Southwest AirlinesIn the airline industry, Southwest Airlines is considered a true innovator. By shaking up the rules of flying and improving the industry's inefficient regulations, Southwest quickly grew by leaps and bounds. From the beginning, Southwest Airlines' goals were to make a profit, provide job security for every employee, and make flying accessible to more people (Southwest, 2007). Southwest has not strayed from these goals. It doesn't buy huge planes, fly international routes or try to clash with major airlines; and through great planning, Southwest Airlines has become the most successful airline in the United States, if not the world. Southwest's "Service for Smiles and Profits" philosophy encourages employees to view customer service as the most important aspect of their job. It seems that when employees put in the effort to achieve this high level of service, the rest follows and success is inevitable (Amanor-Boadu, 2007). Southwest Airline's management structure is designed to carefully direct employee activities while maintaining the spirit of "fun" that is the cornerstone of airline customer service success (Lancaster, 1999). The fundamental management concept at Southwest is the notion of "loose" design. In the context of strict rules of conduct, employees are encouraged to take wide leeway. For example, the company encourages employees to make their own customer service decisions. Employees are encouraged to try new things, knowing that they will not be punished for innovation as long as they do not violate safety standards, endanger crew or passengers, or prevent a plane from taking off or landing on time; this made it possible not only to increase the speed of the service but also to increase its quality. Southwest is organized according to a typical hierarchical structure, with employees reporting through a line of supervisors to the CEO himself. While most people don't interact with the CEO on a daily basis, technology allows all employees to stay abreast of the CEO's activities. At Southwest Airlines, only executive vice presidents, or top managers, report directly to the CEO. These individuals are responsible for making strategic decisions about the future of the organization. They make overall, higher-level decisions about the directions Southwest will take in the future and the types of policies and procedures that should govern employee conduct. In the early 1990s Colleen C. Barrett, executive vice president, established a corporate culture committee made up of people from across the organization.