LUV and Southwest Airlines

In Chapter 6 Eisenberg et al. note that ideology exists in the practices of everyday life. In the organizational context, ideology supports the power of elites by denying system contradictions, such as living in a democracy but not implementing those ideals in the business sector. The authors go on to discuss the hidden power of culture, particularly in myths, stories, and metaphors.

I found the discussion of Southwest Airlines' LUV story interesting because I fly that airline so often. Eisenberg et al. critique the LUV story, concluding that "employees generally accept these [managerial] controls as part of the 'story' that distinguishes the organization and its culture" (p. 175). Although like any large organization Southwest has its flaws, it consistently receives high ratings from outside agencies, customers, and employees. For example, TIME rated the airline the friendliest in 2008. Three-quarters of the employees belong to a union. It's consistently ranked at the top of airline customer satisfaction and employee satisfaction. Yet the company has had problems with airline safety. In March, Southwest was fined over $10 million dollars for violating FAA regulations on airplane inspections. Yet the company receives high marks for social responsibility, innovation, and management.

In my experiences with Southwest, I've found that employees are empowered to make decisions and handle common problems to keep people moving and planes running on time. Like companies such as Apple and Google, employees seem to enjoy working for Southwest. Maybe that's why the company received nearly 200,000 résumés last year. So while the Eisenberg et al. suggest that employees are simply buying into a hegemonic story that encourages them to participate in their own oppression, it just might be that Southwest is a great company to work for because employees do actively participate in structuring their own work life.

~ Professor Cyborg