Analyzing Southwest Airlines using the Congruence Model

Company’s Strategy: Southwest’s strategy is to improve efficiency in its operations and pass cost saving to its customers by offering them low and competitive prices. Southwest Airlines is dedicated to providing the highest quality of Customer Service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and company Spirit.
Analyze each key element of the company separately based on the congruence Model

Organization Structure (Formal Structure): The organization of Southwest Airlines is best described as an upside-down pyramid – an organization very much in line with the way they want to do business. The upper management is at the bottom and supports the front line …show more content…

Also emphasis is placed on people who can do anything to get a particular task done. Coordination and cooperation is always emphasized and people who were can multitask and go out of their way to help customers or complete a task are treated as heroes. 2. Work and Structure: The structure places emphasis on people and the work they do. Management decisions are made by taking into consideration the ideas and suggestions from the front line. The front line of the company is involved in the entire decision making done in the company. Since the worker bee is central to all decision making in Southwest, it gives the employees in the organization authority to make changes to the structure for the maximum benefit of the organization. This leads to higher congruence between work and structure. 3. Structure and People: The organization structure allows the people to work effectively and take responsibility. Job responsibilities are not strictly defined. The structure provides for people to do anything and everything to get a task done. For example, the pilots helped clean a plane when all hands were required to turnaround a flight quickly. 4. People and Culture: The culture of southwest airlines is people centric. Employees are celebrated and made heroes if employees go out of their way to help customers or co-workers. The culture supports the people and nurtures them to think of the company as an extension of