Report: Leadership and Management Development Programme for UberEats

This report examines the implications of introducing a Leadership and Management Development Programme for UberEats in the UK food industry. It distinguishes between leadership and management, exploring theories such as situational, contingency, and systems leadership. The report analyzes the roles of leaders and managers in various contexts, offering recommendations for program improvement. It highlights strengths and weaknesses of different leadership approaches, discusses key approaches to operations management, and considers environmental factors influencing operations. The report also applies these theories to the context of UberEats, emphasizing the importance of adapting leadership styles to meet the needs of the diverse workforce and the company's growth potential. It concludes with practical applications of leadership theories within the organization.

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Management and Operations

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Executive summary:
The following report is intended to communicate the necessary implications of introducing a
Leadership and Management Development Programme for UberEats, an organization in the food
industry in UK. The different elements addressed in the report refer to profound distinctions
between leadership and management with the help of illustrations indicating scope for
interchangeability of principles. Estimation of the theories and models of leadership such as
situational, contingency and system leadership could be potentially helpful in obtaining an
impression of the disparity between leadership and management. The description of a leader’s
roles and the function of a manager in practical contexts could be potentially helpful for
obtaining subtle recommendations for improving the design of the Leadership and Development
Programme. The report also illustrates the prominent strengths and weaknesses which are
observed in case of different approaches of leadership in various situations.

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Contents
Introduction:................................................................................................................................................4
P1 Roles and characteristics of leader and manager...............................................................................4
P2 Role of a leader and the function of a manager apply in different situational contexts....................5
Task 1...........................................................................................................................................................5
Systems approach to leadership:.............................................................................................................5
Situational leadership:.............................................................................................................................6
Contingency theory of leadership:...........................................................................................................8
Conclusion...............................................................................................................................................9
Task 2...........................................................................................................................................................9
The key approaches to operations management....................................................................................9
The importance and value of operation management..........................................................................11
Environmental factors influencing operation management: ...............................................................12
Conclusion:............................................................................................................................................13
References.................................................................................................................................................14

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Introduction:
Leadership and management have been often considered as synonymous terms in the
domain of business and politics alike. However, the contemporary approaches to leadership and
management have indicated profound demarcations between the two concepts which lead to
explanation of disparity in roles of a leader and the function of a manager. The roles of a leader
in an organization can be observed throughout the organization’s operational framework since
leadership is an imperative requirement for all levels of management in the organization. The
estimation of interchangeability between the principles of leadership and management is also
considered as a reasonable measure for inducing professional and personal development
outcomes in each case (Alderton & Saieva, 2013). The definition of leadership roles also extend
further to being a representative of the organization, soliciting support, integrating personal
objectives with organizational goals and ensuring the fulfillment of roles such as philosopher,
friend and guide for support. On the contrary, management has been associated with roles
derived from the distinct elements included in the process of management such as planning,
staffing, organization, evaluation and implementation. Therefore the necessity of integrating the
concepts of leadership and management can be imperatively observed as efficient leadership has
the capacity to provide feasible management in accordance with evolving trends such as change
management, diversification and globalization (Akalin, Huang & Willems, 2016). The primary
need of the hour for organizations such as UberEats is vested in identification of potential
insights for improving the association of leadership and management in the enterprise which can
address the needs of complying with organizational laws and precedents without leveraging
personal traits or leadership competences (Ubereats, 2017). However, the recent developments in
the domain of business management have led to conjugation of the roles of leader and manager
and it has been observed that managers serve as leaders in an organization.
P1 Roles and characteristics of leader and manager
The main feature of the manager is to ensure work gets done, focus on day to day tasks,
and manage the activities of others. Managers focus on tactical activities and often times have a
more directive and controlling approach. Leader one must be more strategically focused and
rather than directing employees through tasks, they inspire and motivate employees to drive

