Does Southwest Airlines use motivation and psychology in their marketing strategy?
The CEO of Southwest Airlines admits that employees turn out to be the greatest strength and the main competitive advantage of the company (“About Southwest”, 2011). This is why taking about motivation and psychology in the marketing strategy of Southwest Airlines, it is necessary to admit the role of these factors is considerable indeed. One of the first fundamental questions posed while motivating people is all about the causes of human behavior (Reeve, 2009). And the company finds it important to create the conditions under which employees are more involved in work and lead to successful results for the company.
Gittell (2005) mentions that shared goals usually motivate people to do their best to move beyond day by day. If employees have their own goals and realize that their activities are appreciated by the company, they are ready to create the best working conditions and improve their marketing strategies. The point is that company’s goal is not only to attract the attention of new employees by also to improve the retention of those who have been working for several years. The thing that motivates the workforce is the possibility to get 10% of the company’s stock. This is why experienced workers can evaluate the conditions offered by the company.
Does Southwest Airlines allow for “rewards” to be given to employees that provide excellent services as a way to get the less “motivated” employees motivated?
The vast majority of workers in the company are aware of the rewards which are possible for their performance. There is a certain amount of exceptional work, and the company recognizes those who perform the required amounts of work regarding personal expectations. Using providing such rewards, Southwest Airlines continues maintaining loyalty and a high level of motivation. People are satisfied with the conditions they have to work under.
There is no certain idea to give rewards just to motivate people to work better. The rewards for Southwest Airlines’ employees turn out to be a kind of appreciation for help, imagination, and efforts that are spent on improving the company. The company does not want to admit the fact that rewards help to motivate “less motivated” workers, and the chosen approach still works and makes all employees understand that the more ideas and services they offer, the better their rewards can be.
What classes are offered to employees, from the top of the organization to the lowest position, to maintain motivation and positive encouragement of the company?
One of the most captivating things about the company is that all employees and their families get the right to free flight. However, the company does not define such flights as a kind of benefit for workers but underlines that “it can be taken away if it is misused” (Lauer, 2010, p. 123). This is why it does not matter what position an employee posses in the company, the truth is that free flights are available and people are welcome to use them.
To maintain motivation, the company has several discounts and programs to obtain better conditions for flying. For example, employees may earn four passes that are based on hours of work to provide their families and friends with flight privileges. Such a possibility encourages people a lot. Motivation is based on human behavior (Reeve, 2009), and the company makes use of this concept to prove that a little bit of inspiration and rewards for employees will help to achieve the best results and become the leading company in the world as well as a successful example of how marketing strategies and respect may help.
Reference List
“About Southwest.” (2011). Southwest.com. Web.
Gittell, J.H. (2005). The Southwest Airlines Way: Using the power of relationships to achieve high performance. New York: McGraw-Hill Professional.
Lauer, C. (2010). Southwest Airlines. Santa-Barbara: ABC-CLIO.
Reeve, J. (2009). Understanding motivation and emotion. New York: Wiley.