Woolworths UK: Investigating Leadership and Employee Performance

This report investigates the impact of leadership on employee performance within Woolworths UK, examining the effectiveness of various leadership styles and their influence on employee productivity. It begins by introducing the research problem, aiming to identify how leadership strategies can be optimized to enhance employee performance in the UK market. The literature review analyzes leadership concepts and the effectiveness of different leadership styles, including autocratic and democratic approaches, and identifies factors affecting leadership effectiveness. The research employs a mixed methodology, combining interviews and thematic analysis to gather and interpret data. Findings from the analysis and literature review provide insights into necessary changes within Woolworths to improve employee productivity, culminating in recommendations for strategic improvements in leadership practices. The report concludes by acknowledging the limitations of the research and summarizing key findings.

Running head: INDUSTRY RESEARCH
Impact of leadership on employee’s performance: A case study of Woolworths limited, UK
Name of Student
Name of University
Author Note

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Executive Summary
The report is based on the impact of leadership on the development of the performance of the
employees. The report focuses on Woolworths a popular supermarket located in Australia.
For the research, the store of Woolworths located in the UK is considered. The purpose of the
research is to identify ways by which leadership in Woolworths can help it maximise the
performance of the employees. For this, the research objectives and questions are stated that
help in guiding the work. The analysis of the literature review is based on understanding the
concept of leadership and the effectiveness of the leadership styles on the development of
capabilities of the employees. The research is done using mixed methodology, which takes
into account the application of interview as well as thematic analysis for the research. The
combined effort of the analysis as well as the evidence from the literature review has
provided an idea about the changes that need to take place in Woolworths so that it can
enhance the productivity of the employees.

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Table of Contents
Introduction and research problem.............................................................................................4
Introduction to the topic.........................................................................................................4
Industry partner......................................................................................................................4
Research field.........................................................................................................................4
Research problem...................................................................................................................5
Research aim..........................................................................................................................5
Research objective..................................................................................................................5
Research question...................................................................................................................6
Structure of the research.........................................................................................................6
Literature review........................................................................................................................7
Introduction............................................................................................................................7
Concept of leadership.............................................................................................................7
Effectiveness of the styles of leadership................................................................................9
Factors affecting leadership..................................................................................................11
Link of literature with the research questions......................................................................13
Gaps in the literature............................................................................................................13
Conceptual framework.........................................................................................................14
Summary...............................................................................................................................14
Methodology............................................................................................................................15
Overview of the research methodology................................................................................15

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Nature of research methods..................................................................................................16
Sampling method..................................................................................................................16
Data collection method.........................................................................................................17
Analysis of data....................................................................................................................17
Ethical considerations...........................................................................................................17
Findings....................................................................................................................................18
Discussions...............................................................................................................................22
Triangulating qualitative and quantitative findings..............................................................22
Comparing findings with literature review...........................................................................23
Linking with research questions...........................................................................................24
Recommendations....................................................................................................................26
Limitations and conclusion......................................................................................................27
Limitations of the research...................................................................................................27
Conclusion of the research...................................................................................................27
Bibliography.............................................................................................................................28

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Introduction and research problem
Introduction to the topic
Lo et al. (2015) is of the opinion that leadership is an important factor that helps in
building teams and at the same time provide an opportunity for the development of future
leaders in an organisation. However, the leadership styles need to be considered based on the
capability of the employees and thereby choice of leadership usually affects the performance
of the employees. The research analyses the effectiveness of leadership on the employees of
Woolworths and the manner in which it can be improved. The focus is on Woolworths stores
that are located in the UK.
Industry partner
Woolworths is a reputed supermarket that is headquartered in New South Wales,
Australia. It is one of the leading supermarkets in the country and provides intense
competition to other retail sectors in the country. The store has more than 995 stores across
the country and aims to expand more in other parts of the world (Woolworths group 2018).
The number of employees that the company possess is about 1115,000 across the stores and
distribution centres so that it can reach the target market and maintain the satisfaction of the
customers (Woolworths group 2018). At the same time Woolworths associates with the
producers and farmers of the country so that it can ensure that fresh products and services are
delivered to the customers on a regular basis (Woolworths group 2018).
Research field
The research field that is taken into consideration is the strategic management.
According to Iqbal, Anwar and Haider (2015), strategic management consists of identifying
the leadership strategies that are undertaken by organisations so that it can encourage the

