Leadership Impact on Employee Motivation in the Service Industry

This literature review examines the influence of leadership on employee motivation, particularly within the service industry. It begins by establishing the importance of leadership in ensuring business success and employee well-being, highlighting the potential negative impacts of ineffective leadership. The research problem focuses on the current challenges in the service industry, where high employee pressure can lead to reduced productivity. The study aims to determine whether leadership significantly influences employee motivation and to understand how businesses can benefit from effective leadership practices. The review emphasizes the relevance of leadership in maximizing productivity, providing guidance, and motivating employees. It also discusses the theoretical foundation, including the Leader-Member Exchange theory, and defines key terms like leadership and employee motivation. The independent variable is leadership, and the review explores how different leadership theories contribute to employee development and organizational success. This assignment underscores the critical role of leadership in driving employee motivation and overall organizational effectiveness, suggesting that understanding and implementing effective leadership strategies can address motivation challenges in the service industry.

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RESEARCH PROJECT
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note
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INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH ASSIGNMENT: LITERATURE REVIEW
1. TITLE
Assessing the influence of Leadership in businesses and examining its influence on the employee
motivation in the case of Service industry
2. BACKGROUND
According to Bolman and Deal (2017), Leadership can be considered to be a critical part of all
the enterprises and in association with this, it can be considered effective for the business to
engage in effective operations with the help of which they will be able to ensure a competitive edge
and overall business success. The leadership can be considered to be an effective part of the
overall enterprise welfare and in association with this, it can be considered effective for the
enterprises to engage in a leadership program as it is an independent element effective various
other initiatives of the business such as the operations and the personnel aspects as well. Strong
leaders have the capability to ensure that the productivity of the business can be engaged in
effectively. Additionally, it is effective that, there takes place associated effective and ineffective
leadership style which exists in a business and has the capability to influence and effect the
associated operations of the enterprise (Conger 2015). Therefore, the entire leadership team
would be required to be such that the organization will be able to engage in effective operations.
Even if there is one in effective leader as present in the enterprise, it may lead to issues on the
side of the enterprise. In associating with this, a sound leadership team and manager are required
not only for overall effectiveness but also to deal with the managers.
Hence, the focus of this study lies on understanding the manner in which, the leadership has
an adequate influence on the overall effectiveness of the enterprise. The employee welfare and
motivation can also be considered to be an integral duty of the leader as present in an enterprise
and in association with this, it can be adequately mentioned that, if the manager and associated
leader is effective the employee motivation can be influenced accordingly. However, there is no
proved condition between the employee motivation and the leadership but only indications of the
same in some studies as present. Hence, the focus of this study is to understand whether the
leadership in a business has a critical influence on the employee motivation or not. Additionally, the
study has also been designed to understand the importance of the leadership in a business and
understand the manner in which a business shall benefit adequately from the procedure of
effective leadership.
3. THE RESEARCH PROBLEM DESCRIPTION
3.1. The Current Situation.
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At present, the condition of the service industry is very critical. It can be agreed to it that, the
pressure on the employees can be taken to be very high (Conrad, Ghosh and Isaacson 2015).
The different employees as present in the industry generally tend to reduce their overall
productivity which thereby reduces their overall work performance and in association with this, the
productivity of the enterprise is also affected. In line with this, it can be critically stated that a proper
medium and controlling centre is effective to ensure that the employees remain focused and that
they are able to engage in effective operations.
3.2. Impact and Consequences of The Problem
If the research problem will not be resolved, it will lead to the following consequences:
1. The employee motivation will be affected. In case there exists a strong influence of the
leadership on the employee motivation, if a strong leadership is not present then the overall
motivation might not be influenced and in association with this, the enterprise productivity
might be affected considerably.
2. Secondly, the productivity of the enterprise might be affected. In association with this, it can
be mentioned that, if the leadership is not adequate and the influence of the leadership on
the employee motivation is not verified the overall workplace scenario may be disrupted
(DuBrin 2015).
3. A poor leadership head may lead to problems associated with the organizational culture. If
the culture of the enterprise is very poor in nature, then in such a scenario, the enterprise
environment may be affected and this shall influence the overall productivity of the
workplace (Frohlich and Oppenheimer 2015).
3.3. Criteria of the Research Problem
3.3.1. Answerability
The research problem as defined may be mentioned to be answerable in nature. In
consideration with this, it can be effectively stated that, the association between the
leadership and motivation can be answered adequately.
