An Analysis of Leadership and Management Practices at The Ledbury

This report examines leadership and management practices within The Ledbury restaurant. It begins by differentiating between leadership and management, highlighting their distinct roles and interconnectedness. The report explores how leadership qualities and management functions are applied in various situations within the restaurant, emphasizing the importance of employee motivation and effective communication. It delves into leadership theories and models, particularly the situational leadership theory, and how they can be applied to enhance operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. The report also analyzes the key approaches to operations management, the roles of leaders and managers in achieving business objectives, and the impact of the business environment on operational decision-making. The conclusion summarizes the key findings and emphasizes the significance of effective leadership and management for the restaurant's success.

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Operations management

Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................0
Task 1:........................................................................................................................................0
a. Differences between leadership and management.............................................................0
b. Examine with examples how role of a leader and functions of a manager are applied in
different situations within your organisation.........................................................................3
c. Theories and models of leadership approach.....................................................................5
Task 2:........................................................................................................................................7
a. Key approaches to operations management and role of the leaders and managers play....7
b. Importance and value of operations management in achieving business objectives.........8
c. Factors within business environment that impact upon operational management and
decision-making by leaders and managers.............................................................................9
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................9
References................................................................................................................................11
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Introduction
The management of every business organization plays a vital role in developing usiness
prospects by managing all its operations effectively and systematically. Better management
of organizational operations will help business to flourish and prosper thereby attaining best
customer base and recognition (Fitzsimmons, et. al., 2006). In this study, The Ledbury
restaurant of London has been considered whose Leadership and Management Development
programme will be discussed in detail. All the staffs or employees are considered to be most
significant stakeholders in the organizations and thus in order to manage all operations
effectively, it is of utmost importance for the management of The Ledbury to imbibe proper
leadership qualities and attributes which will make all staffs motivated and thus increase their
performance standards (Stevenson & Sum, 2002). The purpose of this study is to point out
exact differences between leadership and management and impact of applying the Situational
and Contingency theories of leadership over the success of a restaurant. Moreover, it will
discuss how a manager of the restaurant is capable of becoming an effective leader by
increasing quality, efficiency and responsiveness of business. For gaining competitive
advantage and profit, the management of restaurant should manage and control all the
operations and responsibilities by taking effective decisions which can ensure delivery of best
quality of food and services to its customers.
Task 1:
Leadership and management are two most significant and considerable terms which focuses
upon the success and competitiveness of the organizations. It is much likely that leadership
and management must go simultaneously hand in hand. Though they are not the same thing,
but they are linked with each other. It can be said that both these concepts complement each
other in carrying out the business prospects proficiently. Without proper leadership and
management practices, it is impossible for any organization to maintain stability and
effectiveness of their operations. In order to assess whether all the operations of The Ledbury
restaurant are managed well and effective services are being delivered to the customers by
staffs, it is important to study the actual concepts of leadership and management in detail.
a. Differences between leadership and management
Though both the terms ‘leadership’ and ‘management’ are essentials for maintaining high
quality standards of operations but they differ from each other considerably. In the restaurant
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business, managers need to develop certain leadership qualities or skills that will help them to
gain trust and loyalty of the employees as well as motivate them to stay connected to their
workplaces. Both leaders and managers play a significant role in improving the quality of
operations carried out in organizations. It is the duty of managers to plan, decide, organize
and coordinate all activities with the employees so as to make them understand their job
roles. On the other hand, leaders are likely to inspire and motivate the staffs so as to
encourage them at work. The differences between this two can be best highlighted with help
of the following table:
Aspects of comparison Leadership Management
Definition and meaning Leadership is considered to be a
skill or quality that focuses on
leading the subordinates or the
staffs in an appropriate way for
achieving the desired objectives
Management is referred to
the process of planning,
designing, organizing and
coordinating all the
operations of organizations
effectively so as to derive
favourable outcomes
Basis Leadership is completely based
upon building up trust between
the leaders and staff (Yukl, 2002)
Management practices are
wholly based on
administering and controlling
the operations of the
organizations
