A630.3.3.RB- A Day in the Life of the Culture Committee

“Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country” bolsters JFK in his famous inauguration speech… but this is a leadership blog for organizational development so let’s do a new take on this famous quote. “Ask not what your organization can do for you; ask what you can do for your organization.” Hmm… I think we need to put that thought down, flip it and reverse it because this may not be the case if you ask the Southwest Airlines Culture Committee when hosting Hokey Days. What is a hokey, you ask? From what can be ascertained, a hokey is a device on a pole that cleans up the carpeted interior of an airplane. As the SWA planes queued to the terminal the Culture Committee rushed eagerly through the corridor to meet the crew of flight attendants. This can be seen by checking out the video made by SWA and found on YouTube, “A Day in the Life of the Culture Committee”.

Southwest Airlines is becoming commonly known for great viral videos of funny flight attendants doing cheeky safety announcements, but what impact does a video highlighting the Culture Committee have on their organization and what is the purpose of the Culture Committee? According to the video the intention behind meeting each plane that comes in from nine in the morning to six in the evening is to assist with job duties, such as plane clean up and provide food, in addition to goodie bags for both the flight attendant crew and pilots. It is all about one employee group showing appreciation to another employee group. Emblazoned on the shirts of the Culture Committee is the SWA mission statement of a warrior spirit, a servant’s heart and a fun-loving attitude so that you can do “whatever it takes”. Part of what plays into their mission statement is the day to day requirements of keeping up a great personality, having a smile on your face and Hokey Days is a reward to say that your efforts are appreciated and recognized with a goal to keep the employee’s happy and with the company.

Clearly the cultural environment of SWA is one that embraces fun, but I wonder how effective an event like Hokey Days is in establishing those cultural norms? In my opinion this is a great idea. However, as Trey, a SWA employee who wears two hats, one of the Culture Committee and the other as a flight attendant points out, this is not well known amongst the flight attendants. I think this is a wonderful small step toward a larger goal, but I would call to question if Hokey Days was itself a norm. I would like to see this event actualized on a larger scale not just at the Los Angeles Airport but also at the smaller airports, too. I think once this event became well known, it would not only be a great surprise to experience the first time they were able to host this event, but the recognition of knowing what it is would make even more of an impact to be able to experience it., perhaps a second or third time in the future.

I would love to see a Culture Committee form at my employer, ERAU. While I feel we already have a great culture as an organization, I know my department has its own quirks and personality where we do things for each other above and beyond our organization’s culture as a whole. One example is having your desk decorated by your colleagues for your birthday. I love doing this, it is so much fun and everyone knows my motto is that I want it to look like your desk threw up birthday. Nothing says you care more than a really crape papered desk. I think appreciation is always important, so I would like to see more of a celebration of efforts actualized. Our department holds end of the year events where leadership comes to speak to us as a group. We are treated to food all day long and our office for the day is the top floor of a hotel overlooking the beach. It is a gorgeous event and a relaxing, yet recharging for our group. On a smaller scale, I would love to see an event held on our department’s floor, where the daily operations take place. It would be a joy if top leadership would walk around and get a chance to see our desks and cubies (my affectionate name for my cubicle) and meet us on a more personal basis. If I am putting in requests, which it seems I am, I want Ernie to come to see us too so we can take pictures with our University’s mascot. What a great way to internalize the identity of our organization!

Learning more about Southwest’s culture made me realize that actions or inactions are significant identifiers of corporate culture. Some companies think or say that they have a strong, positive corporate culture, but action speaks louder than words. Doing something to show someone you care can be an uplifting way to say thank you for doing your best at our organization regardless of how big or small the gesture. It doesn’t have to be the traditional ideal of time off or bonuses, but something simple and silly to say, you are great, let’s have some fun! I know that I really like to be appreciated, so this would mean a lot to me and would make me want to continue doing as much for my company as I am able. In a way it seems like it would be a no brainer, but treat people the way you would like to be treated. This mantra is not just for people, it is for the people who form organizations, too. I wonder if corporate culture in companies increased in all organizations, if this way of life would spread throughout our society when we are outside of work, too. I bet it would. At the very least, I think that company would end up being more successful than it was previously.  I believe such a thing is measurable and can be tracked, so why not give it a whirl? The worst you can do is end up having a great organization that amazing, talented people are beating down the door to be a part of… okay that is not so bad after all! It has always been my personal outlook that you get back what you put out into the world. Positivity attracts positivity, so put some great things out there and see what you return is, it could end up being better than previously imagined. 

Reference: Southwest Airlines (2008) The Day in the Life of the Culture Committee - YouTube. Retrieved August 31, 2014, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7P0T9IbYKU&feature=player_embedded