Leadership Style and Employee Performance Analysis: Woolworths Limited

This research proposal investigates the impact of different leadership styles (autocratic, democratic, and laissez-faire) on employee performance at Woolworths Limited, Australia. The study aims to assess the relationship between these leadership styles and employee outcomes, including work satisfaction and career success. The proposal outlines the research questions, a brief literature review, proposed hypotheses, and the research methodology, including a deductive research approach using surveys and quantitative data analysis. The research design is explanatory, focusing on identifying the impact of leadership styles on employee performance. The study will employ a questionnaire distributed to 100 employees across various departments within Woolworths, followed by quantitative data analysis using SPSS to test the hypotheses and draw meaningful conclusions. Ethical considerations, including obtaining consent and ensuring confidentiality, are also addressed.

Running head: RESEARCH PROPOSAL
‘An analysis of the impact of leadership style on employee’s performance: A case study of
Woolworths limited'

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Aim and objectives of the study...................................................................................................4
Research questions.......................................................................................................................4
Brief literature review......................................................................................................................4
Hypotheses.......................................................................................................................................7
Propose a research design................................................................................................................7
Research Method..........................................................................................................................7
Research design............................................................................................................................8
Data collection method................................................................................................................8
Data analysis method...................................................................................................................9
Sampling......................................................................................................................................9
Ethical Consideration...................................................................................................................9
References......................................................................................................................................11

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Introduction
The purpose of this research is to assess the impact of leadership style on employee performance
in Woolworths Limited, Australia. Leadership is the art of persuading an individual so that they
would strive for willingly towards the attainment of goals. Leadership plays a significant role to
develop an enthusiastic environment and culture within an organization. It is identified that
effective leadership style can promote superiority in building member for the company. It is safe
to state that leadership has played a significant role since the olden times of mankind
(Alonderiene, & Majauskaite, 2016).
In Woolworths limited, workforces particularly in business are long criticized for lack of
flexibility, poor accountability, poor performance, bureaucracy, and inefficiency. This
investigation sought to address and comprehend the effect of different leadership styles
(autocratic, democratic and laissez-faire) and their impact on employee performance in an
organization (Asrar-ul-Haq & Kuchinke, 2016).
After completing the research on this topic, an investigation would be advantageous for
workforces to address which leadership style is sound with respect to work satisfaction and the
success of their career. It could be advantageous for leaders to comprehend which kinds of
leadership impacts on employee performance as well as, how workforces can also be encouraged
via feasible leadership. It is significant for Woolworths limited, Australia to address great leaders
that can enhance their performance of the company as well as, lead the firm for attaining great
success (Bouckenooghe, Zafar, & Raja, 2015).
Scope of the Study

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This investigation will only emphasize on addressing how autocratic, democratic and laissez-
faire leadership style stimulated the performance of employees. It involves a meeting of
deadlines, defined duties as well as, attaining departmental goals (Dunne, et. al., 2016).
Aim and objectives of the study
The main aim of this investigation is to assess the impact of leadership on performance of
employees with reference to Woolworths limited, Australia. The given objectives would be
implemented for attaining the main aim of investigation:
RO1: To address the impact of Democratic Leadership Style on Employee Performance: A case
study of Woolworths Limited, Australia
RO2: To identify the impact of Autocratic Leadership Style on Employee Performance: A case
study of Woolworths Limited, Australia
RO2: To examine the impact of Laissez-Faire Leadership Style on Employee Performance: A
case study of Woolworths Limited, Australia
Research questions
RQ1. What is the relationship between Democratic leadership and employee performance in an
organization?
2. What is the relationship between Autocratic leadership style and employee performance?
3. To what extent does the Laissez-Faire Leadership style affect employee performance in an
organization?
Brief literature review
Conceptual understanding regarding leadership with respect to Woolworths limited,
Australia