3.3.2. Feasibility
The study can be understood to be feasible in nature. In consideration with this, the
opinion of the different employees can be undertaken and in association with this, the
research problem can be identified.
3.3.3. Scope.
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The scope of the study lies to understand the manner in which, the leadership can be
made use of in order to improve the employee motivation in the long run. In line with
this, it can be adequately mentioned that, the study is limited to understand the impact
of one factor on the other and understanding of the fact that what recommendations
can be given for long term effectiveness.
3.3.4. Theoretical Value.
The study can be understood to be having adequate theoretical value and importance
because it intends to outline the associated theories related to leadership and aims to
identify the manner in which effective leadership is the key to entrepreneurial success.
3.3.5. Relevance.
The relevance of the literature problem can be mentioned to be to understand the way
in which the service industry tends to perform and understand how the performance of
the enterprise can be effectively modified with the help of adequate leadership.
3.4. Problem Statement.
Various organizations as present in the service sector tend to face adequate leadership
problems and in consideration of this, it becomes effective to note that, adequate initiatives
have to be undertaken by the management of the enterprise to ensure that they will be able to
engage in associated operations (Grint et al. 2016). In addition to ineffective leadership,
another set of issues which are faced by the employees can be mentioned to be the employee
motivation. As the service industry is a highly complex industry whereby the associated
employees as present are adequately affected by stress and associated aspects. Therefore, in
such a scenario, various tactics are often tried by the management such as the incentives and
associated offerings which thereby affect the operations of the enterprise and tend to affect the
productivity as well. Hence, the study has undertaken an aim to solve the problem of employee
motivation through effective leadership.
In the theoretical aspect the concept of Leadership is given adequate importance and in
association with this, it can be rightfully mentioned that, if the enterprise aims to engage in
adequate operations then in such a scenario, they would be required to see to it that, the
leadership is required to be made use of as a tool to engage in adequate employee motivation
(Khuong and Hoang 2015). With respect to this, it can be successively mentioned that, the
problem which the given study aims to resolve is associated with understanding the effective
influence of the Leadership on the associated employee motivation. If the leadership can be
considered to be very important aspect of an enterprise, it is effective to see to it that the firm
will be able to manage the productivity and associated operations in the right way. Hence, the
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problem which is to be resolved by the firm, it can be agreed to it that, is the understanding of
the concept of leadership and assessing whether the leadership will have a critical influence on
employee motivation or not. (Komives and Wagner 2016).
4. RELEVANCE.
The reason why conducting this research can be considered to be of a critical importance is
because; leadership forms a critical part of the enterprise. In consideration of this, without the
leadership procedure and effective leader, the other business domains lie dormant in the
workplace. According to Kuranchie-Mensah and Amponsah-Tawiah (2016), the strong leaders
can assist in helping an organization to maximise the productivity and achieve as well as attain
associated business goals, whereas a leadership which is very weak, will not be able to
manage the productivity of the enterprise. A sound leader has the duty to carry out a variety of
services for the associated workplace such as the guidance (Western 2019). Effective leaders
are required to provide adequate guidance to the different managers as this will enable them to
carry out the associated activities in an adequate manner. Without the guidance, the
enterprise will not be able to engage in successive operations (Kuvaas et al. 2017).
Secondly, the leadership is also known to motivate the different employees as present, In
consideration of this, it can be mentioned that, the leadership helps in motivating the
employees. Good leadership motivates the associated employees to engage in hard work and
to undertake their responsibilities in an adequate manner. Hence, methods to drive the
motivation will assist in helping the employees to attain organizational goals.
Another goal of a sound leader is to build morale and improve the satisfaction of the employees
(Lăzăroiu 2015). When the morale of the employees will be lifted, then in such a scenario, they
will be able to work effectively for the goals of the firm. This assists in improving the employee
satisfaction as well.
Moreover, profound leaders have two associated duties as well which are required to be
fulfilled. Firstly, the leaders are required to coordinate associated employee needs and meet
with organizational needs. There are associated resources as present in an enterprise which
has to be adequately being managed amongst the associated employees and hence, the
leaderships would be required to undertake initiatives to ensure the same (Lee and Raschke
2016). Lastly, delegation of the responsibility can be considered to be another critical activity
which has to be undertaken by the enterprise in order to engage in successive operations and
ensure effective completion of activities (Sanders 2017).
