The document discusses the impact of leadership on employee performance at KFC UK. It finds that while KFC provides leadership programs to improve skills of top employees, long working hours and rude attitudes of senior staff create dissatisfaction and negatively impact performance. The researcher used interviews and surveys to collect primary data from KFC managers and employees to evaluate the effect of leadership strategies on performance. The findings showed that leadership programs increased support and guidance, but working conditions need to be improved through reducing hours and improving management attitudes to further enhance employee performance.

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IMPACT OF LEADERSHIP ON THE PERFORMANCE OF THE EMPLOYEES

2. 2
ABSTRACT
For improving the technical skills and efficiency of the employees, leadership strategies of
organizations play a vital role. Effective leaders in organizations encourage employees and it
positively influences their job performance. Hence, the study evaluated the impact of
leadership on employee performance by analyzing the case of KFC, UK.
KFC is a leading fast food company in UK, which offers effective leadership programs for its
top level employees in order to improve their leadership skills as it directly influence the job
performance of the employees. However, a large number of employee complaints about the
rude attitude of KFC’s senior staffs and long working hours at KFC created employee job
dissatisfaction and it adversely affected the employee performance. Thus the study critically
investigated the effectiveness of leadership of KFC on enhancing performance of
employees.
Explanatory research design, positivism philosophy and deductive approach were used by
the researcher for understanding the link between leadership and employee performance.
Various online and printed sourced were reviewed by the researcher for collecting
secondary data. By conducting an interview with manager and survey with employees of
KFC, researcher collected primary information inqualitative and quantitative forms,
respectively. For evaluating the collected quantitative data, the researcher used descriptive
analysis method. From the study, it was understood that Graduate Leadership Program
(GLP), Above Restaurant Leaders (ARLS), etc. were implemented by KFC for improving the
leadership skill of the top level employees. Effective support and guidance from the
management enhanced the employee performance to a great extent. However, long
working hours, rude attitude of the senior staffs, ineffective working environment, etc.
created employee job dissatisfaction and it adversely affected their job performance.
Thus,the researcher suggested for the improvement of management’s attitude towards
employee, reduction in work pressure, effective working environment, etc. for enhancing
employee performance.

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Contents
ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................. 2
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................. 6
1.0 Introduction................................................................................................................. 6
1.1 Research Background................................................................................................... 6
1.2 Rationale for choosing the research topic .................................................................... 7
1.3 Aim of the investigation and related objectives ........................................................... 7
1.4 Research questions...................................................................................................... 8
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW.......................................................................................... 9
2.0 Introduction................................................................................................................. 9
2.1 Leadership ................................................................................................................... 9
2.2 Leadership development at the workplace .................................................................. 9
2.3 Performance of employees........................................................................................ 10
2.4 The style of leadership and the performance of the employees................................. 11
2.5 Leadership and impact on employees........................................................................ 11
CHAPTER 3: RESERACH METHODOLOGY.............................................................................. 14
3.0 Introduction............................................................................................................... 14
The Researcher adopts a variety of methodological schemes for accomplishing this work
and it includes the research approaches, strategies, philosophies, data collection, analysis,
etc. The strategic techniques used for completing the current investigation and the basis
for selecting each scheme are explained in this third chapter of the investigation
document........................................................................................................................ 14
3.1 Research Philosophy.................................................................................................. 14
3.2 Research Approach.................................................................................................... 14
3.3 Research Design......................................................................................................... 15
3.4 Research Strategy ...................................................................................................... 16

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3.5 Data Collection .......................................................................................................... 16
3.6 Samples and Sampling Strategy ................................................................................. 17
3.7 Data Analysis Plan...................................................................................................... 17
3.8 Accessibility, Reliability, Validity and Ethics................................................................ 17
CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION............................................................ 18
4.1 Introduction............................................................................................................... 18
4.2 Qualitative analysis.................................................................................................... 18
4.3 Quantitative analysis.................................................................................................. 19
4.4 Identifying gaps ......................................................................................................... 27
4.5 Summary ................................................................................................................... 27
CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS....................................................... 28
5.1 Introduction............................................................................................................... 28
5.2 Conclusions................................................................................................................ 28
5.3 Recommendations..................................................................................................... 29
5.4 Research limitations .................................................................................................. 30
5.5 Recommendations for future studies......................................................................... 30
REFERENCES........................................................................................................................ 31
APPENDIX-1 ........................................................................................................................ 33
APPENDIX-2 ........................................................................................................................ 36

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LIST OF PIE CHARTS
Pie chart 4.1: Gender of the employees ……………………………………………….20
Pie chart 4.2: Age of the employees ……………………………………………….21
Pie chart 4.3: Work experience of the employees ……………………………………..22
Pie chart 4.4: Job performance Vs management support……………………………..23
Pie Chart 4.5: Opinion of employees regarding the leadership strategies applied by KFC
…………………………………………………………………………………………24
Pie Chart 4.6: Factors that mostly influence employee job performance at KFC …..25
Pie Chart 4.7: Major issues confronted by employees at KFC ……………………….26