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According to Saleem (2015), leadership is illustrated as a process through which, workforces and
leaders make transformation at the workplace. A transformational leader encourages the
workforces through influencing them for demonstrating their unique as well as, precious
opinions whereas transactional leadership is a process that is dependent on punishment and
rewards. It has an impact on employee’s performance.
On the other side, Masa'dehObeidat & Tarhini (2016) evaluated that managers can implement
transactional leadership style for doing some activities and provides rewards or punishment to
team members according to the result of performance. In addition to this, team members and
managers develop pre-determined objectives. In this style, workforces can agree to consider the
guidance as well as, the leadership of superior authority for accomplishing goals.
Impact of different leadership style on the performance of employees with reference to
Woolworths limited, Australia
According to Mulki Caemmerer & Heggde (2015), leadership is a process where a leader can
impact on the behaviour of subordinate for accomplishing the goal of the company. In addition,
leadership has a positive impact on the performance of employees. Although, there is an
association among leadership style and employee performance yet, it can vary from individual to
individual. Effective leadership is a key element in the attainment of the group as well as,
practically anyone can be trained to be a significant leader.
On the other side, Popli & Rizvi (2016) stated that the company should have capabilities of
leadership that would be advantageous for offering employee performance experience. By using
the significant leadership style, a leader can impact on employee’s performance.
Strategy to enhance the performance of employees with respect to Woolworths limited,
Australia

INDEPENDENT VARIABLES
DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP STYLE
AUTOCRATIC LEADERSHIP STYLE
LAISSEZ-FAIRE LEADERSHIP STYLE
DEPENDENT VARIABLE
EMPLOYEE
PERFORMANCE
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As per the view of Dunne et al. (2016), leaders can develop an inclusive strategy for the manager
as it would be advantageous for developing the trust, contributing the vision as well as, creating
the significant liaison between organization and employees. Leaders can practice their logical
competencies for favourably affect the workforces. As a result, employees can create a high level
of organizational commitment as well as, increases the extent of productivity.
On the other hand, Bouckenooghe Zafar & Raja (2015) evaluated that leaders can comprehend
the effect of leadership on workforces and its importance for developing a vision for the future of
each employee. In addition to this, leaders can be confident as well as, the higher extent of self-
efficiency such as transformational leaders can be competent for enhancing the engagement to
workforces at the workplace.
Conceptual Framework
As per the opinion of Fiaz Su and Saqib (2017), one of major advantageous of democratic
leadership style is that the procedure supports in creation of some another leader who can highly
focus on the organization and have high entailment on part of everyone within the team. In
contrast to this, Fiaz Su & Saqib (2017) stated that autocratic leadership demonstrates all those
leaders who develop judgment without consent of team members and is generally implemented
in case of making a prompt decision. In addition to this, team agreement is not significant for

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acquisition regarding successful outcomes. In the view of Fiaz Su & Saqib (2017), laissez-faire
style leads to increased job satisfaction and better employee performance. However, it can be
damaging when a team does not effectively manage the time or if they are not self-motivated for
performing their work in an efficient manner. Laissez-Faire leadership style generally leads to
increasing the chaos within an organization as each person believes in their own leaders.
Hypotheses
Hypothesis 1:
HO: There is no significant relationship between transformational leadership style and
employee’s performance
H1: There is a significant relationship between transformational leadership style and employee’s
performance
Hypothesis 2:
HO: There is no significant relationship between transactional leadership style and employee’s
performance
H1: There is a significant relationship between transactional leadership style and employee’s
performance
Propose a research design
Research Method
Research approach
In this research, deductive research approach would be used for developing the hypothesis as per
existing theory and then designing a research strategy for testing the hypothesis. This approach
would be selected for addressing the possibility of explaining causal relationships between
concepts and variables. This approach would be selected for identifying the possibility of

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measuring the aspects of quantitatively. It would be also beneficial for assessing the possibility
to generalize the research findings to a certain degree (Mulki, Caemmerer, & Heggde, 2015).
In this research, an investigator would apply survey through questionnaire for obtaining the
opinion of respondents about investigation concern. This method would be selected by a
researcher such as considerably cheaper as compared to most of other primary data collection
techniques. This technique would be also chosen because there is a possibility to create a high
amount of information (Alonderiene & Majauskaite, 2016).
Research design
In this research, explanatory research method would be used as this investigation has the
requirement to research on the impact of leadership style on employee performance. The
explanatory research design will be selected to develop the hypothesis and gathering the data on
such basis as it would lead to attaining the research objectives. In this research, an investigator
needs to assess the performance as well as, its variation because of different styles of leaders.
Thus, the quantitative technique would be implemented as it is most appropriate for
investigation. It would be supportive for assessing the data statistically as well as, evaluating the
impact according to targeted objectives (Popli and Rizvi, 2016).
Data collection method
The most suitable technique for gathering primary information would be distributing a
questionnaire. A five-point Likert scale questionnaire would be created to offer respondents ease
of responding questions according to the level of agreement. The Liker scale follows the format
of strongly disagrees, disagree, neither agrees nor disagrees, agree, as well as, strongly agree.
The creation of the questionnaire would be relied on following variables such as democratic
leadership, autocratic leadership, laissez-faire leadership as well as, employee performance