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employees to reach the goal of the organisation. In this case, the strategic management in the
form of leadership adopted by the managers of Woolworths is undertaken so that
performance of the employees can be improved and the goals set by the organisation in the
markets of UK can be achieved.
Research problem
The issues that has been analysed in Woolworths is the decline in the productivity due
to the under performance of the employees. The employees are entirely depended on the
leaders and the guidance provided by the leaders. The research is conducted keeping in mind
the effectiveness of the leadership styles and its impact of the performance of the employees
in Woolworths. The leadership that is seen in Woolworths is the managerial practise that
affects the employees directly and is related to the chain of commands so that goals of the
organisation can be attained (Woolworths group 2018).
Research aim
The aim of the research is to identify the effectiveness of leadership strategies that are
adopted by Woolworths so that it can improve the performance of the employees. Leadership
and employee performance are important particularly in an area outside the host country. The
research takes into consideration the nature of employee productivity in the UK market of
Woolworths and the manner in which leadership can help in improving the market. Hence,
the objectives are based on the effectiveness of the strategic management that is undertaken
by the company.
Research objective
The research objective includes:
 To assess the meaning and concept of leadership

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 To identify the impact of different leadership style on the performance of the
employees working in Woolworths, UK
 To recommend strategies to improve the leadership in order to enhance the
performance of the employees
Research question
The research question includes:
 What is the meaning and concept of leadership?
 What are the impacts of different leadership style on the performance of the
employees working in Woolworths, UK?
 What recommended strategies can be provided to improve the leadership in order to
enhance the performance of the employees?
Structure of the research
The research set up an introduction, which helps in analysing the purpose as well as
the problems related to the topic. The aim, objective and research question related to
conducting the research are described so that the significance of the research can be
understood. The second part of the research is the literature review section, which helps in
identifying theories and models that are related to the research topic. Scholarly articles are
analysed in the section. The methodology section describes the methods used for conducting
the research and the research tools and techniques that are suitable for the research are
developed. Findings from the methods used are described so that a proper conclusion can be
reached which can help in accomplishing the purpose of the research. The limitations are
stated and recommendation to the researched company is provided.

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Literature review
Introduction
The section conducts an analysis of the works of reputed scholars that help in
understanding the topic of the research. The literature review can usually provide ideas about
the theoretical concepts that can be used for the successful completion of the research. In this
case the concepts related to leadership is analysed and the impact it has on the productivity of
the employees are identified. The literature review focuses to address the research questions
and analyse the gaps so that the research can be conducted in a proper manner and the
purpose of the research can be reached.
Concept of leadership
Bass and Bass (2009) stated that leadership is a method by which individuals provide
a sense of direction, implement plans and motivate people so that they can work effectively
as a team. The experience possessed by the leaders provides them with an opportunity to
impart a sense of teamwork and guide the individuals to maintain the goals stated by the
organisation. As stated by Cherry (2018) leadership helps to inspire workers so that higher
levels of teamwork can be formed and at the same time, ensue that continuous functioning of
the organisation takes place. Leadership is said to be an acquired trait and at that, people are
not born with the quality.
However, Dininni (2017) is of the opinion that leadership can be a natural thing as
well as some people are born with the charismatic style that helps in the development of
leadership. One of the characteristic of a good leader is the fact that they work continuously
for the betterment of the team and in the process gain experience so that they can be of
assistance to the team members. The leadership skills can improve by admiring the leadership

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qualities and at the same time implying it for the development of the team in which they work
in.
Popli and Rizvi (2015) are of the opinion that leadership is a process by which people
can influence one another so that objective set by the individuals or the organisation can be
achieved. Leaders help in directing organisations in such a way that it helps in making the
concept more cohesive as well as coherent. A group of individuals can be influenced by the
leaders so that objectives set by an organisation can be achieved and help in the development
of potential leaders for the future progress of the organisations. As stated by Daniel (2002) is
of the opinion that the leaders tend to influence people so that mission can be accomplished.
Leadership can be considered as an inspiration that helps other to pursue the vision
with the set parameters so that it becomes a shared effort, shared vision and shared success of
an organisation as well as the employees working in it. According to Gabzhalilov (2015),
leadership can also help in influencing people so that maximum effort can be made for the
achievement of the goals set by the people. Knowledge and skills required for gaining
attribution of the employees is one of the most important aspects that leaders can undertake in
the organisation. It is essential that leaders and followers maintain communication with one
another so that proper flow of information can take place.
Heneman and Gresham (2000) is of the opinion that it is important for every
organisation to ensure that a proper leader is influenced so that it can influence the team in
making decisions in the organisations. Therefore, it is important for every leader to take into
consideration the factors that help in maintaining the beliefs, values and ethical consideration
of the employees. As observed by Mohammed and Hagi (2015) knowledge and skills plays
an effective role in the leadership process and based on the attributes the leaders can learn the