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CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.0 Introduction
In this first section of the investigation paper, the researcher exemplifies the importance of
research variables in the light of present scenario. This chapter also elaborates the
background for selecting the organization for successfully conducting this particular study.
Additionally, the researcher further describes the aims, goals and research questions
determined to accomplish this work effectively.
1.1 Research Background
Leadership has emerged as one of the most effective methods for managing organizations
as well as employees. It has gained high popularity in recent years. According to the studies
of Mintzberg (2010), leadership can be defined as the ability to inspire others, to make
sound decisions for better performanceand to resolve various issues. Hence, development
of an efficient company management that cultivates productive leaders, who are capable of
bringing about effective communication, self-motivation, high manpower-potential and
fewerambiguitieshas become a necessity since all these factors collectively lead to the
enhancement ofprofit of companies. A good and efficient leader must also be good at
understanding and rectifying the issues in such a way that it does not affect employees and
should be competent to meet the needs of the organization, state Iqbal, Anwar and Haider
(2015). The administration plays a key role in determining the effectiveness of leadership as
well as its style and it also determines the performance criteria, which in turn has an effect
on employee performance mainly due to improper guidance in managing the daily routines,
determines Nanjundeswaraswamy and Swamy (2014).The effect of leadership on employee
performance has been the topic of research for many researchers (Iqbal, Anwar and Haider,
2015).
One of the most popular fast-food chains of UK, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) has 18,875
outlets to its credit, internationally. Although KFC has been recognized as one of the best
organizations in the UK and has also obtained Britain’s Top Employer honor, consecutively
for three years (Jacobs, 2014). It currently faces certain issues associated with employee
performances. The customer grievances reported by Wildman (2016) and Tripadvisor (2015)
point to these facts. The reports reflected the lack of proper management, employee

7. 7
training, leadership etc. Therefore, considering all these aspects, the researcher has selected
KFC, UK for investigating the significance of leadership in enhancing employee
performances.
1.2 Rationale for choosing the research topic
This research creates a perfect understanding of the establishment of the link between the
performance of employees and leadership. Furthermore, the style of leadership that can be
adopted in order to increase organisational performance by increasing individual efficiency
is also determined. For this purpose,the researcher has selected KFC, UK- an internationally
recognized organization. Although the company has been honoured with one of the best UK
employers(Jacobs, 2014) and the organization assures efficient training programs to nurture
skillful leaders, the customer reviews regarding its personnel’s efficiency and responsibilities
are contradicting these achievements. The diminution of KFC’s rank, as per Interbrand
(2015) to 75th position and deterioration of KFC sales causing a decline in the company’s
total revenue to $3.95billion (Patnaik, 2016) reveals the reduced customer enticement
towards KFC brand. The reasons for this is cited as the rise in customer complaints regarding
the employees while visiting the KFC (Tripadvisor (2015); Tripadvisor (2013) and also
regarding the dishesprovided by KFC (Wildman, 2016).
These reports mirror the inefficient performances of KFC employees and thedeficiency of an
effectual management to lead them. According to Glassdoor (2014), the employees’
complaintindicates the improper guidance from the management side of the KFC and also,
the poor management skills of the company. Hence, strategies to implement leadership
programme and to develop efficient organizers have become a necessity at KFC. Thus,
adopting fruitful means to cultivate leadership qualities among personnel’s and to
encourage them for enhancing performance efficiency of the employees would accordingly
improve the brand name and reputation of the organization. By, considering these aspects,
the researcher has selected KFC, UK for investigating the working title of this study.
1.3 Aim of the investigation and related objectives
This research aims to assess the extent to which the leadership style and type impact the
performance of the employees.
The objectives of this study are;

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 To assess the role of management and leadership in increasing productivity and
the performances of the employees
 To investigate the importance of the relationship between the leaders and the
employees in an organisational context
 To suggest the ways a suitable leadership model can be built for the
improvement of the employee performance
1.4 Research questions
The set of questions formulated by researcher in order to assess the various objectives for
accomplishing this work are the following:
 Is there any link between the leadership and the performance of the employees?
 In what way the performance of the employees is linked to the technical skills of the
leaders?
 Is there any direct relationship between the interpersonal and the conceptual skills
of the leaders and the performance of the employees?

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CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.0 Introduction
This second chapter of the research investigation comprises of a detailed literature study
regarding the working title. The diverse facets of the research variables and the association
between them are investigated here. The significance of leadership in influencing employee
performances and its impacts are also discussed in this section.
2.1 Leadership
According to Amagoh (2009),leadership can be explained as the ability to provide
motivations that are inspiring in nature and it is mainly employed for increasing the
employees’ growth and potential.
Epstein and Buhovac (2014) mention leadership as an aptitude of an individual to influence
a group for the achievement of a common goal. Leaders are individuals in organisationswho
have the authority and power to allot resources, to take decisions regarding the promotion
of employees and assessment of employee performance and in addition, have the power to
put direct and indirect influence on employees (Bass and Bass, 2009).
2.2 Leadership development at the workplace
According to Markos (2010), the knowledge and the skills of leaders cannot be inherited but
can be adopted and formed in the course of the work. Today, leaders are being developed
with the help of coaching and training programmes. The development of leaders requires
both knowledge and actions. Developing leaders include providing opportunities for
learning by being involved in the work and not being detached from the work
front(Mehrabi, et al., 2012). Leadership can be defined as a way that enables the creation of
a new clan and generation of leaders and enables the formation of effective relationships
based on the interaction between a leader and his subordinates (Lajevardi and JamaliNazari,
2011).
For example, the leading fast food company KFC has conducted leadership programs for
improving the leadership skill of the top level management. Effective leadership of the
senior staffs of KFC provides attractive working environment in the company and it
motivates the employees and their performance level (Glassdoor, 2014). However,Patnaik