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themselves. Leaders are adept in the art of Emotional Intelligence and apply it in a way that
attains the best work out of their people.
P2 Role of a leader and the function of a manager apply in different situational contexts.
Role of the leader and function of the manager plays very important role in the venture.
When some policies and strategies need to be made in the venture, manager need to take that so
that effective and efficient decision can be made. Other than that when employees need guidance
so that they can implement strategies made by the venture, at that time leader is needed so that he
or she can guide workers for specific goal.
Task 1
Systems approach to leadership:
Business literature has provided substantial indications towards the distinct leadership
approaches such as situational leadership, systems approach to leadership and the contingency
theory of leadership. As per Berenguer et al, individuals in an organization look up to leaders as
primary source of motivation in an enterprise (Berenguer et al., 2015). Systems approach to
leadership is characterized by the identification of a precise objective and perceiving the
organization as a system. The leadership style is inclined towards organizational objectives
rather than the competences noted in the availability of leaders. According to Chevalier et al, the
leadership in a systems approach is distributed across three different levels which refer to the
individual managers, managerial teams and the organizational level (Chevalier et al., 2015).
Systemic leadership is associated with favorable outcomes in context of the Leadership and
Management Development programme of UberEats since it could be helpful for conveying the
importance of leadership in the organization alongside the necessity of adapting to change. As
per Chevalier et al, the direction towards accomplishing strategic objectives with relevant shifts
in leadership and culture noticed in systems approach of leadership proves to be a formidable
advantage (Chevalier et al., 2015). However, the disadvantages of the systems approach refer to
the limitations of its implementation in the practical issues and furthermore the approach does
not indicate the use of any specific tools and techniques.
Application of system theory of leadership in the organization

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This applicable to the organization when the venture is defining new objectives, so that
they can achieve more sales and revenue. It is very important for a leader to communicate all the
objectives that are made by the firm so that they workers can help management to accomplish
those objectives. Other than that personal objective are also defined by the leader for every
worker so that they can get motivation to accomplish those objectives and ultimately
organizational objectives can be achieved. This approach of leadership can be applied on the
basis of certain objective, because it is one of the way by which followers can be motivated.
Situational leadership:
Situational leadership theory suggests that the leader has to modify leadership styles according to
the requirements of development in followers. According to Burgess et al, the application of
situational leadership is noted profoundly in emergency scenarios and thereby the major concern
that has to be addressed in such scenarios refers to change in leadership style consistently for
adapting to the needs of other individuals in the enterprise (Burgess et al., 2016). The key
indicators of the situational leadership style refer to the telling and directing, development level,
participating and supporting, delegating and selling and coaching.
These distinct approaches are implemented distinctly on the basis of exigency of the situation
and can be applied by leaders according to their competence. Selling and coaching form of
situational leadership is intended for scenarios in which employees are particularly new and
require training. As per Ferguson et al, leaders have the privileges for the final decision
alongside favoring the prospects for acquiring inputs from employees before the implementation
of decisions (Ferguson et al., 2014). From a critical perspective, it can be concluded that selling
and coaching can pose disadvantages such as the additional costs which would be incurred in
training and feedback of employees. Direct praising involved in selling and coaching approach to
situational leadership could also result in ignorance of employees for development of knowledge.
Telling and directing approach is also profoundly followed in the situational leadership and is
involved with the formulation of decisions by a single individual who is also responsible for
communicating the decisions. As per Hill & Hill, employees are required to follow the directions
proposed by the leader without any prominent influence on the decisions (Hill & Hill, 2011). The
disadvantage which could be found in the telling and directing approach of situational leadership
is that it could create dissent among employees regarding the initiatives implemented by the