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required skills for the development of a team and provide influence of the team members in
the company.
Effectiveness of the styles of leadership
As stated by Moorad (2017) the leadership styles can help in influencing the group
members in trying to work towards the goals and objectives of an organisation. Therefore, the
leadership styles adopted by the leaders need to reflect the capability they posses as well as
provide an idea about the personality of the people. The leadership styles can vary depending
upon the capabilities of the employees and the manner in which they can influence the
functioning of the company (Nebel 2003). The leadership styles and the effectiveness it has
on the employees in order to improve their performance is stated:
Autocratic leadership: Brenneman (2018) is of the opinion that autocratic leadership
does not concern the opinion of the employees and instead makes decisions that help in the
progress of the organisation by forcing employees to abide by the decisions. The employees
or the group members are neither considered nor consulted before making any decisions that
may change the functioning of the organisation. Hence, this form of leadership is considered
as rarely effective as the motivation factor of the employees are jeopardised and employees
are compelled to work under the decisions that an enforced upon them. As stated by
Chambers (2015) the adoption of this style of leadership usually results in the loss of
employees and therefore many organisations and leaders avoid it.
Democratic leadership: Craig and Snook (2014) stated that the democratic leadership
style is the opposite of the autocratic leadership style. In this form of leadership style,
decisions regarding the organisation or the team are made taking the consent of the
employees or group members. The input of ideas provided by each team member is taken into
consideration and every employee is treated equally. As pointed out by Drucker (2014) the

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application of democratic style of leadership is common among the leaders as it can help in
maintaining the effectiveness of the employees and motivate them to continue to work in a
professional manner. The resemblance of the leadership style reflects the manner in which
decisions are taken in company board meetings.
Laissez faire: This form of leadership is considered as the least effective form of
leadership style. According to George et al. (2017), the laissez faire provides leaders with an
opportunity to direct the authority towards the employees. Leaders do not concern themselves
with the decisions and allow employees with the freedom to continue work without work or
supervision. This form of leadership style may have a negative impact in either form as such
decision may lead to the loss for organisations and limit the opportunity of growth for the
leaders as well as group members. Hence, it is important that such a leadership style be not
used frequently in the organisations.
Strategic leadership: Strategic leaders sit at the intersection that displays the main
operation of a company as well as provide it with growth opportunities. As stated by
Goleman (2013) the leaders accept the burden of executive interest while ensuring that the
current manner in which the organisation maintains its works is effective. This particular
style is commonly applied in organisations mainly because thinking a strategic manner can
help companies to execute the plans properly and achieve the goals. However, as observed by
Kavadias, Ladas and Loch (2016) it can be difficult for leaders that work in this manner to
control every employee and ensure that the demands made by them are met.
Transformational leadership: Transformational leadership is sometimes effective in
organisations as the main aim of the leadership strategy is to continuously make improvement
and change the working habit of the people. Antonakis and Day (2017) is of the view that the
transformational leadership may provide employees with an instability in the organisation as