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(2016) identified that, over work load, improper internal communication and rude attitude
of the managementcreated employee dissatisfaction and hence, it negatively influenced
their job performance.
2.3 Performance of employees
The performances of the employees are directly linked to the performance of the entire
organisation. Organisational performances can be mentioned as the process of obtaining
the social and the organisational goals of the organisation or outperformance of the goals
and the standards that are by the responsibilities being fulfilled in a proper manner(Markos,
2010). For performing in a better way, there is a requirement of working conditions that are
proper and appropriate. This will enable the employees to meet the required conditions of
working and to adopt the right attitude and behaviour needed to deliver their work in a
better way. Supervisory support in the form of leadership is elemental in developing a
commitment by the employees based on their job satisfaction (Gul, et al.,2012). The human
resource management includes leadership as a process of creating an influence over the
followers for the achievement of the required objectives (Amagoh, 2009). The manner in
which the functions of the managers that include planning, directing and staffing directs the
way the work of subordinates are controlled(Amagoh, 2009). If the leader is able to lay
down strategic rational ways for the achievement of the goals of the group, the leader then,
is able to achieve the rational group objectives by creating and encouraging a healthy
atmosphere for the employees (Markos, 2010). A leader needs to possess the techniques
for the proper organisation of the subordinates. Walela and Okwemba (2015) state that the
behaviour of a leader is dependent on the organisational situation and it is a trait, which
cannot be inherited, either. Every individual manager will possess their own natural
leadership style. The style of leadership is dependent on the personality, experience, beliefs
and experience of the individual leader. According toMintzberg, (2010) the most effective
leader is one, who is able to meet the requirements and the needs of his staffs in an
efficient manner, especially in a particular situation that arises within the organisational
context. A manager is someone who possesses the quality to become adaptive by
changingthe prevailing style of leadership,as situation changes (Carsrud and Brannback,
2014). A manager needs to possess an awareness and knowledge about the individual
strength and weaknesses of the subordinates further assesses individual members of the

11. 11
team against the organisational situation that might restrict the performance of the
employees. According toIqbal, Anwar and Haider, (2015) the factor that is important in
attaining success in the organisational context is the flexibility of the leader to adapt the
style, which is suitable for the organisational context and the current scenario. Also, the
style of the leadership should vary by maintaining same leadership style for all individuals
can impact the capability of the team.
2.4 The style of leadership and the performance of the employees
Leadership is managing people in a manner of influencing their performances to make them
work willingly. A leader is a motivator in nature and a persuader and a communicator and a
delegator. The manager who impacts the performance of the employees is a visionary who
foresees what can his team members achieve in future. He is proactive in all his
relationships and shares his visions with the subordinates. According toMintzberg, (2010)
managers are able to create a positive work atmosphere by making sure that the tasks and
objectives should be observed arecommunicated in an effective manner and understood
leading to the quality of work and the satisfaction of the employees. Excellence in
performance is linked to the ability of the people to attract and retain the right kind of
talent and provide subordinates appropriate financial and non-financial rewards that
increase their motivation levels as well as their performances (Markos, 2010).
For example, democratic leadership style is followed by KFC for motivating and encouraging
the employees to perform the tasks more effectively.Through democratic leadership style;
the company is able to consider the opinions and suggestions of the employeesand this
helps the company to offer safe and effective working environment for the employees
(Tripadvisor, 2015).
2.5 Leadership and impact on employees
Leaders require possessing technical skills in order to be able to positively influence the
productivity of the employees. These technical skills include the understanding toward the
organisational concerns and the subject or a particular problem. These skills are of great
value at these enable the leaders to guide the employees and increase their performances
Iqbal (2012). The technical skills form the basis of the motivation and planning of the
employees.

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The conceptual skills of the leaders include their ability to think critically and rationally and
create new ideas. According to Iqbal (2012) these are the skills that enable findings of good
quality and take judgements and have the aptitude to take decisions that are right and in
the benefit of the organisation. It is important to enable the employees to deliver high
performance that the leader has the conceptual skills and understand the functionality of
the organisation.
Interpersonal skills imply that the leader has the information regarding human behaviour
and the people in the organisational team and groups. This skill makes the leaders to
understand the skills and the qualities of the employees and their thoughts and feeling and
being able to respond in the right manner in a particular situation(Oslen, 2011)
The interpersonal skills enable the leader to have the talent to be able to set associations
with the employees that are enjoyable(Nanjundeswaraswamy and Swamy,2014). It enables
the leaders to have the abilities that enable then to create coordination and synchronisation
in the work files(Mumford, et al., 2000). Interpersonal skills also enable the leaders to form
astrong bond with the employees and complete their managerial functions (Iqbal 2012).
Emotional Intelligence also impacts the performance and the productivity of the employees.
The emotional intelligence signifies the extent to which the leader is familiar with the
feelings and the concerns of employees (Iqbal 2012).
EI includes the degree that to which the leader is able to sensibly handle the issues related
to the workforce (Haq, 2011). Leaders by having emotional intelligence can positively affect
the performance of the employees by being able to manage time, make decisions, etc.
Emotional intelligence enables the employees to solve problems arising in the work front
and thereby increase the performance of the workforce.
Social intelligence is also a parameter that enhances the performance of the employees.
Social intelligence increases the quality of the leaders to understand the problems that arise
in the organisation and the need of the workforce. Having behavioural elasticity enables the
employees to cater to the changing needs of the situations (Haq, 2011).
According toBass (2009) the workforce show good performances are rewarded by their
leaders leading to increase in their productivity. Employees are more dedicated and

