Leadership and Talent Retention: A Case Study of Sainsbury's Retail

This report explores the impact of leadership on employee retention within Sainsbury's retail sector. It begins by defining talent management and its importance in retaining talented employees, while also acknowledging its potential drawbacks. The research aims to ascertain the extent to which leadership influences the retention of talented employees at Sainsbury's, with objectives including understanding talent management, evaluating factors impacting retention in the retail sector, measuring the influence of effective leadership, and suggesting leadership strategies for positive retention outcomes. The study uses a qualitative research approach, employing an inductive method and interpretivism philosophy to analyze data collected through questionnaires from 30 Sainsbury's employees. Thematic analysis is used to evaluate the collected data. The report addresses ethical considerations by obtaining consent from participants and providing proper referencing. Ultimately, the research seeks to provide insights into how effective leadership can improve employee retention strategies within the organization. Desklib offers a wide range of similar solved assignments and past papers for students.

RESEARCH PROPOSAL

Table of Contents
TOPIC..............................................................................................................................................1
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
Background of the study.............................................................................................................1
Research aim and objectives.......................................................................................................1
Research Questions.....................................................................................................................2
Rationale of the study.................................................................................................................2
LITERATURE REVIEW................................................................................................................2
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY.....................................................................................................4
Research Type.............................................................................................................................4
Research Approach.....................................................................................................................4
Research Philosophy...................................................................................................................4
Data Collection...........................................................................................................................4
Sampling.....................................................................................................................................5
Data Analysis..............................................................................................................................5
Reliability and Validity...............................................................................................................5
Research Limitations...................................................................................................................5
Ethical Consideration..................................................................................................................6
TIMELINE ......................................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................9

TOPIC
To analyse key impacts of leadership over retention of talented employees within an
organization in context of retail sector: A study on Sainsbury.
INTRODUCTION
Background of the study
Leadership refers to activities that make their employees either stay or leave the
organization. It plays a major role and contribute as one of the significant factor that greatly
influence employee retention within an organization. In involves the appropriate recruitment
procedure even for the leaders as well because it helps the organizational to create and maintain
high level of performances and encourage workforce to engage with each other and retention (El
Dahshan, Keshk and Dorgham, 2018). As leaders are the ones who play central role in company
culture.
For the current proposal, Sainsbury have been selected which offers efficient quality of
goods and services within the market place at affordable prices. This investigation content will
highlight various instruments and methods that can be used for examining issues. Besides this,
the study will also illustrate time frame within which inquiry will be accomplished.
Research aim and objectives
Aim
The aim behind present work is to ascertain the extent to which leadership has an impact
over the retention of talented employees of Sainsbury.
Objectives
 To create a perspective about the construct of talent management.
 To evaluate factors that greatly impact retention of talented employees within the retail
sector.
 To measure the influence of effective leadership over talented employee retention in
Sainsbury.
 To suggest strategies referring to leadership that positively impacts retention of talented
employees.
1

Research Questions
1. What is talent management along with its benefits and drawbacks?
2. What factors influence retention of talented employees with regard to retail sector?
3. What is the extent to which effective leadership influence talented employees' retention
in Sainsbury?
4. What are the recommendations for appropriate leadership strategies that optimistically
affects retention of talented employees within the organization?
Rationale of the study
The major reason behind conducting this research is to evaluate the ways through which
effective leadership affects the retention of talented employees within the Sainsbury. This in
turn recognized as research issue because nowadays each company wants to retain their talented
employees in order to get their work done in well structures manner. It is an issue now because
in the case of leadership styles followed by leaders, employees do feel positive as well as
negative both according to the situations. Hence, it is greatly necessary to have appropriate
leadership abilities to retain their workforce. Thus, with the help of thematic perception test
technique investigation could cast light over the level to which leadership affects the retention of
talent management among employees.
LITERATURE REVIEW
As per the views of Ganaie and Haque, (2017), talent management refers to attraction,
selection and retention of workforce that combines the HR processes in most efficient manner.
It involves improvement of business performances through certain practices that make
employees more productive within an organization. It is all about identification of talented
people initially to recruit them and afterwards retain them with proper leadership styles and
strategies so that the company will not have to face any harmful circumstances. The concept is
highly refers to the work that highly keep current employees and advance them to greater
positions within an organization. This helps the firm to save the amount of money that could
otherwise be lost in order to sustain high employee turnover. It generates much more sense over
development and retention of key talent that help to hire or source along with provide training to
new employees.
2

On a contrary note, Abazeed, (2018) states that it also involves lots of cost, time,
resources as well as creates work conflicts, leadership limitations as well as HR and
management conflicts. It is major role of a leader to determine competencies and skills that are
specially significant for company success. Hence, it is significant to identify the relevant
employees that possess them and manage the development of the overall workplace.
According to the Sivathanu and Pillai, (2019), it has been identified that there are various
factors that influences the retention rate among the company such as providing employees the
work schedule flexibility which is not a traditional approach. The tradition approaches refers to
the proper and exact time frame for the employees to come at work premises but the latest and
advanced generation wants work place flexibility in order to make their employees highly
satisfied. Apart from this, the wellness and healthcare benefits also makes them retain within the
work premises. However, it has been identified that leadership which are appropriately runs
certain programs in order to improve employee retention experiences greater job satisfaction as
well as higher commitment to their employers. Mentor programs go further than morale.
However, Zhang, Jia and Chen, (2019) illustrates that lack of ability among leaders
generates a situation under which the employees are unable to consider direction and find
motivation for themselves in order to maintain organizational culture. Poor leadership is the
major cause of high employee turnover and loss of productivity among sustaining employees.
Leaders require appropriate attributes and skills in order to build positive relationships with the
employees who are working and perform within the organization for the betterment of the
overall firm. The person must have appropriate patience level and does not allow getting offend
easily in order to promote optimistic environment in overall context. The individual must not
allow to afraid of confrontations from anybody within the establishment.
In context of effective leadership influences the retention of talented people within the
workplace, it has been identified by the YENER, Gurbuz and Pinar, (2017) that appropriate
leadership provides meaningful direction or proposal to their staff members as they are the ones
who show the ways through which the employees can enhance their performances. They are
accountable and responsible for providing solutions to complex issues or problems which has
not been resolved by the employees within the organization. Hence, they are considered as one
of the most significant visionaire, strategist as well as talent advocator. Their behaviour is
greatly inspired the employees to act in similar ways with involvement of proper
3

