Westjet: Building a High-Engagement Culture

Abdullah Alenezi

Jinwei Dong

Rui Ge

Nhi Ngo

Yu Zhang

Houwen Zeng

WestJet:

Building a high-engagement culture

Introduction & Key problem

        This case talks about WestJet Airlines which founded in 1994 by Clive Beddoe, Tim Morgan, Donald Bill, and Mark Bill. The airline took the sky just 13 years earlier, with three aircraft flying to five destinations. WestJet Airlines has accomplished a lot. Now, with a market value of more than $ 2 billion, the carrier had more than 70 Boeing 737 Next Generation, employs 7,000 people and has hosted over 12 million visitors. WestJet’s mission is to enrich the lives of everyone in WestJet’s world by providing safe, friendly and affordable air travel, they caring attitude towards passengers. This company have great culture strength which the degree of agreement among employees about the importance of specific values and ways of doing things (Draft 433). By 2016, WestJet will be one of the top five most successful international airlines in the world. Achieving these goals would mean the continued expansion of WestJet organization.         But the central issue is that how could WestJet continue to build a culture of high engagement that has experienced high rates of growth? Socialization the process by which a person learns the cultural values, norms, and behaviors that enable him to “fit in” with a group or organization (Draft 440). In the short term management wanted the pilots to reconsider the proposed contract but the pay structure negotiations had stalled two weeks before the 3- year old contract expires. In the long term, ways of maintaining its unique and vibrant corporate culture amidst rapid expansion while retaining the profitability; and skills and competencies required for the leaders to drive the organizational culture forward.

Situation & Analysis

        WestJet is facing an urgent problem. The pilots’ contract expires in two weeks’ time and pilots are unhappy with the offer that has been presented. This has created conflict between management and the pilots as the pilots feel that too many things are being taken away. If a quick agreement is not reached, those flights would be grounded, which would impact the bottom line and negatively affect culture. Culture can be defined as the set of key values, assumptions, understandings, and norms that is shared by members of an organization and taught to new members as correct. (Draft 429). WestJet’s culture is commitment to safety; positive and passionate in everything they do; fun friendly and caring; honest, open and keeping commitments.