LEADERSHIP THEORIES

Identification and Integration of Leadership to Organizational Dynamics

Identification of the key leadership theories, traits, and skills - Southwest Airlines

Introduction

“Trust men and they will be true to you; treat them greatly and they will show themselves to be great.” Ralph Waldo Emerson.

From the prehistoric times till today, people have always been curious about the undisputed spirit of effective leadership. They have been curious about how these traits were inherited and implemented. History has many illustrations of effective leadership tales of explorers, historians, educators, scientist or businesses. Effective leaders prove themselves to be eligible to carry on and fulfill the dreams of other people. Efficient leaders have shaped nations corporations, education systems, and the lives of millions of people. In general, leadership is a process in which, a person utilizes the limited resources for the effective and efficient organizing, planning and implementing of any task.

The domestic airline industry of USA encountered a decline in late 1990's with a decrease in 72% of overall customer due to air fares in industry (Richard, 2004). They were facing no growth in industry, during that time. Simultaneously, an intense competition and rivalry was faced by all airline companies. Southwest Airlines (Being 3rd largest carrier organization in terms of traffic flown) encountered similar fare wars with narrowing profit margins.

In this state of crisis, Southwest Airline stood out through their efficient leadership and successful business strategies. They did not divert, and were more focused was towards their mission statement, of customer satisfaction. They successfully differentiated themselves from their competitors and manage to sustain marginal profitability.

The two most vibrant leaders that held Southwest Airline in times of most pivotal crisis were born leaders, and had the traits that sailed the Southwest with flying colors.

Herb Kelleher

Herb Kelleher is the person who glided the Southwest in times of tough competition. It is said that the nature of the organization is built by Herb Kelleher, which is the image of his own behavior. He has a very friendly, caring and very pleasant nature, which depicted in the mission values and atmosphere of the company. He believed that customer and employees are two main drivers for Southwest and they should be managed gently.

Herb Keller was one of the co-founders of Southwest Airlines. He had always been a hub defender for southwest airlines. During his term as CEO in Southwest, he produced a corporate culture, which became popular for taking the human resources, personally very calmly and very seriously on job.

Leadership Theory

The corporate culture inbuilt by Herb is still present in the atmosphere of Southwest Airlines. President of Southwest, Miss Colleen Barrette, explained that they have “Servant Leadership” incorporated in Southwest Airlines. Servant leadership has an essential theory of supporting others and presents them with the paraphernalia and support for practical task.

At Southwest, their top most priority is their employees, who are the source of customer service delivery, the next in line of the pyramid are customers about whom it is made sure that they feel good about the ...