5. THEORETICAL FOUNDATION
5.1. Type of Literature Review. The literature review will be an empirical review. Here the
associated concepts and discussions will be discussed in an adequate manner. Here the
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overall developments associated with the study will be discussed critically and this will then
be followed by the analysis of the related theories.
5.2. Define Key Terms/Definitions and Abbreviations.
Key Term Definition Reference
Leadership The leadership can be
adequately defined as the key
initiative which is undertaken
by an individual to manage the
different employees as present
and the related goals of the
enterprise as well.
Lussier, R.N. and Achua, C.F.,
2015. Leadership: Theory,
application, & skill
development. Nelson Education.
Employee motivation The employee motivation can
be referred to as the
encouragement provided to the
different employees to perform
and achieve their goals.
Lee, M.T. and Raschke, R.L.,
2016. Understanding employee
motivation and organizational
performance: Arguments for a
set-theoretic approach. Journal
of Innovation &
Knowledge, 1(3), pp.162-169.
Abbreviation Meaning
LEAD. Here the abbreviation which has been used for the
leadership has been stated to be the LEAD. This refers to
the overall concept of leadership
EM Here EM has used for the employee motivation to
determine the overall manner in which the employees can
be motivated in an enterprise
5.3. INDEPENDENT VARIABLE. Leadership
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5.3.1. Theory 1 Statement. The first theory which can be critically discussed here can
be mentioned to be the Leader member exchange theory. In the leader member
exchange theory, the leader is required to maintain their association position in the
workplace and in association with this, provide them with knowledgeable experience
accordingly (Mendenhall et al. 2017). It can be critically mentioned that, this theory
applies to the development of the employee in an enterprise.
5.3.2. Reason. This theory has been chosen for the purpose of the analysis due the fact
that it provides an accurate insight into the manner in which, the leader has a critical
role to play in an enterprise and also describes the ways in which the associated
leaders tend to perform (Robertson 2016). Choosing this theory for the purpose of the
analysis is critical for the study.
5.4. DEPENDENT VARIABLE. Employee motivation
5.4.1. Theory 2 Statement. The second theory which has been made use for the
purpose of the analysis is the Herzberg’s theory of motivation. The Herzberg`s theory
of motivation states that the associated parties as involved in the enterprise are
generally motivated and demotivated by certain factors such as the motivation factors
and the hygiene factors (Lussier and Achua 2015). The two factor states that, there
are certain associated factors in the enterprise which cause the ultimate
dissatisfaction to the different employees and which factors encourage them
accordingly.
5.4.2. Reason. The above theory has been considerably selected for the purpose of the
analysis is the fact that, the two associated factors have to be undertaken adequately.
All the enterprises have to see to it that, they are being able to motivate the
employees adequately (Rosenbach 2018).
6. REVIEW OF PREVIOUS RESEARCH
According to Lăzăroiu (2015), the leadership can be considered to be an effective part of the
enterprise. In consideration with this, it can be stated that, for an enterprise to engage in successful
operations, effective leadership theories have to be applied accordingly. In consideration of this,
stated a similar view and thereby highlighted the ultimate importance of sound leadership in an
enterprise. In association with this, it can be agreed to it that, when an effective leadership is
applied to the organization then it leads to associated operations for the firm and assists in
maintaining the employee productivity accordingly (Kuvaas et al. 2017). The employees are often
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inexperienced in an enterprise and in consideration with this; they needed to be provided with
associated guidelines (Kuranchie-Mensah and Amponsah-Tawiah 2016).
A similar line of thought is necessary for the purpose of Employee motivation. According to Syafii,
Thoyib and Nimran (2015), the concept of employee motivation can be referred to as the initiative
which can be taken by the managers to encourage the employees to perform well. Lee and
Raschke (2016) state that the employee motivation is affected by various factors such as the
overall working conditions, the associated workplace treatment and the management influence.
7. CONCEPTUALISATION
7.1. Concept 1. Leadership. The leadership has been used as the first concept as it is the
independent variable. In such a scenario, the leadership can be referred to as the overall
initiative taken by a manager to bring about associated operations in control (Northouse
2019).
7.2. Concept 2.Employee motivation. The employee motivation can be stated to be the
encouragement given by the managers to the employees to achieve enterprise goals. The
employee motivation is affected by factors like the work environment, the pay given to
them and associated aspects such as the encouragement and self-esteem satisfaction
(Northouse 2018).