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the basic set of tasks and goals remain same but the manner in which one need to achieve it
changes. This type of leadership style is encouraged mainly for the growth of the organisation
and for the motivation of the employees. However, the risk remains in the fact that the
learning curve of the employees may be lost to the application of this form of leadership.
Factors affecting leadership
As stated by Bolman and Deal (2017) several factors contribute to the effective
application of leadership in an organisation. The argument about the natural abilities of
leaders along with the acquired abilities of the leaders can be understood by the factors that
contribute for the development of leadership within an individual. It is necessary to
understand the factors as it may be out of control once the leaders engross itself in the
management of the employees as well as in achieving the goals of an organisation. Some of
the factors that contribute towards the development of the leadership in an organisation
include:
Experience: According to Cashman (2017), experience can be considered as a
primary factor that affects leadership. Without experience, about good events and bad it can
be difficult for individuals to impart the knowledge and skill required for the development of
a proper leadership within an organisation. Experiences acquired by the leaders in the past
provide an opportunity for establishing proper and necessary skills required for improving the
condition of the employees. The experiences of the leaders are required to make difficult
decisions and therefore it is required that the individual selected as the leader is well
experienced in situations that can help them while making tough decisions or implementing
strategies in an organisation (Daft 2014).
Personality: Most of the times substitutes for natural characteristics cannot be made
as the individual chosen as the leader possess abilities or habits that are attributed to their

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personality. In this regard, a relation can be made with the effective application of leadership
styles in a way that the styles adopted by an individual is mainly based on the characteristic
they posses and the personality that they have. As stated by DuBrin (2015) it is essential that
leaders remain motivated so that they can provide the same to the employees. Apart from
this, leaders also need to be practical so that spontaneous decisions can be made. Hence, it
can be said that the personality of the leaders plays an important role for the effective choice
of style and the manner in which it can help in the development of the performance of the
employees in an organisation.
Employee roles: The roles of the employees are important for the development of an
organisation as well as the group. It is necessary that the roles of the employees be defined so
that they can understand their position in the organisation and make valuable contribution to
the success of the organisation. Fairhurst and Connaughton (2014) is of the opinion that
employees have varying level of maturity and it is important that the maturity level be
understood and comprehended so that continuing with the improvement of the organisation
can take place. It is the duty of the leaders to identify the characteristics of the employees so
that the roles can be designated and progress towards the development of an organisation
takes place.
Organisational culture: Goleman (2017) is of the opinion that the culture of an
organisation is the foundation that is made during its establishment. It is difficult to change
the culture of an organisation as it is long-held information and the systems that are designed
with the organisational culture represent the image of the company and the brand. Therefore,
it is the duty of the leaders to ensure that the culture of the organisations is kept intact so that
the image does not be downgraded. The rituals and routines that are established at the initial
stage need to be kept in mind before making any type or changes in the functioning of the
organisations. This particular factor can be best applied for the leaders engaged in

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transformational style so that continuous changes do not hamper the culture of the
organisations.
Link of literature with the research questions
The literature review provided an analysis of the concept of leadership along with the
style and the factors. The analysis of the literature review can be linked with the research
question in the sense that the purpose of the research can be addressed from the analysis of
the literature review. It has been seen that leadership is an important concept and despite its
variable definitions from the scholars, it holds an effective position in the strategic
management of an organisation. Thereby the link with the research question can be proved
with the analysis of the concept of the leadership. At the same time, the leadership styles and
its impact can be analysed from the literature review. This can be related with Woolworths
and the impact that a choice of style may have on the productivity of the employees. Analysis
of the effectiveness along with the suitable choice can be recommended to the company and
the relation of it can be made with the research question based on recommendation. Hence, it
can be said that the issue of leadership that Woolworths has in its organisation can be
mitigated with the application of proper leadership style. Hence, the link with the research
question can be justified.
Gaps in the literature
The analysis of the effectiveness of the leadership styles are based on the scholarly
articles that were developed by experiences of these authors. However, with the change in
capacity of business and the rapid changes that business undergoes in the modern world there
are few gaps that need to be mitigated. One such gap is the fact that in the modern days, most
leaders are spontaneous in the decision-making process and therefore, adopt a mixed style of
leadership that combines defining characteristics of each type. This helps in developing a
sense of dominance over the employees by providing them with the required freedom

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Leadership
Factors
Styles
Autocratic
Democratic
Strategic Laissez Faire
Transformational
Experience
Personality Organisational
culture
Employee roles
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necessary for making decisions regarding the organisation. Such an effective mode of
leadership was absent in the early years of the development of the strategy.
Conceptual framework
Figure: Conceptual framework
(Created by author)
Summary
The analysis of the literature review shows that leadership is important in order to
develop the competence of the employees. It is necessary for every organisation to maintain
an appropriate leadership style that can help it to motivate the employees and improve the
performance. The link with the research questions help the research to remain within the
topic and therefore, it can be said that further progress of the research can be done in a proper
manner. The next section analyses the methods that can be used for the completion of the
research in a proper manner.