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leader. Generally, telling and directing is implemented in detrimental circumstance when the
team has to complete tasks as per the deadline and employee performance in such situations can
be highly affected by factors such as complex work schedules, massive volumes of work, lack of
task organization and lack of involvement in the organizational decisions (Karlsson, 2016).
Participating and supporting approach in situational leadership suggests the distribution of
decision making privileges to the team members with the leader as the source of direction. As
per Pruchnicki & Smith, this form of leadership is suitable for workforce that is comparatively
superior in skills and is limited in terms of confidence and motivation. However the notable
disadvantage which is observed in case of this approach indicates the aspects of authority of the
leader and the discretion of the leader in framing decisions (Pruchnicki & Smith, 2016). The
distribution of decision making privileges to team members can prove to be a source of dilemma
regarding the final word on specific decisions. Delegating is also observed as a notable approach
in situational leadership as it requires limited involvement of leaders with employees since
employees are provided with the privilege to choose their own tasks while the leader is anointed
with the responsibility of providing directions as well as feedback on the performance of
employees.
As per Pettinger, the major weakness that can be observed in delegation is the lack of
supervision which could create detrimental consequences for the leadership in future such as
irresponsiveness of employees to feedback and direction (Pettinger, 2007). Task organization is
also observed as a profound weakness in situational leadership approach. Development level is
the most prolific approach noted in situational leadership which delegates tasks according to the
development needs of the individual employee.
The development level approach utilizes a matrix for determining the leadership style for people
with high needs and low experience and individuals with high skills and low needs. As per Slack,
UberEats can implement the development level approach of situational leadership considering its
current situation which is characterized by access to a diverse workforce, support infrastructure
from its parent company UBER and potential to grow as a delivery service company in the food
industry in UK. The leadership and management development program must comprise emphasis
on the development level in order to assess individual needs and competences of employees
(Slack, 2015).

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Application of situational theory of leadership in the organization
There are four ways in the situational theory by which leader can lead their followers,
that four ways are dependent on the different situations that are arises in the venture. These styles
are telling, selling, participating and delegating. When new employees are entering into the
venture, at that time, leader need to implement telling style of leadership and tell them what are
their task and at what job position in the firm. Other than that when employees are highly
efficient and effective, at that time leader need to implement selling styles of leadership so that
proper relationship can helps them to work in more effective way. With that when employees are
not satisfied with the venture at that time, leader need to motivate and guide them with low task
and high relationship so that workers do not leave the firm.
Contingency theory of leadership:
Contingency theory is associated with the presumption that leadership styles must be dictated by
response to specific situations. As per Slack, Brandon-Jones & Johnston, the definition of
contingency theory may bear certain resemblance to situational leadership owing to the concern
for specific situations in the individual approaches (Slack, Brandon-Jones & Johnston, 2013).
The contingency theory of leadership implies the characteristics of effective leadership which
include promising relations and involvement between leader and member, estimation of clear
goals and procedures as well as the capability for determining and meting out punishment and
rewards. According to Slack, Brandon-Jones & Johnston, the contingency approach relies on
estimating the feasibility of working with another individual through the LPC scale which
provides the leader’s impression of other workers (Slack, Brandon-Jones & Johnston, 2013).
The prominent disadvantages for adopting the contingency theory of leadership in UberEats
initiative for Leadership and Management Development Programme include the subjective
nature of the LPC scale and questions over validity of the theory in all situations. Contingency
theory does not indicate any potential solution to scenarios when leader with bad personalities
would have to be appointed in situations when tasks would not be well organized.
Application of contingency theory of leadership in the organization
This theory state that leadership always vary in different situations, it can never be same.
A leader need to possess different styles and approaches so that he or she can motivate and guide

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members in different situation in order achieve organizational objectives. Such as when
employees performance is going down, at that time leader to maintain good relationship with
them so that he or she can find what are the reason for reduce in employee performance. Other
than that when employees are highly motivated to work at that time leader need to focus on task
oriented styles so that employees can work effectively and efficiently.
Conclusion
The report provided substantial evidence from literature related to the leadership theories in
context of the requirements of an organization in the food industry i.e. UberEats. The differences
between theoretical concepts of leadership and management were highlighted in the report to
distinguish the requirements for the program. Furthermore, critical illustration of the different
approaches to leadership with their definitions, strengths and weaknesses was also provided in
the report.
Task 2
The key approaches to operations management
Operation management is the process by which venture convert raw material to finished
goods so that they can cater needs and wants of the customers. It is very important for the
organization to manage their operation so that they can reduce their cost of production and
enhance their quality production. Thus, they need to manage different activities that are involved
in managing operations of the venture.
Operations Management encompasses a number of theoretical concepts, suitability and
application of which varies within and across the organizations. The concept of operational
strategies encompasses the plans for ordering raw material, converting them to finished product,
storing and selling to the customer
The organization in this case is planning for reviewing of the department of operations
for the enhancement in the responsiveness, efficiency and quality of the firm. As per Venkat et
al, it is therefore quite necessary to have the idea regarding the operations management of
Ubereats. Through this Ubereats can be able to become more competitive with the improvisation
of its service targets and reduction of costs (Venkat et al., 2015). That is the reason the