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devoted to work for a better leader in comparison to working for the organisation (Carsrud
Brannback,2014). This makes the role of the leaders in influencing the productivity of the
employees more important. It is the emotional quality of the employee’s to consider
themselves close to their leaders than the organisation they work for (Epstein and Buhovac,
2014).
For instance, Interbrand (2015)reported that, KFC has provided higher importance for
internal employee promotion and development. For improving the leadership skill of the
restaurant management employees, the company has implemented Graduate Leadership
Program (GLP), introduces capstone for Above Restaurant Leaders (ARLS), etc. ARL Capstone
offers comprehensive development experience for the ARLS and it improves their leadership
skill (Jacobs, 2014). The graduate programme of KFC is highly effective for enhancing the
time management, presentation and leadership skills of the leaders. Effectively trained
leaders of KFC are able to offer effective support, guidance and direction for the employees
and they offer safe and effective working environment. The encouragement and friendly
attitude of the leaders of KFC enhanced the employee motivation and job performance (
Patnaik, 2016). However, Wildman (2016) noted that, long working hours, lack of
accidental security measures andrude attitude of the management created employee
dissatisfaction and it negatively influenced their performance level.

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CHAPTER 3: RESERACH METHODOLOGY
3.0 Introduction
The Researcher adopts a variety of methodological schemes for accomplishing this work and
it includes the research approaches, strategies, philosophies, data collection, analysis, etc.
The strategic techniques used for completing the current investigation and the basis for
selecting each scheme are explained in this third chapter of the investigation document.
3.1 Research Philosophy
In any investigational analysis, a researcher’s ultimate goal is to find elucidations and
confirmations so that facts supporting or contradicting the research queries can be made
known states (Walliman, 2011). However, during the accomplishment of these processes
researcher additionally attains many data and information. These set of details and its
development approaches comprises the research philosophy. As per the study of Collins
(2010), the various categories of philosophical schemes used to accomplish the investigation
are positivism, interpretivism and realism. While the interpretivism approach enhances
subjective analysis, positivism depends on the objective examination of information. In
contrast to these, realism relies on the realistic investigation of data.
In this work, researcher utilizes positivism research philosophy. According to the study of
Aliyu et.al (2014) a positivist researcher objectively analyses the facts collected from
numerous social components and hence, examines the validity and legitimacy of the
hypothesis considered. For this work, the researcher has formulated various postulates that
examine the association between leadership qualities and employee performances. For the
investigative analysis researcher has also chosen KFC organization. Hence by adopting the
positivism research philosophy, researcher thoroughly evaluates the correlation between
the two research variables and thus substantiates association between them. Also taking
into consideration the KFC organizational issues reported, researcher verifies the conformity
of the hypothesis formed and thus, signifies the link between the personal performance and
leadership.
3.2 Research Approach
In association to the research philosophy adopted, a researcher selects suitable research
approach, says Crowther and Lancaster (2009). Hence selection of effective and fruitful

15. 15
research approach is essential in determining the robustness and efficiency of the
investigation conducted. As per the classification provided by Merriam (2014), research
approaches are of two types. In the first type of approach i.e. in the inductive based
technique, the researcher examines, evaluates and critically analyses the facts gathered
from publics and thereby arrived at conclusions and inferences. However on the other hand
in deductive approach with the primary information analysis, researcher investigates the
validity and acceptability of the proposed postulates and hence this technique is extremely
correlated with the positivism research philosophy.
Thus for this work, where the researcher has formulated a sequence of hypothesis and has
adopted positivism philosophy, deductive based research approach is suitable. By using this
technique, comprehensive investigation on the relation between leadership and
performance and the importance of leadership in enhancing the organizations productivity
can be determined. Thus by using this approach, the researcher validates the hypothesis
formed through detailed analysis of primary and secondary details and enabling the
successful accomplishment of this work.
3.3 Research Design
As defined by Babbie (2010) depending on the foundation of research conducted and based
on processes involved explanatory, exploratory and descriptive research design techniques
are available. Of these available schemes, researcher chooses explanatory design technique
for accomplishing this evaluation. Although exploratory and descriptive techniques are
effective for an investigation in describing and exploring facts associated to research
variables (Carsrud and Brannback, 2014), the explanatory approach best expounds the
postulates in concern to existing facts. Hence, in this work to explain the postulates with
regard to the information gathered this approach will be appropriate. Thus using
explanatory approach, the correspondence between the leadership and employee
performance of an organization and its impact on personnel’s productivity can be evaluated.
Furthermore, considering the existing facts regarding KFC organization, the importance of
leadership in enhancing employee performance is investigated and hence using explanatory
design the researcher corroborates the hypothesis.

