The Causes of The Southwest Airlines Pilots' Strike

The Southwest Airlines working staff conducted a picket that expressed their disagreement with the proposed labor contract. The contract would completely disrupt the existing flying routines and work rules. Further, the new president of the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association (SWAPA), as well as the professional pilots of the union, agree that the company has in the recent past been handling its employees poorly as compared to other firms through paying low wages. Finally, pilots at the airline believe that the institution has adopted a poor profit distribution program and that there has been a loss in shared success and sacrifice within the institution (Kinicki, and Fugate 54).

The Causes of the Problem

The major cause of the problem at the airline is mismanagement. Leaders in any organization play a significant role in ensuring the smooth flow of operations. The fact that the company has ignored the pilots’ welfare is a matter that has resulted in the conflict between the employees and the airline. Further, the poor leadership system at the institution has resulted in the loss of the organization’s culture of shared sacrifice and success. Further, the actions of the pilots at the airline can be effectively explained using the Theory of Planned Behavior that was developed by Icek Ajzen. The theorist identified that attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control largely influence an individual's actions (Fishbein, and Ajzen 29).  For this case, the employees were motivated to engage in the picket by the urge to improve the working conditions as well as their negative attitude towards the company.

Recommendation to Correct the Problem

The company’s managers should focus on actively engaging its employees and other stakeholders in the daily operations of the organization. Through the interaction, there is a high chance that the organization will be able to set better wages for its employees, distribute profits in a fair manner as well as be more sensitive to the needs of its workers. Further, the organization should apply the Theory of Planned Behavior in controlling the actions of its employees. The company should focus on improving its employee’s attitudes towards their profession as well as the operations and norms of the organization (Fishbein, and Ajzen 36). The strategy may be achieved by developing better employee motivation programs.

Work cited

Kinicki, Angelo, and Mel Fugate. Organizational behavior: a practical, problem-solving approach. McGraw-Hill Education, 2016.

Fishbein, Martin, and Icek Ajzen. Predicting and changing behavior: The reasoned action approach. Psychology Press, 2011.