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Narrative 15-2 JetBlue Airways, in Business Since February 2000, Has Had Tremendous

question 105

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Narrative 15-2
JetBlue Airways, in business since February 2000, has had tremendous success by offering direct flights, low fares, wider leather seats, flat screen TVs with live digital satellite channels, one-way tickets, no requirement for Saturday night stayovers, and great customer service. Modelled after Southwest Airlines, JetBlue has the lowest costs in the industry at 6.4 cents per passenger mile. But as its new planes age, its costs will rise, as will the wages it pays its pilots, flight attendants, and mechanics.
JetBlue's challenge will be to continue its success as it ambitiously grows from 73 planes and 6,500 employees to 290 planes and 25,000 employees over the next five years. The key to meeting those goals is solid communication.
As companies like JetBlue grow, managers must learn how to communicate effectively both one-on-one and with a larger number of people throughout an organization. This is why founder and CEO David Neeleman and President Dave Barger speak with every new "class" of employees as they come through JetBlue's structured orientation process. On the first day of orientation, Barger teaches the new hires about JetBlue's brand (direct flights, low fares, plane features, and so on) , while Neeleman shows them how JetBlue earns its money and the role each of them plays in that.
Another part of JetBlue's strategy to communicate and reinforce its organizational culture is a program called Principles of Leadership (POL) , a five-day training program completely taught by JetBlue's managers from all levels of the company. As they teach, JetBlue's managers share real-world stories that illustrate ways in which company managers and employees have practised or violated the five principles of JetBlue's culture. In general, these stories demonstrate when it is proper and improper to break company rules to serve customers. For example, a JetBlue pilot once bought several dozen McDonald's Happy Meals for the kids on his plane. While this was a violation of company spending guidelines, buying those Happy Meals adhered to JetBlue's cultural principle of "Doing the right thing," because the plane was stuck on the ground without food, and the kids on board were hungry.
Effective leaders, however, don't just communicate to others, they also make themselves accessible so that they can hear what others, particularly customers and employees, are feeling and thinking about their organization. At JetBlue, founder and CEO David Neeleman uses frequent informal meetings and surprise visits to listen to his customers and employees. On an almost daily basis, Neeleman can be found on a JetBlue flight talking to customers. Neeleman will typically use the plane's public address system to introduce himself and say that he wants to hear any feedback, good or bad, that they have about the airline. Passengers often offer advice on where JetBlue should offer new routes and service, but they also complain about the lack of food (snacks only) . To this complaint, Neeleman says, "We found out most people would rather have a TV than a meal." But, most important, Neeleman listens, writing thoughts and customer comments on airplane napkins that he stuffs in his pockets to be turned into organizational to-do lists once the flight is over.
-Refer to the Narrative 15-2.JetBlue Airlines founder and CEO David Neeleman and company president Dave Barger speak with every new "class" of employees as they come through JetBlue's structured orientation process.Which type of communication is this an example of?

Definitions:

Inductive Donation

The transmission of charge through a chain of atoms in a molecule, affecting the molecule's electron distribution and reactivity.

Hyperconjugation

A stabilizing interaction that involves the delocalization of electrons by the overlap of σ orbitals with an adjacent π orbital or a vacant p orbital.

Carbenes

Reactive molecules featuring a divalent carbon atom with only six electrons in its valence shell, making them highly reactive.

Dimerize

To undergo a chemical reaction connecting two identical molecules to form a dimer.