This 2006 Stanford interview[1] with Kelleher sounds like taking ideas seriously was an important part of the culture. Tragic it was lost, as it always stuck out in my mind as an example of great leadership.

> Southwest continues to encourage and applaud out-of-the-box thinking from everyone at the company, from flight attendants to top-level executives. He recalled one mechanic, for example, who submitted a sketch showing how to fit an extra seat onto the aircraft, in order to compensate for some over-wing exit seats lost due to a new federal air safety regulation.

> In general, Kelleher said, if a Southwest employee submits an idea like that, he or she can expect to get an answer back within a week, and a lengthy explanation to boot. The point, he said, is “never spoil an idea, because when you spoil an idea, you ensure that you’ll never get another one from that person.”

[1]: https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/insights/herb-kelleher-manage-g...