Like any idea, you can take it too far. "Cost cutting in our DNA" from Senior Leadership had management fall into the mantra, it is incredibly hard to find "enough". So in order to please their line manager and be seen to be fit for progression, managers join in and cut, cut, cut as that's the way message from on high.

As humans, we tend to go too far.
The BA short haul product of today is IMHO inferior to Southwest Airlines unless you feel the need to spend x times the economy price for airline food or a nice lounge at the London end (sometimes).

What Willie DID do was remove the concept of contingency, so when inevitably things go wrong, the operation is not robust and simply falls over, staff go home and passengers are left to their own devices.

But he got a lovely bonus and thought Alex Cruz could run BA.......