Essay About Influence Of Company Philosophy And Different Industries

Social Capital
INTRODUCTION
Few executives would doubt the importance of employee
attitudes and performance to organizational success, or the
influence of company philosophy, policy, and practices on
attitudes and performance. Particularly impressive are organizations
that year after year achieve outstanding results and
competitive success as a consequence of their employeerelated
philosophies, policies, and practices. This article will
focus on three of these — Lincoln Electric, Southwest Airlines,
and SAS Institute. The purpose here is to delineate and clarify
these aspects of their operations, as the three have been and
should be models for others. Lincoln Electric, for example, is
a model for domestic manufacturers competing with firms in
China and Southeast Asia.
While the three operate in very different industries and
demonstrate different approaches in managing employees,
they share similarities. At the highest organizational levels in
each, there is a deep respect for, appreciation of, and
commitment to the individuals who have joined the organization.
Workforce policies and practices emanate from this
essential foundation.
Another important similarity is that top management in
the three, historically and today, believe that if you take care
of employees, in the long run the needs of shareholders will
be satisfied. As you will see, this does not mean being blind to
external realities or at all ‘‘soft; far from it. At least two of
these organizations (Lincoln Electric and Southwest Airlines)
exist in hyper-competitive markets. Every year they must
battle for revenues, earnings, and market share, while supporting
the employees whose work permits the achievement
of company targets in these areas. A third similarity is that
leaders in each of the three, over a long period of time, have
worked