University of Salford Dissertation Proposal: Trade Union Leadership

This dissertation proposal investigates the leadership styles within the Bahamas trade union movement from 2013 to 2018, examining their impact on union members. The study explores transformative, charismatic, and laissez-faire leadership approaches, considering the historical context of the trade union movement's origins in the 1960s. The research will employ a mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative and quantitative data collection through surveys, questionnaires, and interviews with current and past union leaders. The proposal outlines the methodology, including data analysis and foreseen limitations, such as the availability of information and the validity of measurement instruments. The research aims to provide recommendations for current and future leadership, contributing to a better understanding of effective leadership within the trade union context. The project also includes a detailed timeline for completion, from drafting questions to compiling the final draft.

Dissertation Proposal 1
Leadership Styles of the Trade Union Movement in Bahamas
Student’s Name
Professor’s Name
University Name
State
Date

Dissertation Proposal 2
Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Literature Review............................................................................................................................3
Transformative Leadership..........................................................................................................5
Charismatic Leadership...............................................................................................................5
Laissez-Faire-Leadership.............................................................................................................6
Methodology....................................................................................................................................7
Foreseen Limitations.......................................................................................................................8
Research Timeline...........................................................................................................................8
Reference List..................................................................................................................................9
Introduction

Dissertation Proposal 3
History of trade union movement in the Bahamas began during the revolution that took
place in the 1967. It began as a result of native Bahamians fighting foreign laborers who were
considered for better pay compared to them. This particular movement played a significant role
in championing for the rights of Bahamian workers.
On June 6th 2014, workers across the Bahamas along with members of various trade
union marched to the streets in celebration of the second annual Randal Fawkes Labor Day
(Brudney 2017). Thousands of workers and trade unions took to the streets in celebration of their
advancement in fighting for the rights of workers. The theme of the event was “United We
Stand, Together We Can” which was attested by the dancing and showcasing the rich culture of
the Bahamian people. The Labor Day celebration was regarded as successful day since the
Bahamians expressed their determination, strength, solidarity and relevance of their quest in
advocating for better working conditions (Anthony 2019). However, there have been various
concerns and anxieties among trade unions which indicate that the struggle continues.
The objective of this research aims to develop a case study that will be centered on
determining the effectiveness of the leadership styles among the leaders of the Trade Union from
2013 to 2018. As well, the research will examine the impact of leadership style in relation to
their members. In essence, this report seeks to determine whether the members in the unions are
satisfied with the kind of leadership that is offered (Cartwright 2018).
Literature Review
Trade Unions leadership in the Bahamas have been struggling to get their concerns heard
although there are many issues that have been considered as important to the economy (Jacques

Dissertation Proposal 4
2016). Among these issues include environmental protection, natural resources, taxation and
issues affecting parliamentarians.
One major reason that affects the workers and trade union in the country is that they need
the government address various issues that have so far been agreed upon. Another concern is that
the leadership of trade union demands amending the Employment Act with the aim of addressing
issues such as recognition of commissions and remuneration which will allow workers to have
claims. Similarly, the National Insurance Board Act was amended to cater for the concerns of the
workers in Bahamas (Pintard-Newry 2018). Furthermore, the workers union demand that the
government should gazette the International Labor Organization Convention which was ratified
in order to allow union member to enroll in various unions as they deem fit.
The Minister of Labor and National Insurance along with the Minister of Public Service
commission have emphasized the need for continuous dialogue with other stakeholders to
address the issues facing trade unions. The government through the minister also noted that
various initiatives are being undertaken to safeguard the unions. Among these initiatives include
the National Tripartite Council Bill which is similar to the international standards.
In addition, these amendments also affect the Health and Safety at Work Act which
champions for the safety of the Bahamian workers. In this regard, there is absolutely no doubt
that the trade union movement has made tremendous stride and continue to play a key role in the
elevating the quality of Bahamian workers (Lasn and Lears 2015). History continues to show
that trade union movements have come a long way since Burma Road Riot and General Strike
including 1967 Sir Randal Fawkes. It is evident that the trade union movement have more
relevance to the workers despite the challenges facing the economy. However, the pertinent issue
relates to the relevance of the level of dedication among the trade union leaders to the realities of

Dissertation Proposal 5
the economy. Besides, some union leaders often promote their own selfish interest instead of
fighting for the rights of their members (Campus et al 2016).
Transformative Leadership
Transformative leadership style is one where the leaders play a role in encouraging,
inspiring and motivating the workers to become innovators so that they can be able to make
positive change required for growth of an organization. This particular leadership style is
realized by a strong sense of corporate culture, employee participation and favorable working
environment (Shields, 2017). Transformative leadership offers inspiration and motivation
without necessarily micromanaging the employees. This leadership style tends to give employees
room to be creative in finding sustainable solutions for the organization.
Transformative leadership characteristics include encouraging and motivating positive
influence on their workers, express the highest moral standards within the organization, ability to
foster ethical work environment, be able to develop company culture as well as offering
coaching and mentoring while allowing employees to make decisions.
Charismatic Leadership
Charismatic leadership is a style of management that encourages a particular behavior in
others though verbal communication, persuasion and personality. These type of leadership just
like transformative motivates the followers to complete their tasks and improve the position of a
firm. This kind of leadership style is associated with heroism. This is as a result of the leaders
being considered as skilled in their communication and ability to guide others into to being
committed to their functions (Sy, Horton and Riggio 2018).

