1

Running Head: PERSONAL CASE ANALYSIS

Personal Case Analysis: Choosing an Organization and Situation

Shelby Cornett
OGL 481
5/24/2020
 2
Running Head: PERSONAL CASE ANALYSIS

The organization that I have chosen to study is Horizon Air. Horizon is the organization that I

currently work for and it is the regional carrier for Alaska Airlines. Horizon Air is the nation's 8th largest

regional airline with presence in 85 cities across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. You could think of

Horizon Air as Alaska Airlines' little sister. Horizon's driving force, as well as Alaska's, is to create a fun,

welcoming, and above all, a safe experience for all guests. The service that Horizon Air provides is

transporting passengers from small towns, like Fresno, CA (my station), to Seattle, WA, which is the

main "hub" for Alaska Airlines. Horizon does a good job of maintaining its people-oriented

organizational culture of creating a “second family” for all employees. Like many chain stores and

restaurants, Horizon employees are spread out over many different cities in airports where Horizon

operates. Each station has its own unique set of practices and norms. While all stations and employees are

held to the same standards all across the organization, station managers and other members of leadership,

as well as front-line employees make up the "Horizon heart" of each station with different levels of

experience, unique aspirations and diverse personalities.

My role in the organization is formally titled Team Captain (TC), which is similar to a shift

lead/supervisor. I started with Horizon as a CSA (Customer Service Agent) about 4 and a half years ago.

My duties initially included assisting passengers with checking in for flights, boarding flights, assisting in

the ramp operations, and handling baggage and lost/missing bag claims. As a TC, the duties of the job

have not changed as I am still a part of the working crew, however I am now responsible for ensuring the

team is capable and prepared to handle last minute changes or unexpected delays. I am also responsible

for ensuring that my team maintains safety and security standards under the guidelines of not only

Horizon Air and the local airport policies, but the Federal Aviation Administration, the Department of

Transportation, and Transportation Security Administration.

The situation that I have chosen to analyze is a difficult decision that I was a part of just a few

years ago when I first became a member of the leadership team here at Horizon Air in Fresno. The
 3
Running Head: PERSONAL CASE ANALYSIS

decision to be made was whether or not to terminate a certain member of leadership after multiple

infractions of professional conduct had been reported to management. Carl became a TC less than a year

after I was initially promoted, so I did not have a significant amount of leadership experience over him.

His time as a TC lasted only a few months before he began a habit of unprofessional behavior.

There were several significant actions and behaviors that Carl portrayed during his time as a TC

that brought management to the decision of whether or not to terminate him.

The first major occurrence-

The first occurrence took place after the company had issued out a new safety policy regarding

the usage of cell phones on the ramp area. Safety is Horizon’s top priority, so there is no wiggle room

when it comes to safety policies. The policy required agents to limit the use of cell phones on the ramp to

emergency use only, any time that there was an aircraft on the ground. The policy also stated that if there

is a need for emergency cell phone use on the ramp, the agent is to remove him/herself from the

immediate surroundings of the aircraft, and stand by the terminal while using their cell phone.

One day, when this policy was still fairly new, Joey, another ramp agent, noticed that Carl was

using his cell phone as an aircraft was taxiing into the gate area. Carl was standing in the immediate area

of the aircraft which clearly goes against policy. Joey confronted Carl about his cell phone usage and Carl

stated, "that is not what the policy means." Confused about Carl's explanation, Joey went to our manager

and explained the situation as well as Carl's defensive reaction to being confronted. I had a conversation

with our manager after this had happened and was advised that Carl was on verbal warning for

professional conduct and disregard for company policy.

The second major occurrence-

Horizon Air has a policy that you cannot work your shift if you do not have your employee ID

badge with you while you are on duty. Carl came into work one morning and realized shortly after

arriving that he left his employee badge at home. His initial mistake was telling the other employees,
 4
Running Head: PERSONAL CASE ANALYSIS

including myself, that he had received permission from our manager to work his shift without his badge.

When this happened, I had a feeling that he was being dishonest because experience told me that our

manager does not typically make exceptions to policies for anyone, let alone members of leadership. As

his co-TC, I decided to take him on his word and not question him on the matter while other employees

were around. As the morning went on, I became busy with other duties and working a flight. During a

shift we all communicate with radios because many of us are in different locations throughout the airport.

I started to realize that my agents were calling upon Carl on the radio, and he was not answering. This is

understandable if you are busy momentarily, but this went on for a long time. I then went to the location

where Carl was supposed to be, and he was nowhere to be found. We later discovered that he had left the

airport and had not told anyone that he was leaving. At Horizon we all have a shared mentality that the

operation always comes first. This means unless there is an emergency agents are to remain focused and

working in the operation until the flight has departed safely. Not doing so can lead to distractions and

putting other employees in an unsafe situation.

It came to light later on that he did not have permission to work without his badge and that he had

left the station to return home for his badge in the middle of working a flight. Based on a follow up

conversation with our manager, Carl stated: "I thought I could, go home, grab my badge, and be back

before anyone needed me." Our manager was extremely upset that Carl had misled the other employees

into thinking that he was given approval to go against a policy.

These two occurrences led management to the choice of whether to simply demote Carl with a

warning, or to terminate him entirely. Typically this decision would be between the station manager,

senior leadership, and the human resources department. My manager however decided to consult with me

because I worked with Carl closely on a daily basis and was more familiar with his day to day attitude

and behavior. My manager made it very clear that he wanted my honest and unfiltered opinion to help

him develop his recommendation to give to human resources and upper management. This was a very

difficult decision for me because I had to take multiple things into account; his work ethic and integrity,
 5
Running Head: PERSONAL CASE ANALYSIS

his professionalism and overall conduct with employees and passengers, and his commitment to

maintaining a safe and functional operation. I basically had to tell my manager whether or not I thought

that he deserved a second chance to stay with the company.

This was difficult for me because I did not feel entirely qualified to be making a recommendation

of that sort with so little leadership experience. I realized that all I needed to do was be honest, and think

about what was fair, and what was best for the organization. I ultimately took into consideration his work

ethic and pattern of decisions from before and after he became a TC. After much thought and

deliberation, I came to the conclusion that I thought he deserved to keep his job as a CSA, and that his

bad decisions were, in my opinion, a result of the pressures of leadership, rather than a reflection of his

true work ethic. I shared with my manager my opinion that, although he made some extremely poor

decisions, they seemed to be in response to a pressure that he felt to be perfect and not let anyone see that

he made mistakes as a leader.