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(Vargas, 2015). A total of 10 questionnaires would be distributed through simple random
sampling techniques to employees from different departments of Woolworths limited. These are
the marketing department, service department, finance department, administration department,
human resource management department, sales department, and management (Saleem, 2015).
Data analysis method
Quantitative data analysis method would be implemented in this investigation and it would also
entail statistical techniques for assessing the gathered information. SPSS is software would be
practiced for assessing the gathered information for increasing the meaningful conclusion.
Reliability test, descriptive analysis, and regression analysis would be conducted through SPSS
for assessing the impact of leadership styles on performance of employees (Zareen, Razzaq, &
Mujtaba, 2015).
Sampling
In this investigation, probability sampling technique will be implemented by an investigator
because of subjective nature related to the research concern. In this way, a simple random
sampling tool will be practiced for selecting participants as it reduces the probabilities of biased
concern through investigation by choosing respondents on a random basis (Mulki, Caemmerer,
& Heggde, 2015). It will be beneficial for reaching at a reliable conclusion because respondents
would share reliable data about investigation concerns. In this investigation, 100 workforces of
Woolworths would be chosen as a sample size through a different region of Australia (Vargas,
2015).
Ethical Consideration
It is significant to take the permission of entailing party before starting the research hence an
investigator would make a consensual agreement to management and HR department in order to

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make sure no complication will be aroused. An investigator would distribute the questionnaires
only at the time of break time as interrupting subject at the time of work hour is infeasible and
may influence the responses (Hurduzeu, 2015). Moreover, an investigator ensures no violation of
confidentiality will be aroused. An investigator would also make sure no revelation regarding
identity and other personal data would be enquired when developing questionnaires. There
would be no issue of trust from participants but confidentiality would be guaranteed for
eliminating unnecessary concerns (Fiaz, Su, & Saqib, 2017).

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References
Alonderiene, R., &Majauskaite, M. (2016). Leadership style and job satisfaction in higher
education institutions. International Journal of Educational Management, 30(1), 140-
164.
Asrar-ul-Haq, M., &Kuchinke, K. P. (2016). Impact of leadership styles on employees’ attitude
towards their leader and performance: Empirical evidence from Pakistani banks. Future
Business Journal, 2(1), 54-64.
Bouckenooghe, D., Zafar, A., & Raja, U. (2015). How ethical leadership shapes employees’ job
performance: The mediating roles of goal congruence and psychological capital. Journal
of Business Ethics, 129(2), 251-264.
Dunne, T. C., Aaron, J. R., McDowell, W. C., Urban, D. J., &Geho, P. R. (2016). The impact of
leadership on small business innovativeness. Journal of Business Research, 69(11), 4876-
4881.
Fiaz, M., Su, Q., & Saqib, A. (2017). Leadership styles and employees' motivation: Perspective
from an emerging economy. The Journal of Developing Areas, 51(4), 143-156.
Hurduzeu, R. E. (2015). The impact of leadership on organizational performance. SEA–Practical
Application of Science, 3(07), 289-293.
Masa'deh, R. E., Obeidat, B. Y., &Tarhini, A. (2016). A Jordanian empirical study of the
associations among transformational leadership, transactional leadership, knowledge
sharing, job performance, and firm performance: A structural equation modeling
approach. Journal of Management Development, 35(5), 681-705.

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Mulki, J. P., Caemmerer, B., &Heggde, G. S. (2015). Leadership style, salesperson's work effort
and job performance: the influence of power distance. Journal of Personal Selling &
Sales Management, 35(1), 3-22.
Popli, S., & Rizvi, I. A. (2016). Drivers of employee engagement: The role of leadership
style. Global Business Review, 17(4), 965-979.
Saleem, H. (2015). The impact of leadership styles on job satisfaction and mediating role of
perceived organizational politics. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 172, 563-
569.
Vargas, M. I. R. (2015). Determinant factors for small business to achieve innovation, high
performance and competitiveness: organizational learning and leadership style. Procedia-
Social and Behavioral Sciences, 169, 43-52.
Zareen, M., Razzaq, K., & Mujtaba, B. G. (2015). Impact of transactional, transformational and
laissez-faire leadership styles on motivation: A quantitative study of banking employees
in Pakistan. Public Organization Review, 15(4), 531-549.