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3.4 Research Strategy
The various strategic schemes utilized by researchers such as interviews, case studies,
surveys, etc. to find elucidations to research queries and verifications to postulates formed
comprises the research strategy (Panneerselvam, 2014). While surveys and interview
schemes enable researcher in direct information collection, case studies helps in
investigative analysis by comparing the prior and current scenarios. In this work, both
survey and interview strategies are adopted by the researcher, so that both organizational
perspectives as well as employee’s outlooks can be made known. As Saldana (2012) opines
survey enables in information collection from large groups and thus researcher surveys KFC
employees so that their individual opinions regarding the significance of leadership and the
after-effects due to lack of leadership at KFC can be understood. Also employee’s
perspectives regarding the importance of efficient management in developing leaders with
talented skills, social and emotional intelligence and their significance in enhancing
personnel performance can be investigated through survey strategy. Survey questions will
be designed clearly making it convenient for respondents to understand the research
postulates. Researcher also conducts interview with KFC managers so that managemental
attitudes and strategies in developing leadership skills and its effects on employee
performance can be determined. Further, the significance of leadership in improvising
employee productivity can also be evaluated through interview and hence by utilizing both
strategical means, verification of hypothesis can be attained.
3.5 Data Collection
In line to the opinion of Olsen (2011) there are basically two data collection techniques and
for the purpose of this research, both primary and secondary data collection approaches
will be used. The primary data will be gathered by the aid of the questionnaire from the
respondents i.e. via surveys and also by interviews; whereas secondary data is used by
accessing the published sources either online or offline types. Reports, journal, articles,
web-links, etc will be used as secondary resources for accomplishing the detailed literature
review and for preparing interview and survey questions. Primary data collection by
surveying KFC employees and interviewing KFC managers aids to obtain quantitative and
qualitative informations respectively and hence researcher is able to analyse the prevailing
scenarios at organization. Thus by utilizing informations gathered by both means, researcher

17. 17
is able to determine the importance of leadership in influencing employees and their
performances.
3.6 Samples and Sampling Strategy
Although researcher has restricted the work considering a single organization, the
population for this investigation still comprises the entire employees and managers of KFC
at UK. Primary data analysis on this immense population is unfeasible and hence as Flick
(2011) states, researcher selects certain groups using sampling technique. Among the
various categories of probability and non-probability sampling procedures, researcher
adopts probability-simple random sampling strategy so that efficient, reduced error and
impartial selection of samples can be achieved. Researcher selects sample size 31, consisting
1 manager and 30 employees of KFC, UK so that adequate details to understand the
productivity of the employees and its impact on leadership can be obtained. Researcher
visits KFC units at Tottenham Court Road, Praed Street and Finchley Road in UK for
conducting primary data collection.
3.7 Data Analysis Plan
Thorough investigation on the details collected from KFC managers and employees is
attained so that the relation between the research variables: leadership and employee
performance can be evaluated. Thematic analysis of qualitative data and statistical
investigation over quantitative data is used here. Pie charts and tables for statistical
examination is generated using MS Excel tool.
Time and cost constrains limits researcher to investigate only in restricted sample size.
Although considered sample numeral provides sufficient details, increased count would
have enhanced accuracy of this investigation.
3.8 Accessibility, Reliability, Validity and Ethics
In this research, the consent of the participants is obtained beforehand itself. The
anonymity of the participants is a part of the ethical concern of the research and is
protected. The respondents that will be included in this study will be selected randomly. The
research hypothesis is introduced to the respondents who take part in this investigation.

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CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
4.1 Introduction
Primary data collected through conducting individual in-depth interview with manager and
self-administered survey with employees of KFC were discussed and interpreted through
this chapter. Researcher has visited KFC units at Tottenham Court Road, Praed Street and
Finchley Road in UK for conducting primary data collection. Through interview and survey
strategies, the researcher collected qualitative and quantitative data. For analysing the
gathered quantitative data, researcher utilized the descriptive analysis method.
4.2 Qualitative analysis
For collecting the data required for the study the researcher has conducted interview with 1
manger of KFC and the interview results were analyzed by the researcher using thematic
methods of analysis. As a primary step, in order to identify the recurring the themes and
cues the researcher has first transcribed all the data collected from the respondents (the
transcripts of interview is illustrated in Appendix 1 of the study). The themes identified by
the researcher from interview transcripts has been illustrated below under the tags
“importance of leadership”, training programs and leadership and employee performance”.
Importance of leadership
The evidence in transcripts revealed that effective leadership strategy is essential in fast
food sector for coordinating employee to gain competitive advantage. It was also revealed
from interview analysis that leadership strategy motivates employees to perform well in
organization and thereby increasing service quality. Similarly, in literature review Iqbal
(2012) indicated that that effective leadership strategy is essential in motivating employees
to take timely decisions that are right for the benefit of the organisation. This enables
employees to deliver excellent performances for improving service quality of organization.
Hence, it can be deduced that the findings from interview are in line with the findings from
secondary research.
Training programs
From the interview transcripts, it was evident that KFC for enhancing the skills and
performance of employees conducted effective leadership programs such as Graduate

