Ten Southwest Practices for Building High Performance Relationships

Lead with CredibiIity and Caring

%he top management team has buiIt trust over time by being up front and
consistent in their message. %hey have aIso made themseIves avaiIabIe to
frontIine empIoyees, demonstrating a IeveI of caring that is beyond the norm
in Iarge companies
nvest in FrontIine Leadership
Southwest has more supervisors per frontIine empIoyee than any other
airIine in the country. %hey are "pIayer coaches" having manageriaI
authority but aIso performing the work of frontIine workers. %he supervisors
spend more time than their counterparts engaged in coaching in the form of
probIem soIving and advising the frontIine empIoyees.
Hire and %rain for ReIationaI Competence
Southwest pIaces a great deaI of importance on hiring peopIe with the right
attitude--peopIe with reIationaI competence--you can't be an eIitist. %hrough
training and "job exchange or "WaIk a MiIe" empIoyees become famiIiar with
other aspects of the work process or jobs they aspire to move into.
Use ConfIict to BuiId ReIationships
At Southwest, managers are expected to take an active roIe in resoIving
cross-functionaI confIicts. When confIicts arise and are not resoIved by the
parties themseIves, a confIict resoIutions process is used: informationaI-
gathering, or "Come to Jesus" meetings, suggesting that confIicting parties
were expected to bare their souIs to achieve reconciIiation.
Bridge the Work/FamiIy Divide
EmpIoyees are encouraged to be themseIves at work and to openIy
recognize major events in the Iives of empIoyees and their famiIies. Each
individuaI station has a CuIture Committee to maintain and strengthen
Southwest's cuIture and to pIan sociaI and charitabIe events. %he RonaId
mcdonaId House, a residence provided to famiIies whiIe their chiIdren are
undergoing treatment for cancer, is supported by each of the IocaI CuIture
Committees.
Create Boundary Spanners
Operations Agents are the boundary spanners, moving in the opposite
direction of the rest of the industry Southwest has increased the staffing
IeveIs nor reIied on computer interfaces to gather the information required to
dispatch a fIight.
Avoid Finger Pointing--Measure Performance BroadIy
Southwest uses cross-functionaI, not functionaI, performance measures to
encourages participants to focus on Iearning rather than bIaming when
things go wrong. E.g., "%eam deIay" which aIIowed Iess precise reporting of
the cause of deIays, with the goaI of diffusing bIame and encouraging
Iearning.
Keep Jobs FIexibIe at the Boundaries
Southwest has successfuIIy negotiated fIexibIe job descriptions in aII of its
union contracts. Every job description ends with this statement: Whatever
it takes to get the pIane out.
Make Unions Your Partners, Not Adversaries
Southwest is the most highIy unionized airIine the the U.S. airIine industry
and in contrast to other airIines has emphasized the importance of
Iabor/management partnerships. RespectfuI reIationships between company
management and the unions chosen by frontIine empIoyees appear to set
the tone for respectfuI reIationships throughout the company.
BuiId ReIationships with Your SuppIiers
ExternaI parties are treated to the same kind of reIationship buiIding efforts
that exist throughout Southwest AirIines. Southwest stands apart from the
rest of the airIine industry in the emphasis it pIaces on buiIding partnerships
with the airports it serves, air traffic controIIers, and aircraft manufacturers.
Southwest effectiveIy extends its sphere of infIuence beyond its empIoyees
to encompass its entire vaIue chain.

Combat|ng the cha||enges
Swa resorLed Lo low cosL carrlers and wlde range of alrcrafL
Cffered affordable process Lo consumers
lollowed a work culLre LhaL helped Lhem ln reLalnlng LalenL
ConLlnuosly lmproved Lhelr servlces for cusLomers
lnvolvlng cusLomer ln varlous acLlvlLles
8esL employee ManagemenL relaLlon ln Lhe lndusLry
nk ract|ces
lun aL work phllosophy
locus on Lhe employee lnvolvemenL and empowermenL
Acknowledglng employees blrLh deaLhsmarrlages and promoLlon
1hey hlre people wlLh aLLlLude and Lhe bulld upon LhaL foundaLlon
Lmployees are asked Lo use Lhelr own [udgemenL and Lo go beyond !ob descrlpLlon
SWA's bellef ln conLlnues lmprovemenL of sLraLeglc focus
Cu|ture of SWA's success
Invo|v|ng emp|oyees |n dec|s|on mak|ng
nea|thy re|at|onsh|p b]w emp|oyees and management as there |s no |abor str|ke
IUN A1 WCkk CUL1UkL
n|gh|y mot|vat|ng emp|oyees and fee||ng of be|ong|ngness |n emp|oyees 1hey get attent|on from CLC
Lven passengers were g|ven due we|ghtage from company perspect|ve