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operations management in any organization can be defined as the process that handles the whole
process starting from basic input and output to the customer. Therefore through the operations
management Ubereats can be able to transfer its inputs into the outputs and further with its
flexible services it can reach to the customers.
That is the reason while evaluating the operation management of the organization it is
important to get the fact that the operation management includes careful and organized plans
along with the leads and the managers to control the operations of the organization. So basically
the handling of the operation management starts from the management of raw materials to
knowing the demands of the customers, having perfect marketing team for the delivery of the
services or the products (Wu, 2016). In case of Ubereats the operation management involves the
process through planning, staffing, controlling, directing, motivating and organizing.
Therefore, with these functions again these management tasks get divided into three basic
approaches through which the organization works. Those three are the strategic decisions,
tactical decisions and the operational decisions. In strategic decisions Ubereats selects the senior
level management in taking the decision that will enable the competitive advantage. Similarly the
tactical operations in Ubereats make the utilization of all the available resources along with
managing the staff members under particular rules and legislations (Wu, 2016). Likewise the
operational decisions help Ubereats in managing the planning, controlling and monitoring the
decisions taken through tactical process.
Therefore, these three approaches of operational management is fulfilled in Ubereats
through its leaders who basically the controls the enhancement of the gaps present within the
organization. The leaders therefore will help in developing the quality of the efficiency of the
services aiming towards the customer service. Apart from the leaders of the organization like
Ubereats must be that efficient through they can control and manage every stage where the
inputs are converted into outputs. Therefore the managers can be able to develop their efficiency
through some processes (Yang, 2016). Those processes are the clear idea regarding the process,
providing proper training regarding the process, building specialist expertise, giving sufficient
teaching to others regarding the operational processes and finally measuring the extent of the
process. Other than that the leaders and the managers can be able to enhance its role through the
implementation of value chain analysis in the operations management.

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It is because out of all these the value chain is the process that provides more
improvisation for the management task of operations. Therefore out of all those decisions taken
in the management the value chain is the most vital approach which makes the managers helpful
in achieving the business objectives of the organization. But while considering manager and
leader both can develop themselves in their own (Wu, 2016). The managers can develop
themselves by being realistic, efficiency, and quality and on the other hand leaders take the
appropriate lead of the team and can maintain the effective supply chain management.
The importance and value of operation management
The basic of the operational management is quite well known from the above section
which briefly describes the key approaches required in this process. Along with that this
management task pays attention towards the value chain analysis of the organization. By the
result of which the primary and supply activities, supply chain management and the firm
infrastructure can be managed by the managers to achieve the objectives of the organization
(Yang, 2016).
Generally in the initial conditions the operation's management was basically considered
for the manufacturing part of the organization. It is because the organization always needs to be
more careful while handling the raw materials until it gets manufactured into goods. But on the
other hand the while coming to the services initially people don’t think that it require the
operational management (Schedlitzki & Edwards, 2014). As they flourish after getting the
feedback from the customers but in case of goods the feedback will come later. Therefore, the
service parts of the organization in some instances provide the way to manage the operations in
the manufacturing sector.
It is because the organization which is supposed to provide service to the customers must be
aware of the needs and wants of the customers. By the result of which the management
formulates the marketing part which takes care in knowing the demands of the customers.
Schedlitzki & Edwards said that through this the marketing part of the organization will make
the strategy to make the fulfillment of the demands of the customers. So in this whole process the
marketing department of the organization takes care of the customer details as well their demand
details which is further used as the in the manufacturing of the products (Schedlitzki & Edwards,
2014). This is whole part of the organization that shows the importance of the operations