19. 19
Leadership Program (GLP) and capstone for Above Restaurant Leaders (ARLS). Similarly from
the literature review, it was deduced from the findings of Interbrand (2015) that KFC has
given higher importance for internal employee promotion and development and therefore
for improving leadership skills of employees the company has implemented leadership
programs such as Graduate Leadership Program (GLP) and capstone for Above Restaurant
Leaders (ARLS). Therefore it can be inferred that the findings from interview concur with
the findings from secondary research.
Leadership and employee performance
It was evident from interview transcripts that leadership plays pivotal role in enhancing the
performances of employees and also the support from top level management assisted the
employees to perform duties and tasks more effectively. Likewise Haq (2012) in literature
review indicated that effective leadership creates positive effect on employee performances
by enabling them to take timely decisions and manage time effectively. Consequently, it
can be inferred that the findings from interview concur with the findings from secondary
research
Researcher’s interpretation:
While analyzing the above theme, it is evident that leadership strategy in an organization
poses pivotal importance in enhancing the job performances of employees. From the above
theme it is identified that Graduate Leadership Program (GLP) and capstone for Above
Restaurant Leaders (ARLS) are the main leadership programs implemented by KFC to
motivate and encourage employees. From the above themes, it is realized that effective
leadership strategy is essential in motivating employees and thereby to enhance service
quality of organization.
4.3 Quantitative analysis
The quantitative data discussed below is gathered through self-administrated survey
conducted among 30 employees. The survey analysis is categorized under the research
objectives for getting a detailed picture about the findings. The survey data is also analysed
by the researcher with reverence to the data collected from the literature review. The data
is shown in the form of charts and graphs.

20. 20
1. Gender
Pie chart 4.1: Gender of the employees
Source: Created by author
From the above survey it can be concluded that the majority of the employees working in
KFC are males or it could also be that majority of employees who took part in the survey
were males. This could be due to the fact that the company policies and timings are not
quite favorable for women.
2. Age
70%
30%
Gender
Male Female

21. 21
Pie chart 4.2: Age of the employees
Source: Created by author
From the above data it can be understood that 40% of the employees working in KFC or the
number of employees who took part in the survey were below the age group of 25 years.
KFC has been recognized as UK’s one of the best organizations and has obtained Britain’s
Top Employer honour consecutively for three years (Jacobs, 2014), Since the company is
popular of their fast food chain which is attractive to the youth population.
3. How long have you been working with KFC?
40%
30%
20%
10%
Age
Below 25 25 – 40 40 – 60 Above 60

22. 22
Pie chart 4.3: Work experience of the employees
Source: Created by author
It can be concluded that most of the employees have been working with the company for
more than one year which implies that the workers are quite satisfied with their work or it
could also be that the company does not recruit frequently.
4. Is supervisory support from top level management of KFC influence your job
performance?
30%
40%
20%
10%
Work experience of employees
Less than 1 years 1-3 years 4-6 years Above 6 years

23. 23
Pie chart 4.4: Job performance Vs management support
Source: Created by author
Here it is found that most of the employees feel that the job performance is greatly
influenced by the management performance.These reports from the literature review
mirror the inefficient performances of KFC employees and lack of effectual managements
that leads them employee grievances reported in Glassdoor (2014).
5. What is your opinion about the leadership strategies of KFC?
30%
50%
15%
5%
Job performance Vs management support
Highlyinfluenced Influenced Average Not at all influenced

24. 24
Pie Chart 4.5: Opinion of employees regarding the leadership strategies applied by KFC
Source: Created by author
The results obtained from this pie chart show that a majority of the respondents
participated in the survey process found the leadership strategies applied by KFC excellent.
On the other hand, only 10 percent felt the leadership strategies poor or inadequate. From
the pie chart, the researcher understood that a considerable percentage of KFC’s employees
feel the implemented leadership strategies as admirable techniques for enhancing their
performance and competence level. Furthermore, it can be inferred that the leadership
strategies that were adopted by KFC aiming at the enhancement of employee productivity;
thereby an increased sales were paid-off to a great extent.
6. Which among the following factors of KFC mostly influence your job performance?
40%
30%
20%
10%
Employees' opinion about KFC's leadership
strategies
Excellent
Good
Average
Poor

25. 25
Pie Chart 4.6: Factors that mostly influence employee job performance at KFC
Source: Created by author
It can be concluded from the above pie chart is that the support and guidance from top level
management is the key factor that influences job performance of employees at KFC.
However, working atmosphere, consideration to staffs’ requirements and needs and
internal communication were also found important to employees. Moreover, the researcher
was able to understand that the KFC’s top level management’s support and guidance is
essential for enhancing the competence level of customers while involving in various tasks.
After analysing the results attained from the pie chart, the researcher reached at the
inference that the KFC has put a substantial effort in developing the strategies for
encouraging the support and guidance of top level management towards the employees.
As per Tripadvisor (2015), KFC has adopted several programs in order to encourage and
motivate its employees to perform the tasks more efficiently, for instance, democratic
leadership style followed by KFC one among such initiatives. Through democratic leadership
style, the company is able to consider the opinions and suggestions of the employees and
this helps the company to offer safe and effective working environment for the employees.
Based on the results from the survey, it can be assumed that these initiatives of KFC has met
20%
20%
20%
30%
10%
Factors influencing employee job
performance
Working atmosphere
Consideration to staffs’
requirementsand needs
Internalcommunication
Support and guidance from top
level management
Others

