Is the culture at Virgin critically important to the success of the organization?

A service culture is often driven by personalities within a business. It comes from the top and trickles down throughout the company. Sir Richard Branson, billionaire and self-styled world champion of adventure capitalism, personifies the best of everything. Through his personal ‘live life to the full’ ethos, he drives industry in every area he expands, from his Virgin record business to airlines, phones and more recently space tourism with Virgin Galactic. However, despite his jet-setting lifestyle and purchase of his own island, he does not fly on a private plane. He tries to remain ‘grounded’ in reality and stays in touch with his customers by travelling on his own airline, spending six hours each flight at the bar, mixing with the passengers and valuing their feedback. In 2004, Virgin became the first airline to introduce double beds on board its planes.