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Methodology
Overview of the research methodology
As stated by Treiman (2014), the research methodology can be mainly if three types
that help in identifying the proper research that needs to be conducted for completing the
project. The common types of research methodologies that are used by the researcher are the
research philosophy, research design and research approach. According to Taylor, Bogdan
and DeVault (2015), the research philosophy can be divided into three types that include the
positivism philosophy, interpretivism philosophy and pragmatic philosophy. The positivism
philosophy assists by providing information about the research. The interpretivism
philosophy assists in finding out relevant information related to the research. The pragmatic
philosophy is a mixture of the other two philosophies. For this research, positivism
philosophy had been considered.
The research design consists of descriptive design and exploratory design. The
descriptive design provides an opportunity to verify the topic so that analysis can be made to
link with the research question. While on the other hand, Flick (2015) is of the opinion that
exploratory design helps in conducting investigation on the responses provided by the sample
participants. For this research, the descriptive research design had been used. Finally, the
research approach consists of the inductive and deductive approach. As stated by Lampard
and Pole (2015) the inductive approach consists of applying models and relevant theories that
are associated with the research. The deductive approach helps in analysing the theories and
relates it with the research questions. This particular research was conducted using deductive
approach so that relevant theories on leadership can be analysed.

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Nature of research methods
According to McCusker and Gunaydin (2015), the research approach is based on the
research methods that are necessary for the successful completion of the project. Three types
of researches are taken into consideration by the researchers so that the research can be
completed successfully. The three approaches include quantitative, qualitative and mixed
approach. As stated by Neuman and Robson (2014) the quantitative approach is associated
with the primary collection of data taken directly from the participants. The process involves
analysing the data using a survey or an interview method where the responses of the sample
size are analysed (Mertens 2014).
The qualitative approach consists of the secondary data, which are obtained from
books, journals and websites. The qualitative approach takes into consideration the analysis
of thematic data. According to Bernard (2017), the mixed approach consists of analysing data
by the application of both quantitative and qualitative methods. For this research, the
application of the mixed analysis is taken in which interview method as well as thematic
analysis is conducted.
Sampling method
The sample size that is identified for analysing the research consists of the managers
of Woolworths. The interview method is considered so that the quantitative data analysis can
be conducted. Brannen (2017) stated that the opinion be two types of sampling method can be
used which includes the probabilistic sampling and the non-probabilistic sampling. The
probabilistic sampling method provides every participant in the sample size with an
opportunity to be selected for the research. On the other hand, the non-probabilistic sampling
method selects the participants based on criteria and every people does not hold equal
opportunity. For the research, the sampling technique that can be used is the simple random
sampling technique so that opportunity can be provided to the participants without any

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biasness. The analysis of the mixed research is done using non-probabilistic sampling
method.
Data collection method
The data for the research was collected by conducting interview of the managers of
Woolworths. As stated earlier the mixed method has been used for the collection of the data
thereby it includes both interview as well as thematic analysis of the data. The three managers
were questioned based on the research topic and the questions were related to the research
aim and questions that were set at the initial stage. The thematic analysis was conducted
using the related themes based on leadership.
Analysis of data
As stated by Davies and Hughes (2014) the analysis of data is usually done by sources
that depend upon the collection of data that are obtained from various sources. For primary
data, analysis is done of the surveys so that the responses can be collected and calculated
using tools like mean score and frequency distribution. However, for secondary data,
thematic analysis is done that are related with the topic. For this research purpose, thematic
analysis is undertaken along with the interview method so that the research can progress
efficiently.
Ethical considerations
The ethical consideration conducted for the research helps in preserving the secrecy of
the data and allows the research to continue without any hindrance. The rules stated in the
Data Protection Act 1998 are followed while collecting the data. The managers of
Woolworths were approached and a consensual agreement was made so that future
complication regarding the information gathered does not occur. At the same time, breach of