26. 26
with good outcomes since majority of the respondents found the support and guidance
from top level management as the chief factor that influences their job performance.
7. What are the major issues faced by the employees of KFC?
Pie Chart 4.7: Major issues confronted by employees at KFC
Source: Created by author
The survey results reveal that the lack of safety measures is the key issue confronted by
majority of the employees at KFC. This concern of the employees has the highest chance to
negatively impact the productivity at KFC. Similarly, long working hours is another area of
concern for KFC’s employees. Therefore, from the above pie chart, the researcher was
capable of understanding the crucial areas that KFC has to improve or adopt while
implementing leadership strategies. Since the lack of proper safety measures was the major
issue, imparting employee-friendly working atmosphere where the employees would feel
both safe and secure to work in could be a considerable approach that KFC can employ.
Avoiding the issues faced by employees would subsequently result in bringing about
enhanced performance and increased profit. By reducing or delimiting the issues of the
employees, KFC can then eliminate all other conflicts at the workplace.
15%
10%
30%
40%
5%
Major issues of KFC employees
Rude attitude of senior staffs
Improper guidance and
directionfrom superiors
Long working hours
Lack of safety measures
Others

27. 27
However, these conclusions are in contrary with some of the views raised by Patnaik (2016)
as according to the author, over work load, improper internal communication and rude
attitude of the management created employee dissatisfaction and it negatively influenced
their job performance. But from the analysis made on the findings of this pie chart, lack of
safety measures is the prime concern of a larger number of employees at KFC than the listed
factors by the author.
4.4 Identifying gaps
 In the literature review, study of Tripadvisor (2015) mentioned that, effective
leadership of KFC helps the company to offer safe and effective working
environment for the employees. However, from the survey analysis, researcher
understood that, lack of safety measures in the organization was the main issue
faced by the employees of KFC. The contradictory views of survey and literature
review findings revealed the gap in the research findings.
 Major portion of the survey participants considered the internal communication in
KFC as effective. However in the literature review, Patnaik (2016) reported that,
improper internal communication in KFC created employee job dissatisfaction and it
adversely affected the employee job performance. The dissimilarities in the findings
show the gaps in the two observations.
 From the interview and survey analysis, researcher identified that, effective
leadership strategies of KFC enhanced the job performance of its employees. But, in
the literature review, study of Patnaik (2016) and Wildman (2016) revealed that, the
long working hours, rude attitude of the management, etc created employee
dissatisfaction and it reduced their job performance. Research findings were
contradicted with existing literature observation and there exists a gap.
4.5 Summary
Through this chapter, the researcher analysed and interpreted the collected qualitative and
quantitative data. For analyzing quantitative data the researcher used descriptive analysis
method and utilized pie charts for portraying the quantitative data findings. From the study,
researcher understood that, leadership directly influenced the employee performance.

28. 28
CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 Introduction
This chapter refers how the findings of the research supported to attain the objectives of
the study. In addition to that suggestions for the particular organization as well as scope for
further research also discussed in this section. Apart from this limitations of the research
were also included in this chapter.
5.2 Conclusions
This section of the chapter concludes the research findings:
H1: There is a link between the leadership and the performance of the employees
From the research study, the researcher understood that, leadership of KFC was directly
linked with the performance of its employees. Effective leadership strategy provides support
and guidance for the employees for performing the job effectively and effective guidance
enhances the employees’ job skills and it improve their job performance. In the literature
review, Glassdoor (2014) Tripadvisor (2015) also explains the direct relation between
leadership and employee performance. So, the researcher identified that the first objective
is true.
H2: The performance of the employees is linked to the technical skills of the leaders in a
directly proportional manner
It was also understood from the study that, technical skills and leadership skills of the
leaders of KFC was directly influenced the performance of the employees. KFC conducted
various leadership programs such as Graduate Leadership Program (GLP), capstone for
Above Restaurant Leaders (ARLS), etc for improving the time management, presentation
and leadership skills of the leaders. Effective guidance from the leaders aided the employees
to enhance the job performance. The studies of Nanjundeswaraswamy and Swamy (2014),
Oslen (2011) and Iqbal (2012) also mentioned that, technical skills of the employee
enhanced the performance of the employees. So, the researcher understood that the
second hypothesis was also true.

29. 29
H3: There is a direct relationship between the interpersonal and the conceptual skills of the
leaders and the performance of the employees
It was understood from the study that, interpersonal and the conceptual skills of the leaders
enhanced the quality of internal communication in the organization and it eliminated
confusions and mistakes in the tasks of employees and thereby it enhanced the employee
performance. Interbrand (2015) and Jacobs (2014) also reached at similar findings in their
studies. So this hypothesis was also true.
H4: There is a direct relationship between the social intelligence and the productivity of the
employees
The researcher found from the study that, technical skills and abilities of the employees
directly influenced the productivity of the employees. Technical skills of the employees
along with effective guidance of the leaders enhanced the job performance of the
employees. The studies of Oslen (2011), Interbrand (2015) and Iqbal (2012) also analysed
this relation between social intelligence and employee productivity and thus the researcher
identified that this objective as true.
H5: There is a direct relationship between the performance of the employees and the
emotional intelligence of the leader
It was found from the study that, emotional intelligence of the leaders directly influenced
the employee performance. The leadership skill, management skill, time management skill,
etc of the leaders helps them to motivate the employees and to provide effective support
and directions for the employees. Bass (2009), Carsrud Brannback, 2014) and Epstein and
Buhovac, 2014) also identified this direct relationship between the performance of the
employees and the emotional intelligence of the leader. So, the final hypothesis of the study
was also true.
5.3 Recommendations
This section provides recommendations for KFC for improving its leadership strategies for
enhancing employee performance.
 Maintain friendly relation with employees