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management. It is because the operation management takes care of the specific management
tasks including all the functions starting from planning, controlling, motivating, organizing and
directing.
Apart from that the main value of operational management is the part that handles the
business operations by having control over the system of the organization. It has specific value in
the organization just because it deals with the each and every bit of design, operation as well as
the management eventually fulfilling the objectives of the organization. Therefore the operations
management is the process which can be said as the important and vital aspect of a successful
business. It further helps the organization to take perfect decisions, managing processes, etc., that
helps in managing the process and management efficiency of the organization.
Environmental factors influencing operation management:
Environmental factors which affect the operations management and decision making of leaders
and managers refer to the micro factors such as organizational structure, culture and labor
insufficiencies and the macro factors such as innovation, customers, economic conditions,
technology and governmental regulations. As per Schedlitzki & Edwards, the organizational
culture is primarily responsible for induction of relevant corporate objectives for UberEats.
Therefore the objectives of operations management must not coincide with the organizational
culture which could otherwise result in inefficiency of leadership and management decisions
(Schedlitzki & Edwards, 2014). Financial aspects are considered as mandatory concerns in
operations management since operations can be implemented through the investment of capital.
Therefore, the financial status of a business organization is also responsible for dictating the
available options in a specific operation initiative.
The indicators of financial position refer to cash flow, profitability and liquidity and are
considered as potential contributors to the formulation of decisions by leaders and managers.
UberEats has potential financial support from its parent company and therefore the operational
objectives are less likely to be affected by the financial concerns in business environment. As per
Schedlitzki & Edwards, human resources of an organization can also be accounted as reliable
influences on the operations management and decisions of leaders and managers in an
organization. Since UberEats is a service based organization, it faces considerable challenges
from the human resources aspect of the business environment (Schedlitzki & Edwards, 2014).

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Even though human resources are considered as internal influences, their impact can be observed
broadly on customers as well as the community since the provision of services of UberEats is
subject to the efficiency of its human resources. Therefore, the concerns for operations
management can be aptly verified in context of the human resource proficiency and management
in case of service based businesses (Hill & Hill, 2011).
Targets for performance can be assumed as a formidable example for determination of
operational efficiency. Marketing issues are also identified as potential environmental factors
which can influence the feasibility of operations management and decisions of leaders and
managers. In case of UberEats, marketing issues can be observed as viable sources for influence
on operation management since the organization faces considerable changes in its marketing mix
on a regular basis owing to changes in market trends. The other prominent factors noticed in the
business environment are present in the external domain of a business include legal changes,
economic environment changes, technological advancements, innovation and flexibility of
competitor efficiency. These factors are also responsible for modifications in the operational
management strategy and decisions of leaders and managers.
Competitor efficiency is responsible for drawing implications towards pressure on the operations
management to deliver performance levels at par with those of competitors. Therefore,
competitor efficiency can ensure acquisition of higher performance in operations management
initiatives for UberEats if it considers the pressure of competition in food delivery services
alongside the increasing emphasis on providing food from a wide assortment of restaurants.
Technological advancements and innovation are associated with formidable impact on the
performance of operations management of UberEats especially in the marketing and delivery
operations (Burgess et al., 2016). The development of enterprise based application software and
mobile apps could be useful for improving the efficiency of UberEats’ operational capabilities.
Conclusion:
The report provided substantial evidence from literature related approaches to operations
management and the role that leaders and managers play. This report further explains the
importance and values of operations management of UberEats’ which actually helps to achieve
business objectives. There are many factors within the business environment that have some

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impact upon the operational management as well as leaders and managers which responsibility to
take perfect decision in business.

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