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privacy has been managed while collecting the data. During the interview method, the
participants were not forced to provide their opinion about the matter.
Findings
The research findings are done by taking using a mix methodology that consists of the
interview method as well as the thematic analysis method. The findings of the two methods
are provided below.
Interview method:
What in your opinion is leadership and how can it be implied?
Manager 1 Manager 2 Manager 3
Leadership is a process that
is adopted by an individual in
order to inspire a group of
people so that the
organisational objectives and
aims can be achieved. A
common goal is set up and an
individual is appointed as the
leader so that they can
influence the team members
Leadership is an act of
inspiring new employees to
continue to chase their vision
by keeping in mind the
organisational objective. It is
necessary to implement
leadership in an organisation
by appointing the most
experienced candidate to take
charge of a group of new
people so that they can be
well acquainted with the
policies of the organisation
Leadership is a process of
social influence that helps in
maximising the efforts put in
by other employees.
Implementation of leadership
tactics can be made by
ensuring a person with the
correct temperament is
appointed as the leader for
encouraging the people

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What leadership style do you adopt in your organisation to enhance productivity of
employees?
Manager 1 Manager 2 Manager 3
The leadership style adopted
is the democracy style so that
every employee can be
provided with the
opportunity to make their
decisions known about the
changes that need to be made
in the organisations. This
helps in motivating the
employees, as they feel
recognised in the
organisation
We do not adopt any one
particular leadership style
because it is important to
take spontaneous actions as
per the situation at hand.
Thereby, employees are
rewarded for their good work
and at the same time
reprimanded for any wrong
actions. Decisions made are
discussed with the employees
Employees are not
considered in the decision
making process as it is
believed that decisions
regarding the welfare of the
organisation needs to be
taken by experienced people
with authority. The
employees do not pose such
authority and thereby
adoption of autocratic
leadership style is best suited
for the organisation
What changes can you make in approaching employees in enhancing their productivity?
Manager 1 Manager 2 Manager 3
The employees enjoy the
working condition that is
provided and thereby no such
changes need to be made that
may help in motivating them.
The employees can be
provided with a proper
objective so that they can
work towards it. At the same
time they can be provided
The employees can be
allowed to provide feedback
about any changes or
decisions that are made by
the company. This can help

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Having said this, the
employees can be provided
with an opportunity to lead in
the absence of the original
leader so that a practical
experience of the concept can
be gained
with an opportunity to
appraise their performance
and leaders need to respond
to the queries posed by them
regarding any matter
in making the employees feel
valuable and consequently
may improve the
performance level
Thematic analysis:
Theme 1: Factors that affect leadership in an organisation
A bunch of factors that may be affecting the leadership styles can be because of the
internal factors of an organisation as well as the external factors. As stated by Wendy et al.
(2016) leadership need to be based on the personality of the individuals so that the
application of the style provides an idea about the individual. Personality of the individuals
contributes a long way in gaining the effectiveness of the employees and enhancing their
productivity. For an organisation, that has poor leadership quality it is necessary that the
personality of the people involved be taken into consideration so that a proper leader is
chosen that can help in mitigating the standard.
Apart from this, it has been evidenced that leadership also requires to understand the
roles of the employees. As stated by Tourish (2014) defining a proper role for the employees
can help in understanding the potential that they possess. This can help leaders to identify the
capabilities of the employees and based on it inspiration can be provided to enhance the
working condition. Hence, it can be said that the factors play a significant role in the
development of a leader as well as enhancing the productivity made by the employees.

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Theme 2: Effectiveness of leadership styles for motivating employees
The leadership styles are normally adopted based on the personality of the
individuals. However, Renz and Herman (2016) observed that leadership styles can also be
used as a method of motivation as the level of involvement of the employees contribute
towards the development of the motivation. Therefore, it can be said that every leadership
style is an effective way of contributing towards the development of employees. It has been
evidenced that not all of the leadership styles provides the opportunities for employees to take
part in decision-making activities. Hence, it is necessary that leadership styles that allow
employees to do so be adopted by organisations so that employees can be made to feel as an
important part of the organisations. Sanders (2017) are of the opinion that the adoption of
democratic style can help in the development of employee motivation in an organisation.
Theme 3: Changes in the leadership styles that can help in the development of effective
employee performance
As stated by Komives (2016) maintaining changes in organisations is an important
factor that needs to be undertaken for the development of an employee. The leadership styles
that are undertaken in an organisation also need to be changed so that development of the
effective employee performance can be take place. However, at times it is seen that changes
in the leadership style alone may not help in the development of employee efficiency in an
organisation. DuBrin (2015) is of the opinion that leaders need to be supportive irrespective
of the style adopted so that the employees can be guided properly. The employees sometimes
consider involvement in decision-making activities as secondary factors. However, getting
the proper guidance in order to enhance the quality of work is a primary activity that every
leader needs to take into consideration so that employees can be motivated and issues within
the team can be mitigated.

