Hokey: That’s What It’s
All About
Brown (2011)
defines corporate culture as a “system of shared values and beliefs that
interact with an organization’s people, structure, and systems to produce
behavioral norms (“the way things are done around here”)” (p. 63). Merriam-Webster
(2015) defines “hokey” as “obviously fake, very silly, old-fashioned, or
sentimental…corny… obviously contrived”. While the Culture of Committee at
Southwest Airlines, as presented by Simon Johansen (2008), takes great pride
with its tradition of “Hokey Day”; the generated sentiment is anything but fake
or contrived. As noted by its founder, Herb Kelleher, “Culture is one of the most
precious things a company has, so you must work harder on it than anything else”
(Brown, 2011, p. 64). As demonstrated by Christie Day, the hard work seems more
like fun; and, perhaps that is why not only do its passengers feel celebrated,
as observed by Makovsky (2013), its employees appreciate and express
appreciation for fellow employees (Simon Johansen, 2008).
When asked
by Makovsky (2013), Southwest’s Chief Communications Officer, Ginger Hardage, said
the organization’s primary mission was to identify “values that motivate its
people” and instill those same values. “A warrior spirit, a servant’s heart,
and a fun-luving attitude” are on full display as Christie Day and her team
meet every Southwest plane landing at Los Angeles, clean every plane, and serve
lunch to the pilots and flight attendants (Makovsky, 2013; Simon Johansen,
2008). The team assembles a “Hokey”, used to sweep the carpet, assembles goody
bags, and prepares to relieve flight attendants (Simon Johansen, 2008).
Christie Day says it best as she explains the purpose of the Culture Committee,
“employees appreciating employees” is what makes Southwest a great company;
and, it’s what keep employees loyal to Southwest (Simon Johansen, 2008).
Imagine children from a family who decide to surprise their mother by cleaning
the house and fixing her lunch. Perhaps the children do not clean as well as
the mother; but, there is not a mother who does not appreciate the simple, “hokey”
jester of children trying to make a bed, dust furniture, or make a peanut
butter and jelly sandwich. In short, it’s the thought that matters most.
Within a
club I helped organize, one of our vice presidents decided to make felt pins
that represented a fun name we have adopted for our group, Chicks in Stilettos.
We are a Republican Women’s organization; but, instead of adopting the black
pump as our symbol, we selected a red stiletto and thus the term chicks in
stilettos. Because our officers had worked so hard in a relatively short time,
this lady created a little yellow chick, wearing red stilettos, as a pin. She
gave each officer one as a gift at our Christmas party. Was it hokey? Of
course; but, for me, it spoke volumes. This woman took time from her own
incredibly busy schedule, designed a pattern, cut the pieces, sewed them together,
and created a cute reminder of our hard work. It said she appreciated all of
our hard work. Of the three core values espoused by Hardage, “a fun-luving
attitude” would be my biggest take away as I believe people thrive in a setting
wherein they do not “take themselves too seriously” (Mukovsky, 2013). Southwest
has enjoyed considerable success with this approach as more than “43,000
commendations” are given to the company each year, two percent of its turnover
is voluntary, and the vast majority of its “original employees” still work
there (Mukovsky, 2013).
Brown (2011) observes, “Culture is the glue that holds
an organization together” (p. 64). Southwest, its Cultural Committee, and Hokey
Day provide for its employees to give and say Thank You to other employees;
and, more importantly, the warrior spirit, servant’s heart, and fun-luving attitude
are passed on to future generations of Southwest employees. Whether a flight
attendant has been treated, or whether one is new to the experience, just as a
mom wakes up to breakfast in bed and a day of being pampered on Mother’s Day,
the simple concept of appreciation lasts much longer than a day.
References
Brown, D.R. (2011). An Experiential Approach to Organization
Development. (8th ed.). Upper
Saddle
River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Makovsky, K. (2013, Nov. 21).
Behind the Southwest Airlines Culture. Forbes.
Retrieved from
Merriam-Webster. (2015). Hokey.
In Dictionary. Retrieved from
Simon Johansen. (2008, Dec. 30).
Southwest Airlines A Day in the Life of Culture
Committee.
[Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/SC1OA5jELTs
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