Dissertation Proposal 6
The benefit of this leadership style is pegged on the ability of individuals to develop a
compelling visions as well as evoke strong emotions among the followers. Charismatic leaders
have unique way determining inefficiency because they understand their workforce in a deeper
sense. Critical thinking is said to the motivating factor of charismatic leadership because it plays
a significant role in enabling them to solve various problems that affect their organization. In as
much as charismatic leaders seem friendly, they separate themselves from the rest of the
employees and are perceived as heroes.
Laissez-Faire-Leadership
This particular form of leadership makes the workers feel as if their decision making is
trusted and they do not have to be micromanaged. Laissez- faire leaders strive to support their
workers with necessary resources in order to carry out duties on their own. Such leaders often
leave most of the responsibility to the workers which makes them concerned with the experience
and educational levels. Among the things these leaders offer include training, education
opportunities and financial resources to perform their duties (Fortin‐Bergeron, Doucet and
Hennebert 2018).
This kind of leadership monitors the best performing employees and offer the
opportunities to take on more demanding work. Besides, they leave most of the decision making
to the employees because they tend to be more conversant with the company’s operations that
the leadership. These types of leaders often allow the employees to make mistakes so as to learn
from their mistakes which enhances their creativity.

Dissertation Proposal 7
Methodology
This research will employ both qualitative and quantitative design to provide its findings.
The literature section will comprise the debate concerning the trade unions as well as the impact
of the government in amending various laws to accommodate the plight of the workers in the
Bahamas. The objective of the qualitative research study is to gather both descriptive and
contextual data about the trade unions.
The trade unions on the Bahamas represent over 40 percent of the total workforce given a
populations of close to half a million people. In this respect, the sampling will use convenient
sampling and data will be collected through a number of ways including, secondary sources
methods such as surveys, questionnaire and structured interviews.
Moreover, the current and old leadership of various trade unions will be included among
the respondents in order to strike a balance between the kinds of leadership that has the most
impact on Bahamian workers. The information received from the respondents will be critically
assessed to evaluate the significant information required in making logical conclusion regarding
the nature of leadership as well as their impact in transforming the trade unions.
It is significant to note that the current leadership style is going to be compared to those
movements in the past that made a mark and entered into history books for having championed
the fight for the rights of native Bahamian workers. After which, the research will focus on the
most effective types of leadership which will be used for purposes of providing recommendation
for current and future leadership of the trade unions. Secondary material that will be used in this
research will play a crucial role in providing basis to make arguments from primary data that will
be collected.

Dissertation Proposal 8
Foreseen Limitations
The first limitation that affected the research is reliability and the validity of instruments
of measurement. This may have a negative or positive impact on the results based on difference
in scale of measurement. As a result, this research will consider the limitation while conducting
the research in order to provide reliable data that can be used to make inferences regarding the
findings of the research.
Another limitation is that there is limited information with respect to the type of
leadership which might bring issues when makings comparison between current leadership and
past leadership. In this regard, the study will ensure that extensive research is conducted in order
to have sufficient information that can be used to make meaningful conclusion.
Research Timeline
PROJECTED RESEARCH TIMELINE
Drafting the questions for the
proposal
October 1st,2019
Research Process October 1st,
2019
Data Analysis October 15th, 2019
Conclusion November 1st, 2019
Completion of first draft November 15st, 2019
Revisions based on feedback November 30th,
2019
Compiling final draft December 20th 2019

Dissertation Proposal 9
Reference List
Anthony, T.N., (2019). Emancipatory Journalism: The African: The Journal of African Affairs,
1937–1938. In The Universal Ethiopian Students' Association, 1927–1948 (pp. 37-55). Palgrave
Pivot, Cham.
Campus, J., Wilson, S., Cardinal, E.W., XI, P.P. and supported Catholic, A.E.C., (2016).
Appendix 4: Overview of Key Socio-political and Ecclesial Occurrences in the Caribbean and in
the Wider World, 1948–2011. Palgrave Macmillan’s Content and Context in Theological Ethics,
p.251.
Cartwright, K., (2018). Folk Arts, Advocacy and Cultural Policy in The Bahamas.
Jacques, E.S., (2016). Women on the Move: Reinterpreting Haitian Migration to Cuba through
an Analysis of the Bahamas. Journal of Haitian Studies, 21(2), pp.207-226.
Lasn, K. and Lears, J., (2015). James Hamilton. American Countercultures: An Encyclopedia of
Nonconformists, Alternative Lifestyles, and Radical Ideas in US History: An Encyclopedia of
Nonconformists, Alternative Lifestyles, and Radical Ideas in US History, p.11.
Pintard-Newry, Y.J., (2018). What is the Relationship between Civil Society and the State in
Small Island States? An Examination of Social Origins Theory and The Bahamas (Doctoral
dissertation, Virginia Tech).
Brudney, J.J., (2017). The Internationalization of Sources of Labor Law. U. Pa. J. Int'l L., 39,
p.1.
Shields, C.M., (2017). Transformative leadership in education: Equitable and socially just
change in an uncertain and complex world. Routledge.

Dissertation Proposal 10
Sy, T., Horton, C. and Riggio, R., (2018). Charismatic leadership: Eliciting and channeling
follower emotions. The Leadership Quarterly, 29(1), pp.58-69.
Fortin‐Bergeron, C., Doucet, O. and Hennebert, M.A., (2018). The role of management and trade
union leadership on dual commitment: The mediating effect of the workplace relations
climate. Human Resource Management Journal, 28(3), pp.462-478.