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Discussions
Triangulating qualitative and quantitative findings
The mixed methodology has provided an idea about the manner in which the research
can be conducted in a successful manner. The analysis of the interview conducted of the
managers and the thematic analysis that has been done provides an idea about the impact of
leadership in an organisation and the manner in which it can help in enhancing the
performance of the employees. At stated in the introduction, the main problem of
Woolworths is the falling standard of the leadership that has a negative impact on enhancing
the workability of the employees. Thereby the analysis of the themes has provided an idea
about the factors that may help in the development of proper leadership styles.
It has been seen from the interview that the managers vary in their concept of
leadership. However, a common theme is that leaders need to be experience and help in
guiding the employees so that organisational objectives can be attained. This particular
research question can be related to the factors that affect employee enhancement. It has been
seen that employees need to be given proper time and the leaders need to ensure that the
personality they possess help in providing the employees with the required guidance of work.
Therefore, it can be said that the analysis of the themes as well as the interview provides an
idea about the manner in which leadership can be used to enhance the performance of the
work.
The relation can be made with Woolworths in a way that the third managers of
Woolworths believe that employees need to be involved in the decision-making activity. The
first manager who is of the opinion that the ideas of the employees can help them be better
leaders does not support this statement. At the same time the second manager is of the
opinion that leadership styles need to be flexible depending upon the situation at hand. This

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particular interview session can be related to the thematic analysis in which it is seen that
leadership styles acts as a motivation for the employees.
Without a proper style, it can be difficult to connect with the employees and provide
them with the required support. In the case of Woolworths, the leaders need to ensure that
motivational factors and leadership are managed comprehensively so that they can aid in the
development of the capabilities of the employees. The leadership adopted in Woolworths
need to confirm the fact that every employee be given the proper guidance so that they can
maintain their interest in the work. Relation can be made with the analysis of the concept of
leadership in which the managers of Woolworths agreed that leaders need to be the guide
behind the development of new employees in an organisation.
Therefore, it can be said that the recommended changes that can be associated with
the adoption of leadership styles provides an understanding of the factors that is associated
with the motivation of the employees. The thematic analysis showed that the employees
require guidance and support from the leaders more than being able to be involved in
decision-making. In this regard, relation can be made with the statement made by the second
manager in which it has been stated that leaders need solve the queries of the employees.
Such a change can bring about improvement in the working conditions of the employees in
Woolworths and it can provide them with an idea about the type of leadership that can be
followed within the workplace. Hence, it can be said that the thematic analysis as well as the
interview method is suitable for conducting the research and meeting its research questions.
Comparing findings with literature review
The literature review can be related with the findings after considering the mixed
analysis. The literature review provides an understanding of the contributions made by the
scholars so that leadership and employee performance can be related. The factors as well as

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the styles that contribute towards the development of an efficient employee are well provided
in the literature review. In this regard, it can be said that the factors such as personality and
the roles of the employees is important for the development of effective working strategy of
the employees. Every leader need to consider the styles based on the capabilities of the
employees so that the best results can be brought about.
For an organisation like Woolworths, adoption of a suitable leadership style can bring
about an improvement in the performance of the employees as the effectiveness of the style
may force employee to comply with the organisational policies. Changes in the leadership
style adopted by the individuals can bring about a motivation factor for the employees. The
thematic analysis and the interview of the managers have provided an idea about the
effectiveness that leadership provide in motivating employees. Hence, it can be said that
employee capability can be enhanced by taking into consideration the factors that affect the
leadership styles. Therefore, it can be said that a proper link is made between the literature
review as well as the results of the findings developed from the mixed analysis method.
Linking with research questions
Research question 1: What is the meaning and concept of leadership?
The analysis of the interview as well as the themes related to the research has
provided a comprehensive idea about the concept of leadership. During the interview method,
it had been seen that the three managers of Woolworths had provided varied accounts of the
concept of leadership, however one of the common areas of agreement is the fact that leaders
need to guide and support employees so that they can be developed in the organisation. The
thematic analysis and the literature review have managed to prove the importance of support
of the leaders in trying to enhance the productivity of the employees working in Woolworths,

