United Breaks Guitars

United Breaks Guitars

                                                 United Breaks Guitars

The story from the clip briefly describes a United Airlines customer, who boarded one of the planes from Halifax to Nebraska via Chicago. While onboard, the passengers were shocked by flight attendants throwing guitars out of the flight. Frustrated at how the airline mishandled his guitar and broke it, one of the passengers approached the flight attendants with the complaints but fell on deaf ears. The poor customer services being exhibited by United Airlines and its employees pushed him to compose a song about the same stating the lack of care for passengers and their luggage. Many other passengers share in his discomfort. Surprised by the actions, the passengers vow not to get involved or board the airline planes until tremendous changes have been implemented to curb the bad behavior.

Culture

United Airlines is an air transport and freight service provider based in the USA. Based in Chicago, United traces its roots back to the 1920s.  According to the company website, reports, and journals (Eric et al., 2015), the company has a culture of ensuring customer needs are address in that consumer’s satisfaction is their priority. The airline has a competitive culture that majorly focusses on outputs that are customer-centered with rewards for high performance. At the same time, concentration is directed at achieving the interest of the consumer. However, according to the video, the culture of the organization does not manifest itself. The opposite seems to be true.

Weakness

            The airline is among the oldest in terms of existence in the US market. From the years of experience, one would expect a very different approach from what they are currently doing, but that is not the case. Some of the weakness that has contributed to a drop in market shares include;

Poor customer care services. The leading negative point is that a lack of customer care services has contributed immensely to its decline in business. Complains from passengers about bad etiquette by the staff, congestion among others have fallen on deaf ears with limited or no improvements being rendered. These issues have led many consumers to switch their preferences to much better-organized airlines with the consumers at heart.

Management-employee-consumer relationship, also referred to as the person-environment-fit approach (Kristof-Brown et al., 2005), enables employees to build a specific attitude towards the organization. On their part, organizations are increasingly identifying employees as the missing link between products and consumption in the market, and United Airlines have failed. From the employee’s behavior onboard the plane, a lot goes to demystify how they treat clients. But if the management does nothing about it, then it means that is their norm. Satisfaction mirror effect explains that the employees are treated as the first consumers of the product. Therefore, how the management manages them will determine whether or not the product or service being rendered will attract the consumers. The administration seems to be less focused on the employee needs, hence boiling down to the consumers and finally affecting the company’s financial well-being. Intellectual capital has immensely contributed to the growth curve of different organizations considering the involvement in creating quality value while factoring the vital role the employee plays (Hussinki et al., 2019).

Lack of involvement in decision making by management since employees of the airline seems to have been neglected. Considering their behaviors and lack of cooperation with consumers, it is evident the administration does not involve them in decision making or in the creation of innovative ideas that might catapult the company to significant financial heights. Lack of involvement makes the employees feel unappreciated and not part of the organization hence the continued myriads of events tarnishing the airline’s image.

Strengths

Being one of the pioneers in public air transport, United Airlines enjoys a lot of consumer preferences with over 350 destinations. Considering the many goals, consumers become customers by choice, or they lack substitute services to switch. Additionally, with some of the most efficient planes in terms of fuel consumption, the airline has cut on unnecessary costs enabling it to compete favorably in the market.

A large market for their services has led to the employment of almost 90,000 people across the globe. Creation of job opportunities has led to its immense contribution to the world economy hence its relevance. These help in guaranteeing its going concern, and with the right structures in place, it may then achieve sustainable development.

                                                          Vacuous Culture

Successful organizations look back at the employee’s contribution and realize how significant it was. However, employees can only ascertain quality production or service once the need for their involvement is clarified. Employees would always look at the incentives. Additionally, the need for service will also be a contributing factor before transferring to the consumer. Lack of motivation only worsens the motivation circle leading to employees being aware of what is essential and expected of them. Still, they don’t match it with their output showing a lack of care. United Airlines staff are quite aware of customer service and other necessary obligations to ensure a customer’s flight is comfortable and safe. However, the lack of involvement of management or even lack of work incentives has led them to ignore the necessities. The culture cuts across almost all employees, with the company struggling to keep consumers, thereby leading to financial problems. In this case, the warring factions include the consumers and the employees who are supposed to deliver customer services. The management is in a position to effect changes that will impact on both the employees and the consumers. Employee restructuring is critical, with the few who are unwilling to abide by the regulations being dismissed for creating order. Consumers on their end will be guaranteed quality service at every occasion that they decide to use United Airlines and hence increase in sales, which will culminate in profit maximization.

                                                         Why

United Airlines is a business like any other prioritized profit maximization in cost-effective ways. Additionally, the company is in the quest to remain relevant in the current and future markets. However, the approach taken does not factor in the critical role employees play in service delivery and marketing of the respective product or service. This approach has led to an increase in complaints from the third party, who are the consumers. The effect of management frustrating employee seem to be transferred to the consumers and hence reluctance to continue acquiring service from the airline by many consumers. Customer care service is one of the focal points that enhances the consumer’s connection to the product or service being rendered. An excellent customer care service will enable a consumer to prioritize the specific firm and further offer recommendations in the social circle.

References

Eric S. Anderson, Ph.D., M. B. A., & Brad Jamison, Ph.D., M. B. A. (2015). Do the top US

corporations often use the same words in their vision, mission, and value

statements? Journal of Marketing and Management, 6(1), 1.

Hussinki, Henri & Kianto, Aino & Vanhala, Mika & Ritala, Paavo. (2019). Happy Employees

Make Happy Customers: The Role of Intellectual Capital in Supporting Sustainable Value

Creation in Organizations. 10.1007/978-3-319-79051-0_6.

Kristof-Brown, A.L., Zimmerman, R.D. & Johnson, E.C. (2005). Consequences of individuals’

fit at work: A meta-analysis of person-job, person-organization, person–group, and

person–supervisor fit. Personnel Psychology. 58, 281-342