Southwest Airlines: Talent Management Plan Proposal

Talent management plans play an important role of ensuring Airlines get the right talent on board to help with achieving set objectives. Southwest Airlines is regarded as the world largest carrier with flexible ticket policy and two free checked bags for every passenger – it requires an evidence-based talent management plan (Cote, 2018). The proposed plan will highlight the most important elements that will help the Director of HR make a formal plan.

Recommendation of 3 Recruitment Sources Suited to Recruit Pilots

This proposal recommends that the Director of HR, in an effort to recruit pilots, should consider categorizing the different recruitment sources into levels. Level 1 should comprise of the traditional sources of recruitment which include newspapers, job fairs, and employment agencies. Although this source generates fewer resumes, 90 percent of them tend to result in accepted offers because only qualified and motivated candidates seem to apply (Shanker, 2019). However, this source is costly and follows a lengthy process, which ends up delaying the recruitment process.

Level 2 represents internet recruitment sources such as website companies, social media and online job boards. This source, as explicated by Shanker (2019), is the best option for obtaining a large pool of resumes. However, only few of these resumes translate to accepted offer because the internet is accessible to all, including bad and fraudulent candidates (Shanker, 2019). The only advantage here is that it is less costly ensures candidates apply for positions within the shortest time possible

Level 3 includes person-to-person recruitment sources, among them, walk-in applicants and referral employee programs. According to Shanker (2019), some candidates get cold feet and fail to show up which explains why few resumes get generated. The main advantage here is that most of these resumes lead to accepted offer. However, it is important to note that referral employee programs may fail to get the preferred candidates on time, thus delaying the recruitment process.

Evaluation of Common Methods used to Select a Candidate

Although there are many methods used to select candidates, this proposal recommends curriculum vitae, structured panel interview and cognitive ability tests. Curriculum vitae, on one hand, are important because they allow HR to compare information from candidates. According to Wang et al. (2019), this method is used in acquiring the same information from candidates thus ensuring consistency in the listing process. Structured panel interviews, on the other hand, allow the team to ask structured questions to all candidates. The questions are generally about the job position and experience – this allows the panel to select candidates with the highest score. Lastly, HR may opt to use cognitive ability tests. This allows the team to test candidates’ job performance in their respective positions.

Recommended 3 Methods for Selecting New Pilots

The same methods used to select a candidate will be used in identifying new pilots. Firstly, curriculum vitae will ensure the selection panel receives similar information from candidates for consistency purposes. The method is reliable because all new pilots are given the same platform to compete.Secondly, structured panel interviews allow the team to use structured questions to obtain specific information about pilots. This implies that only pilots with highest scores will be considered for positions. This method is reliable because interviewers get a chance to learn more about the potential candidates. Similarly, structured panels offer a more valid assessment because it facilitates comparisons between job qualifications and individual skills and experience. Lastly, cognitive ability tests as a method, are critical in selecting new pilots because they allow the team to assess the candidates’ ability to make rational decisions. Similarly, the method assesses the candidates learning agility and abstract thinking. Cognitive ability tests are also considered legal under Title VII.

Evaluation of Common Methods used to Train and Develop Employees

While there are many methods that can be used to train and develop employees, the most commonly used includes off-the-job training, on the-job-training and classroom-based training. Firstly, off-the-job training is mainly carried out near or away from the workplace to allow employees to devote their time to learning the material. However, this method, as argued by Jamila et al. (2019), may not provide transfer of training to the actual position. Secondly, on-the-job training happens at the workplace with the guidance of the supervisor. This method allows employees to learn and practice their job while still in training. Lastly, classroom-based training is effective when you want to get your employees working together and sharing ideas.

Recommended 3 Methods for Training Pilots at Southwest Airlines

The first method is classroom-based training which, despite being expensive, ensures each pilot is trained one at a time. This method is very effective because it ensure pilots attain critical and continuous knowledge from experts. Similarly, this training method encourages collaboration and promotes social development. Secondly, the on-the-job training method is highly effective because it allows pilots to learn new information on a daily basis. This method is less expensive and does not require any formal arrangement. However, the method may be risky because the pilot can easily endanger the lives of the passengers and airline staff while trying to learn. The last method that may be used to train pilots at Southwest Airlines is interactive training. This method is effective becomes it allows pilots to share their experiences and, in the process, learn from one another. This method is less costly because pilots simply learn from one another.

Evaluation of Common Performance Management Systems

The common performance management system includes management by objectives and 360-degree feedback. The former, strives to create a set of objectives that act as guiding principles for developing individual objectives. This system allows employee participation which creates buy-in (Shet et al., 2019). The latter allows each individual to understand their effectiveness as an employee. More specifically, 360-degree feedback assists each employee to understand their strengths and weaknesses.

Recommended Method for Performance Management of Pilots

I would recommend management by objectives since Southwest Airlines strive to maintain on-time flights as well as optimizing fleet performance with tableau. This performance management method was selected because it will allow managers to specifically communicate the objectives to employees – each employee will be assessed based on if they meet the objectives. This method is reliable since it will help Southwest Airlines identify exemplary pilots and offer additional training to deserving ones.

Evaluation of Common Methods to Minimize Voluntary Turnover

The first method to minimize voluntary turnover is rewarding success which aims at identifying and rewarding good workers through promotion. The second method, hiring the right candidate, because sometimes turnover can be as a result of a poor fit. Choosing candidates with skills and interests that align with those of the business minimizes turnover (Karam et al., 2020). Lastly, offering competitive pay can help to retain employees, provided it is based on job position and time employees have spent working for the company.

Recommended Approach to Retain Pilots

This proposal recommends offering competitive pay as a key approach to retain and meet pilots’ needs. It is important to note that the airline industry is becoming increasingly competitive and that Southwest Airlines will only retain its top pilots by adopting a unique pay strategy. The airline should ensure it introduces benefits not offered by its close competitors such as Delta, Frontier and Spirit Airlines. One way of doing this is by carrying out a market analysis and research of the competitors.

References

Cote, R. (2018). Leadership analysis: Southwest airlines-Herb Kelleher, CEO. Journal of Leadership, Accountability & Ethics, 15(1), 123-176. Web.

Jamila, N. A., Mahmoodb, N. A., Syed, S. A. H. B., Abdullahc, K. H. B. H. K., Mohd, N. B., Muharamie, F. D. M. N., &Malikg, I. (2019). The relationship between job training and job satisfaction: a case study of royal Malaysian air force firefighters. International Journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change, 6(4), 13-17. Web.

Karam, S., Nagahi, M., Dayarathna, V. L., Ma, J., Jaradat, R., & Hamilton, M. (2020).Integrating systems thinking skills with multi-criteria decision-making technology to recruit employee candidates.Expert Systems with Applications, 160 (7), 113-585. Web.

Shanker, M. (2019).Recruitment process and its impact on retention of commercial pilots in Indian aviation industry.Business Process Management Journal.25(3), 736-75. Web.

Shet, S. V., Patil, S. V., &Chandawarkar, M. R. (2019). Competency based superior performance and organizational effectiveness. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 68(4), 753-773.Web.

Wang, Y., Pan, Z., Zheng, J., Qian, L., & Li, M. (2019).A hybrid ensemble method for pulsar candidate classification.Astrophysics and Space Science, 364(8), 1-13. Web.