Power Leaders influence the staffs to do
their operations correctly and
they build up power with them
and work to support them
Managers on the other hand
believe in ruling the staffs
and take full control over
them
Focus Leaders are focused upon
encouraging and bringing in
positive changes into the
organizational operations
Managers mainly emphasize
upon ensuring stability and
firmness into the
organizations
Putting emphasis upon Leadership is all about inspiring
and motivating employees in an
effective manner so that they can
The managers emphasise
mostly upon managing and
controlling all the activities
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gain interest in putting more
efforts at work
of the organizations thereby
assuring the effectiveness of
work
Strategies adopted Leaders are mainly proactive,
definite relevant leadership styles
and approaches are followed by
them to satisfy the employees and
fulfil their basic work needs for
increasing their performance
standards
Managers are reactive in
nature and they tend to react
upon the employees if they
feel that the operations are
not executed by them
properly as per expected
Perspectives The main criteria of becoming an
effective leader is to have better
foresightedness, the leaders
should foresee the opportunities
and challenges that the
organizations are likely to face in
the future and accordingly guide
the staffs to maintain their quality
standards
Managers possess a short
perspective and they
acknowledge as well as
emphasise upon the present
or the current activities and
do not foresee the upcoming
challenges and scopes
Follow The leaders follow certain
specific principles and guidelines
and narrate the same to staffs so
as to ensure that all the operations
are carried out ethically and
properly
The managers mainly follow
definite policies and
procedures related to the
organizational ethics and
direct employees to comply
with them while doing work
(Chase, et. al., 2004)
Attitudes towards
changes
Leaders aim at creating new
changes into the organizational
operations and guide the staffs to
execute their operations with the
changes proposed
Managers react to the new
changes significantly and
instruct employees to cope
up with them
Contribution of ideas They implement good and unique
ideas at work to improve the
They think critically and
identify the effective and
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operations innovative ideas
Persuasion Proper leadership practices
persuade the staffs to give their
best at their workplace domains
Communication with the
employees helps them to
understand their job roles and
duties properly
Teamwork Leaders tend to create efficient
teams and encourage
collaborative work practices
within the organizations
Managers have the job to
direct and instruct teams for
doing the works properly
Acknowledgement The leaders take responsibilities
to build up effective teams and
seek beneficial outcomes from
them
Managers are focused on
success and they take credit
of the positive outcomes
from the business
As per this case scenario, it can be said that the management of The Ledbury should follow
effective leadership qualities and attributes as highlighted in the above table so that
employees can be motivated and perform their job roles proficiently (Voss, et. al., 2002).
This will increase operational quality standards of employees thereby delivering best food
and services to the customers.
b. Examine with examples how role of a leader and functions of a manager are applied
in different situations within your organisation
The application of the successful strategies in a business is itself a process to justify the
abilities and skills of a leader. Moreover, the need of structuring the work in a team is one of
the integrated approaches that are taken into consideration to lead an organizational life.
There are several scholarly works that are the proofs in discovering how effectively leaders
can mobilize the teamwork in correspondence to training and development related services.
Leaders usually play an important role in facilitating the team building adaption procedures
(Schein, 2010). Leaders in any organization especially in food industry, usually work
effectively for facilitating and motivating their teams so that they can end up with effective
results. Some of the scholarly works also put first, it is because of their personal as well as
professional traits that help them in turning out to be effective leaders. Efficient leaders
usually tend to become accustomed with the situational leadership model for facing different
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challenges and adapting the changes in the external as well as internal environment. The role
of an effective leader can be demonstrated as follows:
1. A leader tends to communicate with the employees such a way that he is able to put
the resources and accordingly is able to transmit the vision of the teamwork.
2. Food industry is an emerging industry and since the same requires effectiveness,
leaders must be able to implement changes in management strategies even when the
company would require the need of urgency of the entire company.
3. A leader is vested with the responsibility of monitoring and supervising this dynamic
process of management in any situations
4. Since leaders usually evolve differently in different groups, leaders are vested with
the responsibility to practice communicative behaviours and attitudes such that it
impacts the processes of adopting changes according to scenario (Northouse, 2012).
5. During the transition phase, a leader can facilitate the process of developing positive
team norms and accordingly can help in performing the strategy and can also assist in
understanding the shared values of the team members as these functions will actually
help the team leader to monitor the individual outputs made by the team.
Again, apart from a leader, a manager also plays an important role in adapting changes and
strategic decisions in the field. Functional managers in food industry are treated as the
specialists and they are held responsible for monitoring the operations, marketing and
financial performance of the business. The roles of a manager in the food industry can be
illustrated as follows:
 A manager must look after preparing proper schedule of the food production rates and
adopt strategies in varied situations to maintain the schedule.
 He must also look after the quality, safety and hygiene of food products
 The manager shall be held responsible for implementing and supervising the optimum
nutrition contents of the recipes (Selznick, 2011)
 A manager in the food industry shall develop new food products and must promote
the same in such a manner that the business is able to switch over to beneficial stages
effectively.
c. Theories and models of leadership approach
The success of the restaurant is in the hands of its employees. Thus the manager of any
concerned restaurant should implement good and fruitful leadership approaches and models
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to motivate employees and drive their concentration and attention towards the delivery of
appropriate services and food to the customers (Gaither & Frazier, 1999). The leaders should
treat all the staffs as human beings and help them to develop their professional skills and
efficacies which are beneficial to achieve the operational objectives of organizations. The
management of The Ledbury restaurant should apply certain relevant models and theories
that will help them to lead the staffs in a proper way and narrate them their respective job
roles. This will help the employees to understand their activities.
Situational leadership theory:
The situational leadership theory or approach is referred to one of the most effective and
proficient leadership styles proposed by Kenneth Blanchard and Paul Hersey which indicates
that managers or leaders of the organizations should
adjust their approach or style in order to develop the
skills of the employees thereby influencing them
(Slack, et. al., 2010). According to Hersey and
Blanchard, the management should realise the time
when they have to change their leadership style to fit
according to the employee perspectives and
expectations. In this case, with the implementation of
situational leadership, the management of The
Ledbury can motivate and support employees by
thereby inspiring them to stay committed to the organization. The situational style of
leadership encompasses in following four steps:
Directing:
Through the implementation of this style, manager of the restaurant will direct and inform the
employees the goals of the work. It is a top-down approach where the manager should
communicate with the staffs to tell them what exactly needs to be done.
Coaching:
After distributing the work responsibilities to the staffs, proper training and coaching should
be provided to them for developing their professional skills.
Supporting:
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Figure 1: http://learningpointinc.com/wp-
content/uploads/2015/01/situational-leadership-
model.jpg

The leaders must support the employees at work and should pass on the job responsibility in
their hands to encourage them to take effective decisions for the organizational well-being
(Northouse, 2012). Proper direction will be provided to them but the decisions however will
rest in the hands of employees. This will increase their confidence and will motivate them to
get their tasks completed and cope up with the challenges.
Delegating:
Leaders should delegate the authority and responsibility to employees to let them
choose the tasks and take appropriate decisions to accomplish their works. In this style, the
employees are aware of their role and accordingly they perform by taking little supervision
and guidance from the management.
For example, in case of The Ledbury restaurant, the manager follows the authoritative
leadership style and instructs the employees regarding their operations (Heizer, 2004). But
with the increase in market competition, the restaurant might encounter some risks that can
hamper the organizational efficacy. Thus, the manager should adopt the situational leadership
style to make the employees able and efficient in dealing with the situation effectively so as
to ensure organizational stability.
Contingency leadership theory:
Contingency leadership style is actually based on how managers or leaders change
themselves according to the circumstances of organizations. The nature of leadership is
structured by the contingency theory which focuses mainly upon the relationship between the
leaders and the subordinates. With the help of this leadership model proposed by Fiedler, the
managers can be able to meet the requirements of a particular organizational situation thereby
deriving effectiveness (Fiedler & Chemers, 2007). This theory empowers the managers to
take up specific and fruitful solutions which can solve the internal issues of the workplace
and in turn meet the organizational goals. For instance, in The Ledbury restaurant of London,
if the manager delegates the authority or control fully to the employees, then sometimes it
can be perceived that they are not performing effectively and are unable to meet the
customers’ expectations. Thus the manager might feel difficult to handle this pressure
efficiently as he is the one who is responsible for allocating jobs to different staffs in the
restaurant. Therefore with the contingency approach, the manager can be able to control the
behaviours of the employees by controlling them and giving them exact job descriptions so
that success can be achieved.
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Task 2:
a. Key approaches to operations management and the role that leaders and managers
play
The Ledbury restaurant needs a proper management approach to increase the quality,
efficiency and responsiveness of the firm. In this way, the restaurant can become more
competitive by reducing cost and improving the service targets. In order to sustain
competitively in the market environment of London, the management is required to ensure
that food items and services which are delivered to the customers are best to meet their
expectations (Yukl, 2002). To serve this purpose, managers or leaders of the restaurant must
incorporate effective approaches and strategies so that the staffs can be motivated and the
operations can be managed well. The following approaches must be followed by the manager
for managing the restaurant operations effectively:
Operations manager must be realistic:
In order to be a strong and effective operations manager, it is required to consider all staffs as
the valuable resources for the organization. Communication between the operations leader
and the operations staff must be encouraged so that both can understand the requirements and
carry out their operations effectively. If the manager encounters that the production is going
down and the company revenue is increasing, then he can slow down the expenses and ensure
more productivity. The operations manager of the restaurant should impress the employees
and ensure that the operations carried out are improved and of best quality.
Managing proper resources:
The operations manager of The Ledbury restaurant should play a leading role in the
management of all the financial resources, human resources and raw materials. The purchase
of fresh vegetables, fruits, ingredients, etc. should be done under the acknowledgement and
monitoring of the operations manager (Hughes, 2003). Also the inventories and supplies
should also be managed by the manager. Moreover, the operations leader should adopt the
leadership quality to take care of the staffs and make sure that they are motivated and
encouraged to their job roles.
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Operations manager looks for efficiency:
The operations manager or leader of The Ledbury restaurant looks for efficiency in the
workplace and thus skilled and efficient staffs must be hired so that the efficacy of the
operations can be ascertained.
Focusing upon quality:
The operations manager must make sure that the staffs are performing in a better way and are
delivering quality food and services to the customers to attain their loyalty and satisfy them.
Quality enhancement is the main focus of the operations manager as it will help to increase
the business prospects and operations.
Leadership quality of operations managers:
The operations managers must be supportive and stay as a guide to the employees. At The
Ledbury restaurant, the manager should ensure that the staffs are encouraged to perform their
duties at their best and thus they should be provided with necessary tools and guidance that
will help them to proceed forward and accomplish their tasks effectively.
All these approaches are relevant and effective enough for the operations managers to
encourage the employees and motivate them to give their best outputs at their work and
deliver proper food and services to the customers (Bass & Avolio, 2007). By adopting these
leadership approaches, operations manager of the restaurant can gain effective customer base
and increase their revenue by attaining success in the overall competitive food and beverage
industry of London.
b. Importance and value of operations management in achieving business objectives
It is of utmost importance for the organizations to have proper operations management
techniques and approaches which will drive them to the highest peak of success and
sustainability in the entire business environment. In order to survive the competition in the
London food industry, The Ledbury restaurant must include effective operations and
innovative thoughts so that success and revenue can be achieved. It is very much common
that the operations management is required for all the organizations especially in the
hospitality and food & beverage industry to meet the customer demands (Bass, 2005). With
the help of effective operations management processes, the restaurant can be able to
understand their needs of the customers and deliver them with the accurate food items and
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services as expected by them. Thus to satisfy the customers, operations manager must see that
the staffs recruited therein are skilled and efficient enough to deliver necessary services to the
customers.
c. Factors within the business environment that impact upon operational management
and decision-making by leaders and managers
Factors within the business environment which impacts operational management and decision
making are as follows:
 Existing market competition
 New market entrants in the industry
 Changes in trends and habits of the customers
 Supply chains and production network
 Economic crisis
 Government policies
 Organizational structure and culture
 Available human resources
Conclusion
From the overall analysis of this paper, it could be understood that managing all the
operations or activities of the organizations is the most effective and needful area in the
management field. The operations managers have to stay more focused and concentrated over
the designing, administering and controlling all the processes of the activities so that
effectiveness of the organizational practices can be ensured. It is required for the management
of The Ledbury to make sure that the restaurant operations are managed properly and the
staffs are skilled enough to provide proper food items and services to their customers
(McCarthy, 2005). It has been observed in this study that, leaders differ extensively from
managers which affect the operations carried out by the restaurant staffs. While managers
emphasise upon the outcomes, leaders make sure that they recruit the right staffs for right
jobs to gain fruitful outcomes. Proper leadership qualities and theories must be adopted and
applied by the operations managers to make sure that the employees are motivated and
encouraged to perform their works in a better and proficient manner.
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