote by CEO Herb Kelleher, “You don’t have to surrender your individuality to work for Southwest Airlines”. In today’s world many people are judged by how they look and behave, and we are instructed to manage our impressions, but at Southwest this is not the case. The management wants employees to be happy, have fun at work and get the job done. Happy employees do wonders. I have flown on all airlines mentioned in this case and I am very disappointed by United and Continental, more so with United than with any other carrier. There was not a time when I flew with United that I did not experience some kind of issue. Baggage, delay, cancellation, missed connection, mechanical failures, over booking but above all unfriendly customer service representatives with all the above resulted in my total unhappiness with this airline. Whenever I flew with Continental I experienced better service but still not that of Southwest. One morning I was late for my flight and I was at the checkout counter just 10 minutes from the takeoff time when I was magically assisted by a Southwest employee. I did not expect that I would be able to board the plane. The customer service employee radioed the gate, took my bag and said let’s run to the gate. I arrived at the gate, boarded the plane and wondered what would happen with my luggage. A few minutes later I was in my seat when the flight attendant approached me and said, “Sir, I just want to tell you your bag has been checked in “. Instances like this make this airline special and even though they are a low-cost airline I feel like I am flying with the high-cost airline. Their strategy and success are unprecedented and I will continue to be a loyal customer.