30. 30
From the study, researcher identified that, KFC management maintained rude attitude with
its employees. So researcher suggested that, the company need to maintain friendly and
effective relation with its employees for enhancing their job satisfaction.
 Reduce work pressure
It was also found that working pressure and over work load were the main issues faced the
by the employees at KFC. So researcher recommended the company to reduce the work
pressure and work load of existing staffs by recruiting adequate staffs in the company.
 Adopt safety measures
It was noted from the study that, KFC was not provided any safety measures for its
employees. By implementing accidental protection measures and other safety regulations in
the company, the management can ensure the safety of the employees and hereby improve
their job performance.
5.4 Research limitations
In order to accomplish the research in a cost effective and less time consuming way the
sample size was reduced by the author .As a result the validity and reliability of the study is
doubtful. This research work was solely based on KFC restaurant located in UK.. So the
applicability towards other industries like apparels industry, sports industry etc. may be
questionable. In addition to that insufficient data from the main branches of KFC as well as
difficulties for collecting secondary data also affected the accuracy of the research.
5.5 Recommendations for future studies
In order to conduct more valid research on the same subject the researchers should
increase the number of samples chosen. Maximum number of restaurants of KFC should be
visited by the future researchers for collecting all the important information regarding the
study. Moreover it is essential for future researcher’s to conduct their study by considering
all the important locations of the company. So they can attain more generalized
conclusions. However, for carrying out a successful research study, it is crucial for the future
researchers to include more secondary data.

31. 31
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APPENDIX-1

34. 34
Interview transcripts by interviewing the manger of KFC, UK
1. Could you please explain how important is leadership in fast food sector?
Manager:
“Due to high demands for the fast food products and high competition in the fast food
sector, effective leadership strategy is necessary for coordinating the employees for
attaining competitive advantage from business. Effective leadership provides support and
encouragements to the employees and it thereby enhances their job performance and
service quality of the organization. So, effective leadership is essential in fast food sector for
enhancing the overall performance of the organizations”.
2. Can you please explain the training programs implemented by KFC for enhancing the
leadership skill of the management staffs?
Manager:
“We conduct effective leadership programs for enhancing the leadership skills of te
management staffs. Graduate Leadership Program (GLP) and capstone for Above Restaurant
Leaders (ARLS) are the most effective leadership programs conducted by KFC for enhancing
the technical skills, time management skills and leadership skills of the management staffs”.
3. Do you agree with the statement that leadership can improve employee
performance? How correct is it with KFC?
Manager:
“Leadership plays an important role in enhancing the job performance of the employees. The
effective leadership and technical skills of the managers assisted the employees to perform
the tasks more effectively and active support from the top level management improves the
performance level of the employees. Our company gives higher importance to the need and
requirements of the employees and the company provide effective assistance and leadership
for encouraging the performance level of the employees”.
4. Do you have any suggestions for further improvement of leadership policies of KFC?
Manager:

35. 35
“Over work load and work pressure during the peak hours created many issues to our staffs.
So, KFC needs to recruit more staffs for dealing the large number of customers in the pack
hours. The company should also implement accidental protection measures for ensuring the
safety of the employees. The top level management needs to maintain a friendly relation
with employees for improving the quality of internal communication”.

36. 36
APPENDIX-2
Survey questionnaire for the employees of KFC
Dear employee,
Please answer the following survey to give your opinion on the leadership strategies of
Tesco. The objective of this survey is to understand the effectiveness of leadership of Tesco
for enhancing employee performance. You will only need to spend around 10 minutes of your
time to answer this survey. Please note that all the information collected from you will be
used for academic purposes and that it will be handled in accordance with Data Protection
Act 1998.
Please answer the following questions by placing  on your choice.
1. Gender
o Male
o Female
2. Age
o Below 25
o 25 – 40
o 40 – 60
o Above 60
3. How long have you been working with KFC?
o Less than 1 years
o 1-3 years
o 4-6 years
o Above 6 years
4. Is supervisory support from top level management of KFC influence your job
performance?
o Highly influenced
o Influenced
o Average

37. 37
o Not at all influenced
5. What is your opinion about the leadership strategies of KFC?
o Excellent
o Good
o Average
o Poor
6. Which among the following factors of KFC mostly influence your job performance?
o Working atmosphere
o Consideration to staffs’ requirements and needs
o Internal communication
o Support and guidance from top level management
o Others
7. What are the major issues faced by the employees of KFC?
o Rude attitude of senior staffs
o Improper guidance and direction from superiors
o Long working hours
o Lack of safety measures
o Others
Thank You
I express my heartfelt thankfulness to all the manager and employees who participated in
the interview and survey analysis for helping me to collect important information’s for
completing the research study. I also express my gratefulness to everyone for spending your
valuable time for achieving success in the research study. I also hereby ensure you that the
data collected will be treated with confidentiality without revealing the respondents identity
in the research study.
Full name:
Email:
Telephone No: