ASDA: Roles, Functions, and Approaches in Leadership and Management

This report provides an in-depth analysis of leadership and management practices within ASDA, a major UK supermarket chain. It explores the distinct roles and characteristics of leaders and managers, highlighting their responsibilities in decision-making and operational execution. The report examines how these roles function within different situational contexts, considering the impact of technological changes, staff turnover, and internal conflicts. Furthermore, it delves into various models of approach, including situational leadership, systems leadership, and contingency approaches, assessing their strengths and weaknesses in the context of ASDA's operations. The report also discusses the key approaches to operations management and emphasizes its importance and value. Finally, it analyzes the influence of the business environment on decision-making and operational management within ASDA, providing a comprehensive overview of the challenges and opportunities faced by the company. The report concludes by summarizing key findings and offering insights into enhancing leadership and management effectiveness within ASDA to improve overall performance.

MANAGEMENT
AND OPERATION

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
LO 1.................................................................................................................................................3
P1 ROLES AND CHARACTERISTICS OF LEADER AND MANAGER..............................3
LO 2.................................................................................................................................................5
P2 ROLE AND FUNCTIONS OF LEADER AND MANAGER IN DIFFERENT
SITUATIONAL CONTEXTS....................................................................................................5
P3 MODEL OF APPROACH.....................................................................................................6
LO 3.................................................................................................................................................8
P4 KEY APPROACHES TO OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT..............................................8
P5 IMPORTANCE AND VALUE OF OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT...............................9
LO 4...............................................................................................................................................10
P6 IMPACT OF BUSINESS ENVIRONEMNT ON THE DECISION-MAKING AND
OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT.........................................................................................10
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................12
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................13

INTRODUCTION
Management is required in all the fields possible and specially in the business field
because it gives a direction to an organization. The management is responsible for all the
decision-making of the organization and that is how the company will be able to work.
Management team has to know everything happening in the organization so that they can make
the decisions accordingly and the employees of the organization has to listen to the organization
management team because they are the leaders of the company. Operations is a process in an
organization because that is the method of getting a mission and objective of the company get
success and that is very important for the company if they want to do well in the market.
Operation needs decision-making which is done by the management team and getting those
decisions into action is the work of the managers of the organization.
ASDA is supermarket which is a company of United Kingdom and headquarter is in
England. The company was established in 1949 and the founders of the company were Peter and
Fred Asquith. The company expanded itself in the south of England between the 1970s and
1980s. ASDA company has 633 stores as per of 30th October 2019 and has 165,000 number of
employees in the company.
The report will be covering about the company's manager and leaders, there functions,
characteristics, roles in situations, models of approaches and contingency and impact on the
company because of the decision-making. These are few of the studies which are going to be
carried out in the report.
LO 1
P1 ROLES AND CHARACTERISTICS OF LEADER AND MANAGER
LEADERS MANAGERS
 Leaders are those people who are
decision-making committee of the
company and these people are the
group of people who will appoint the
managers of the company. Management
has to work day in and day out for the
 The managers make the employees
follow the decisions which have been
taken by the management team for the
company. The managers only worry
about there salary and will nt be able to
work a little extra for the company

company, and they have no fixed time
for the work hours (Slack and Brandon-
Jones, 2018). They do not think for the
personal benefits, but they think of the
company overall.
which is by they are not in the
management team but are the managers
of the company.
 The management can step into any
department they wish to but the
managers can not do so. The
management can plan, organize, control
and direct the organization as they wish
to so that the company will be able to
benefit. The management will take
decision for the employees of the
company by asking the human resource
department because the human resource
is the bridge between the management
and the employees of the company.
 The managers of the company and in
this context we are taking about ASDA
company there role in the organization
is to give the direction to the decision
which has been taken by the
management team of the company. The
manager has control over the
employees working under them, but
they have no say on the decision of the
company because the management
takes decisions according to the
employees of the company. The
managers have to give the decisions a
direction so that the company will be
able to work properly.
 The management at times will not be
able to understand the company's
employees which is very important for
the company because that will make the
decision-making for the management
easier. The management has to be
lenient with their employees because
the company will not be able to work
without the employees and if the
employees are not getting flexibility
 It is because of the management rules
and regulations that the manager has to
do what they have to, and they are not
to be blamed for the decisions which
are being taken in the company.
Manager is just there so that he can
assign work to all the employees in the
company and make the company work
so that the objective and the mission of
the company can be met (Nonogaki

from the company then the labor
turnover will increase and ASDA is
already facing these problems.
2016).
It is very important for the company to have both the powers in the company specially for
ASDA company because they need to make the company work efficiently and will be able to
make more profit (Nakagawa 2015). The company's have these subdivisions in the company so
that the work get distributed and the management team can focus on making the company better
and the managers can implement the decision of the management team to the other employees of
the company. The similarly is they all are working for the same company so that the company
can make great profits and the management team is there so that if the company is facing any
troubles in the market they can deal with them, and they can make the employees work with
peace. ASDA is not being able to make the entire employee team work together and there are a
lot of conflicts in the company which is not letting the company grow.
LO 2
P2 ROLE AND FUNCTIONS OF LEADER AND MANAGER IN DIFFERENT
SITUATIONAL CONTEXTS
The roles and functions of the two are very different from each other and the company of
ASDA has to make sure that they are doing there work nicely. The manager also is a type of
leader who has control over the employees and the management team has the control over the
entire company (Hitt, Xu and Carnes, 2016). ASDA is not doing that good because the company
is not being able to work as one whole. There are a lot of changes which have to be made in the
company because the market is changing again and again and that has to be done by the
management but the managers must understand the decisions which have been taken by the
management so that the company will be able to work. The changes in the market could be as
follows for ASDA.
Technological Changes
The management of ASDA is very aware of the technological changes which are coming
up in the market therefor they have started the digital marketing segment in the company so that
the company will be able to make more profit (Chevalier and et.al., 2015). The management is

aware but the employees who are working in the company are not ready to get the change in so
easily so it is the work of the manager to motive the employees so that the management can get
the change in the company efficiently. Managers of ASDA must make the idea sink in the
company that digital marketing is very important for the company and the employees must be
mentally prepared for the change so that when the change comes in the company that time the
idea will not take time to be picked up by the employees of the company.
Staff Turnover
The management is responsible for the turn over of the employees because it is the
management who is making the rules of the company and if they are not lenient with the
employees then they will not be able to make the company work (Bromiley and Rau, 2016). The
managers have to just follow the rules and regulations which are taken by the management of
ASDA, but they are not doing so and are putting everything on the employees which is giving
the employees a lot of pleasure on them and the company is having the labor turnover.
Conflicts
There are a lot of conflicts which are taking place in the internal environment of the
company ASDA and that is not letting the company work properly and efficiently. The
management and the managers of the company are not getting along properly and that is making
the company not make a huge turnover in the market. ASDA will have to take steps towards
solving the conflicts so that the company is being able to run and the company will be able to
make huge profits because of their objectives and mission of the company (Song and Parola,
2015).
The problem with ASDA is that the clarity of work is missing in the company and if the
company will be able to work on those aspects of the company then they will be able to grow
even more in the market. ASDA will have to work as a team otherwise they will not be able to
grow in the market, and they will not be able t reach there objectives and mission in the market.
ASDA supermarket is a very good idea for the company and that can expand very quickly in the
market and the company must take steps so that they can capture there competitors in the market
and make a place for themselves.
P3 MODEL OF APPROACH
It is very important for the organization to have a model which the company follows to
reach there goals and objectives and that is very important because that will give clarity to the

employees of the organization. The different model of approach would be situational leadership,
systems leadership and contingency (Reid and Sanders, 2019).
Situational Leadership
This theory is developed by Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard. There are a lot of situations
which arise in the company, and they are managed by the management of the company or by the
managers of the company. The situations can be related to the customers and the situations can
be related to the market (Battini and et.al., 2016). There are a lot of customers who go to the
store and can complain about any product and that time the manager has to look to those issues
without disturbing the management for it because these are smaller issues which are being faced
by the company. The major issues of the company are handled by the management of the
organization and that is very important because on that the market of the company is dependent.
Strengths-
The company will not have to wait for the problem to get solved by someone else but it
can be solved on the spot, and they will be able to deal with the other aspects of the company.
Weaknesses-
On spot solving issues are difficult to deal with because they can be customers who are
not willing to understand and the manager is not being able to deal with them. Decisions which
are taken on spot can make the company even have bigger issues later (Chiarini and Vagnoni,
2015).
Systems leadership
ASDA management is the system leaders, and they are in present not being able to work
together and take out god decisions for the company therefore the company is not doing good.
System leaders are those people who are the organizing team of the company and are abole to
take out the best from the employees.
Strengths-
The best part about this is that the team work of the management team can do extremely
well and the company will be able to grow faster and make a profit in the market. The brand
image places a great role for the company and the management is responsible for doing that and
if the system leaders are taking the right steps for the company then the company will be able to
do there work efficiently (Brandon-Jones and et.al., 2016).
Weaknesses-

There is a lot of work pressure on the management of the company because the entire
company depends on them and there is no way they can take any step without keeping the
employee's flexibility in mind. The management is not in direct connect with the employees
therefore they can have a lot of difficulties in system leadership.
Contingency
There must be long terms goals and objectives made by the company and the
management team should be able to manage that by predicting them (Shevchenko and et.al.,
2018). There can a loss and profit anytime but the company must predict that in advance so that
they know to work accordingly when that situation arises. The management is the main
department which plays a very important role in such situations.
Strengths-
The company is well aware of the situations that the company may have to face so the
company is well planned for those situations also because they want to be in the market for a
long term.
Weaknesses-
It is because of this theory or model that the company will lose on a lot of shareholders
and investors in the company because they will predict the company's contingency.
LO 3
P4 KEY APPROACHES TO OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT
Six Sigma
This method is made by Motorola Inc because it reduces the mistakes taking place in the
product of the company. This is made so that the work of the company can take place properly
and faster so that the company can make a lot of profit through this method (Heizer, Render and
Munson, 2016). The method has been adapted by all the company's in the present because they
all want to improve the quality of the product and make the customers get satisfied with the
products of the company. All the company's want to have loyal customers to ASDA has started
making the six sigma there methods to achieve that. There are five tools in six sigma which are
control, define, measure, improve and analyze. These are few steps which are taken by the
company of ASDA so that they can provide the products which will fulfill the needs and wants
of the customers. The manager has to make sure that the six sigma is being followed in the

company and the management of the company has to take steps so that the six sigma is followed
in the company (Hasegawa, 2017). To get this method into action ASDA's management and
managers will have to work as a team so that they can work towards the betterment of the
company.
Lean Manufacturing
The management of the company will have to take decisions to make the waste outlet of
the company very less and little as much as possible. This is a Japanese initiative to make the
environment of the world a better place. ASDA has to work on their waste outlet from the
company and the management will have to take steps for this management because the world is
not having a good impact and that will make the company have negative impacts in a long run.
The managers will have to make sure that the employees are able to follow the new steps and
initiatives which the management is taking for lean manufacturing.
Queuing
Technology can help the queuing method of the company reduce to a great extent and the
company ASDA will have to accept this fact so that the company is being able to grow better
(Akalin, Huang and Willems, 2016). Management will want to increase the production of the
products which ASDA is producing and the company can only do that when there is efficient
work taking place in the company or the company want to sell a large amount of products which
is again possible when the employees are working properly and are satisfying the customers with
the services they have for them. The managers have to make sure that the employees of the
company are working efficiently and are giving there full to the company so that the company
being able to give the products they want and the queuing of the customers can stop when the
process goes faster in the company.
P5 IMPORTANCE AND VALUE OF OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT
Operation management in any company is very important because operation management
includes organizing, planning and directing the company on a day to day bases and for long term
of the company. Operations are the steps taken by the company to achieve a goal and objective
of the company and the role of the management and the manager is very important because those
are the main people who will be handling the operations in to action of the company. The
drawback of ASDA is that the company is not being able to have a good team work and therefore

the company is not being able to grow that fast and it is very important for the company to work
together so that they can make profit in the market (Karlsson, 2016).
Importance of Operations Managements
 This operation's management makes the company reach its goals and objectives which is
really important for any company. There are a set of objectives and goals which are
planned by the company, and they have to reach those in the time management process
and the operation's management is very similar to management of time and work
together.
 Operations management also improves the goodwill and the company's presences in the
market because they are efficient works, and they have a set of objectives and goals to
achieve, and they have a plan to do so (Radnor and et.al., 2015).
 The management of operation also helps the employees to improve and motivate them to
give there full work force to the company because the employees then know the
operations which are taking place in the company.
 When there are operations management in front of the company will be able to utilize the
resources as well which will be a help for the environment of the world.
Values
 It is very important for the company to work on the waste outlet of the company and that
is the value of ASDA because they do not want to harm the environment.
 The company is trying to be as transparent as possible with the shareholders and
stockholders so that they can get more investors in the company to make more profit in
the company.
 The value of the company is to continuously improve the quality and standards of the
company. It is very important for the company to keep getting in changes in the company
because the company will have to make the most out of the market. The customers keep
wanting change in the products and services and ASDA is one of the company's which is
getting in change so that they can satisfy the customers.
 The quality of the company matters a lot therefore the company is trying to work on that
factor the most because it is because of this factor that the company has loyal customers.

LO 4
P6 IMPACT OF BUSINESS ENVIRONEMNT ON THE DECISION-MAKING AND
OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT
Culture
The operation's management team has to keep the employees culture in mind and the
businesses culture in mind so that the company will be able to make a set of operations
management methods. The company will have a set of objectives for themselves which will have
to be achieved and this is not a work of a single person but of the entire team so keep the culture
of the internal factors of the business is very important. Management's role in this is that they
will have to make the cultures of the business positive and this is in written format but the
manager is the actual person who will make that written format come into action. Manager will
make sure that all the employees of the organization are being able to cope with the culture of the
business. The management makes the decisions of the organization keeping in mind of the
culture of the business and that will make the company will be able to work better (Uhl and
Gollenia, 2016).
Ethics
There is just one person who can make rules and decisions in the company and that is the
management team and the company's employees must understand that. There are a few ethics
which need to be followed in the company of ASDA which are respect for others, honesty,
trustworthy, fairness, integrity, etc. The management has to make sure that the rules are fair for
everyone and all the employees of the organization are being treated equally. The managers can
be bias to anyone and that is also taken care by the management of the organization. Employees
who are facing troubles in the company they can go to the management of the company so that
they get the justice and get what they deserve. There are policies of the company which have to
be followed by the company so that the company is running freely and properly. The decisions
are made so that the ethics of the company can be managed and if there are conflicts then the
decisions will get about a change in the environment of the business.
Sustainability
The company will make decisions with keeping in mind that the business is going to run
for a long time and ASDA will have to keep in mind that the decisions they make right now will
be for a long run and the company will have to make the most from the decisions. The

management and managers will have to sit together for making decisions because the manager
will know how the product is doing in the market and what the customers think about the product
(Fagel, 2016). Management will find it easier to take decisions when they have a clear picture of
the products in front of them. Manager and management will have to take decisions accordingly
because the management has to consider what the employees are doing and what they are
capable of doing which the manager is very well aware of and the manager will be able to guide
with the decisions which the management is taking.
CONCLUSION
The management team and the manager must work together if the company has a vision
of making a profit in the market, and they do not want to face loss in the market. ASDA is
having a lot of troubling working as a team, but they will have to learn that factor because it is
very important and the company must understand the value of working together. There are a lot
of factors which have to be considered by the management and managers of the company if any
decision has to be made.