8. RESEARCH QUESTIONS
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Leadership Employee
motivation
Workplace
environment
Self esteem and
encouragement
Pay

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8.1. Research Paradigm and Tradition The research paradigm and tradition which has
been selected for the study can be mentioned to be the positivism research philosophy.
Here only the factual information is made use of so as to ensure that the verification of the
data can be made accordingly.
8.2. Research Question 1: What is meant by the concept of Employee motivation?
8.3. Research Question 2: What is the meaning of Leadership?
8.4. Research Question 3: What is the association which exists between the
Leadership and the Employee motivation?
8.5. Research Question 4: What recommendations can be made to the service
industries so as to improve the employee motivation?
8.6. Hypothesis.
8.6.1. Null Hypothesis. The leadership in an enterprise does not have any
influence on the employee motivation.
8.6.2. Alternative Hypothesis. The leadership in an enterprise has a critical
influence on the employee motivation.
9. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
9.1. Research Objective 1: To understand the concept of employee motivation.
.
9.2. Research Objective 2: To understand the associated concepts related to the
Leadership.
9.3. Research Objective 3: To find the association between the leadership and
employee motivation.
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9.4. Research Objective 4: To provide recommendations based on which the
leadership can be utilised to improve employee motivation.
10. CONCLUSION
Hence, the study has been successively able to highlight the associated research topic
which aims to find the influence of the leadership on the employee motivation. The
leadership is a powerful tool of the enterprise which impacts various spheres of the
workplace. Therefore, the study has outlined the literature review and the background of
the study along with the rationale associated with the same.
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REFERENCE LIST
Bolman, L.G. and Deal, T.E., 2017. Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership. John
Wiley & Sons.
Conger, J., 2015. Charismatic leadership. Wiley encyclopedia of management, pp.1-2.
Conrad, D., Ghosh, A. and Isaacson, M., 2015. Employee motivation factors. International Journal
of Public Leadership.
DuBrin, A.J., 2015. Leadership: Research findings, practice, and skills. Nelson Education.
Frohlich, N. and Oppenheimer, J.A., 2015. Political leadership and collective goods. Princeton
University Press.
Grint, K., Jones, O.S., Holt, C. and Storey, J., 2016. What is leadership. The Routledge
Companion to Leadership, p.3.
Khuong, M.N. and Hoang, D.T., 2015. The effects of leadership styles on employee motivation in
auditing companies in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. International Journal of trade, economics and
finance, 6(4), p.210.
Komives, S.R. and Wagner, W. eds., 2016. Leadership for a better world: Understanding the social
change model of leadership development. John Wiley & Sons.
Kuranchie-Mensah, E.B. and Amponsah-Tawiah, K., 2016. Employee motivation and work
performance: A comparative study of mining companies in Ghana. Journal of Industrial
Engineering and Management (JIEM), 9(2), pp.255-309.
Kuvaas, B., Buch, R., Weibel, A., Dysvik, A. and Nerstad, C.G., 2017. Do intrinsic and extrinsic
motivation relate differently to employee outcomes?. Journal of Economic Psychology, 61, pp.244-
258.
Lăzăroiu, G., 2015. Employee motivation and job performance. Linguistic and Philosophical
Investigations, (14), pp.97-102.
Lee, M.T. and Raschke, R.L., 2016. Understanding employee motivation and organizational
performance: Arguments for a set-theoretic approach. Journal of Innovation & Knowledge, 1(3),
pp.162-169.
Lussier, R.N. and Achua, C.F., 2015. Leadership: Theory, application, & skill development. Nelson
Education.
Mendenhall, M.E., Osland, J., Bird, A., Oddou, G.R., Stevens, M.J., Maznevski, M. and Stahl, G.K.
eds., 2017. Global leadership: Research, practice, and development. Routledge.
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Northouse, P.G., 2018. Leadership: Theory and practice. Sage publications.
Northouse, P.G., 2019. Introduction to leadership: Concepts and practice. SAGE Publications,
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Robertson, J., 2016. Coaching leadership: Building educational leadership capacity through
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Rosenbach, W.E., 2018. Contemporary issues in leadership. Routledge.
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Syafii, L.I., Thoyib, A. and Nimran, U., 2015. The role of corporate culture and employee motivation
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Western, S., 2019. Leadership: A critical text. SAGE Publications Limited.
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