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UK. Hence, it can be said that the link between the research questions with the interview, the
thematic analysis and the literature review has been successful in this case.
Research question 2: What are the impacts of different leadership style on the
performance of the employees working in Woolworths, UK?
Leadership styles can bring about a sense of motivation as well as discourage
employees while trying to work in an organisation. In the case of the employees working in
Woolworths, UK the performance of the employees can be improved by adopting suitable
leadership style. The literature review provides an idea about the effectiveness of each of the
leadership style. The interview and the thematic analysis support the fact that proper
leadership style can provide motivation to the employees so that they can enhance their
capabilities in the organisations. Therefore, it can be said that the link between the research
question, thematic analysis, literature review as well as the interview is successful in this
case.
Research question 3: What recommended strategies can be provided to improve the
leadership in order to enhance the performance of the employees?
The recommended changes that Woolworths can undertake in cases like this is that it
can ensure that motivation of the employees through the adoption of proper leadership
technique is provided so that the objective of the organisation can be reached. The analysis of
the interview suggests that the managers of Woolworths do not agree about the involvement
of employees in the decision-making system of the organisation. At the same time, the
literature review as well as the thematic analysis suggests that it is important that leaders
perform the basic duties of supporting the employees irrespective of the choice of style that is
adopted. Hence, it can be said that the researcher has met the research question partially in
this case.

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Recommendations
Recommendations can be made keeping in mind the analysis of the interview and the
themes as well as the condition of Woolworths. It has been seen the impact of leadership on
Woolworths is a major concern as the company has failed to generate the best quality of
performance from the employees. Hence, it can be said that the best solution for Woolworths
in terms of applying leadership in the organisations is the fact that it can adopt the democratic
style that provides employees with an opportunity to be involved in the decision-making
activities of the organisation. Although the interview showed that, the third manager of
Woolworths was against such a policy and the first manager was of the view that the
employees are happy with the work, the application of this leadership style is important for
the development of the organisation and to ensure that the quality of work of the employees
improve.
At the same time, another recommendation can be made based on the motivation of
the employees. It is necessary that the leaders of Woolworths motivate the employee not only
by engaging them in decision-making activities but along with it to provide the employees
with proper guidance and support. Such a recommendation is supported from the analysis of
the third theme which states that the leaders need to fulfil the basic duties as the employees
expect guidance from them. It is also a recurring opinion that is made by the managers so that
the new employees can be provided with guidance by experienced individuals.
Another recommendation that can be made is the fact that the individual chosen as the
leader need to have the experience as well possess the temperament of leadership. This is
supported by the interview of the second and third manager in which they have stated that the
leaders need to be experienced and bold to guide the employees. The experience factor of the
leaders is also supported by the analysis of the literature review. Hence, application of this
particular recommendation can help Woolworths to address its issue.

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Limitations and conclusion
Limitations of the research
The research limitations it was conducted using mix methodology and therefore
proper analysis of either of the two types of research analysis were not implemented. Focus
needed to be provided on both the research types so that the research can be completed in a
successful manner. It was difficult to contact the managers as Woolworths is a popular store
and making appointments with the managers seemed as a problem for the researcher. At the
same time, gaining access to different information using websites was difficult mainly
because Woolworths does not publish confidential information at the website. Information
about the research was not easily available over the internet and therefore, it became a
problem for the researcher. It can be said that without the existence of these limitations the
research could have been conducted in a proper manner.
Conclusion of the research
The conclusion of the project can be done made by keeping in mind the results
derived from the analysis of the interview, themes and the literature review. It has been seen
that in order to maintain the effectiveness with which Woolworths can improve the
productivity of the employees they need to ensure that leaders perform the duty that is
expected from them. At the same time, the employees need to trust the leaders and continue
to make changes in the type of work so that they can remain effective in the organisation. The
analysis has shown that mixed opinion have been provided about the employees being
involved in the decision-making process. However, in the modern world, spontaneous
decision taken by the leaders can help in avoiding such circumstances and a flexible manner
can be adopted to implement leadership styles.

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