communication, integrity, sensitivity and inclusion of the workforce that round out the qualities
as well as characteristics of an inspirational leader. No employee is able to inspire by the person
who does not care about their subordinates or team members.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research Type
Types of research can be classified into two categories such as Qualitative and
Quantitative. In order to identify the impact of effective leadership over the retention of talented
people, qualitative research approach will be chosen. Furthermore, aspects regarding the talented
employee retention and effective leadership will make theoretical representation which will be
addressed with the help of qualitative investigation.
Research Approach
In order to evaluate the impacts of appropriate leadership over Sainsbury employees in
order to retain them within the organization, inductive approach will be applied within the
research study. This approach greatly assists the scholar to analyse and make particular
assessments of qualitative study effectually.
Research Philosophy
There are two specific kinds of philosophies which will be utilized into this research such
as interpretivism and positivism. In order to conduct present study into most efficient manner,
Interpretivism philosophy will be applied for evaluating qualitative data that persists of impacts
of efficient leadership abilities over the employee retention level within the work place premises.
Data Collection
For addressing the appropriate research verifiable, data will be collected through both the
mediums or sources such as Primary as well as Secondary. For primary research, a examination
will be conducted over 30 employees of Sainsbury through the means of questionnaire which
consists of different and diversified questions related to the topic that has been chosen.
Furthermore, the past as well as previous studies pertaining to the impacts of appropriate
4

leadership over the retention of talented employees will be assessed for development of brief
thesis in effectual manner.
Sampling
For the completion of the survey purpose, researcher will require selecting appropriate
sample size so that the suitable outcome will be derived in most effectual manner. Thus, for
completing the purpose of survey, 30 employees of Sainsbury have been considered and selected
through random sampling method which refers purposive sampling technique.
Data Analysis
For evaluating various responses that will be collected through survey method, the
scholar will employ thematic perception test technique. This specific technique have been
selected because it enables in evaluating qualitative data effectively. Accordingly, by taking into
consideration various responses, several themes will be prepared as per the topic in order to
illustrate the concept in most detailed way.
Reliability and Validity
In order to ensure the validity aspects, research papers or articles related top similar topic
will be considered that had been published after the year of 2017. Along with this, considering
research topic, journals and articles will be designated which in turn display that the enquiry is
legal in nature. Moreover, by fetching into report, copyright secure root age will be considered
and gathered through secondary sources which represent dependability aspects.
Research Limitations
Money, time period and inaccessibility of resources are considered as the main
boundaries that are associated with actual study. Due to having constricted time exposure and
restricted amount of money, quantitative tool such as SPSS has not been selected. However, in
order to avoid such kind of limitations, thematic analysis will be considered. Furthermore,
current issue requires investigation in context of qualitative aspects so that the considerable
technique are suitable for the research. Further, scholarly articles will be elected which also
helps in breakdown issues related to unavailability of resources.
5

Ethical Consideration
In order to fulfil moral aspects, consent form will be filled by all the randomly selected
respondents that are selected for survey purpose. These shows inclined engagement of
employees and their interest towards the survey method that has been conducted for fulfilling the
purpose of study. Furthermore, reference list also will be attached at the end of the document
which shows that work has not being traced from somewhere else.
TIMELINE
Activities 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Topic
selection
Develop
research
aim and
objectives
Draft
brief
proposal
Analyse
secondary
sources
for
developm
ent of
brief
thesis
Assessme
nt of
6

research
methods
Drafting
questionn
aire
Collectio
n of
primary
data
Collectin
g and
gathering
the
collected
data sets
Giving
conclusio
ns
Recomme
nding
growth as
per issue
assessed
Arranging
file in
structures
format
Consultati
on with
7

tutor
about the
research
and result
derived
Modify
existing
study and
results
arrived
Final
submissio
n
8

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Abazeed, R.A.M., 2018. The impact of talent management on organizational commitment of the
employees of telecommunication companies in Jordan: the mediating role of employee
work engagement. International Journal of Academic Research in Accounting, Finance
and Management Sciences. 8(4). pp.153-162.
El Dahshan, M.E., Keshk, L.I. and Dorgham, L.S., 2018. Talent management and its effect on
organization performance among nurses at shebin el-kom hospitals. International
Journal of Nursing. 5(2). pp.108-123.
Ganaie, M.U. and Haque, M.I., 2017. Talent management and value creation: A conceptual
framework. Academy of Strategic Management Journal. 16(2). pp.1-9.
Sivathanu, B. and Pillai, R., 2019. Leveraging technology for talent management: foresight for
organizational performance. International Journal of Sociotechnology and Knowledge
Development (IJSKD). 11(2). pp.16-30.
YENER, M.İ., Gurbuz, F.G. and Pinar, A.C.A.R., 2017. Development and validation of a talent
management measurement instrument. Journal of Business Economics and
Finance. 6(3). pp.233-245.
Zhang, K., Jia, X. and Chen, J., 2019. Talent management under a big data induced revolution:
The double-edged sword effects of challenge stressors on creativity. Management
Decision.
9