Leadership, Management, and Operations Report: SainsburyWalmart

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of leadership and management practices within SainsburyWalmart. It begins by differentiating between the roles and responsibilities of leaders and managers, drawing upon the perspectives of William Alan Cohen and Henry Fayol to highlight key distinctions in their functions, roles, responsibilities, authority, and traits. The report then delves into the importance of these roles in ensuring effective store functioning, focusing on how they contribute to maximizing profit, enhancing work efficiency and productivity, and optimizing resource utilization. Furthermore, the report explores the application of Fayol's five basic functions of management—planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling—within the context of SainsburyWalmart's operations. The report also examines different situational contexts of leadership and management, providing a detailed understanding of how these concepts are applied within a real-world business setting.

MANAGEMENT AND
OPERATION

Table of Contents
MANAGEMENT AND OPERATION ..........................................................................................1
INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................3
TASK 1 ...........................................................................................................................................3
Comparison between leader and manager ..................................................................................3
Function of a manager according to Fayol..................................................................................6
Situational leadership, systems leadership and contingency leadership.....................................8
TASK 2 ...........................................................................................................................................9
Different approaches to operations management........................................................................9
Importance of operations management in the store .................................................................11
Key external factors that can have an effect on the operations management for your
organisation...............................................................................................................................11
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................13
REFERENCE ................................................................................................................................14

INTRODUCTION
Management and operation plays an important role in the development of any company.
It is important to have effective managerial control and planning in an organisation to achieve
operational objectives .The management area which concern with the design and control process
of manufacturing and production it also includes the supervising and organising functions. The
purpose of management of operation is to make the organisation effective as possible. It is
important to study this as it handles all the issue related to the design and maintenance. This
report is carried on Walmart which is located in United Kingdom. It was established in 1860 in
London, United Kingdom. It deals in Hypermarket, supermarket, convenience shop and
consumer retails etc. It will discuss about the roles and characteristic of a leader and manager in
the organisational context. It will put light on Fayol basic function of a manager and various
scenario of leadership. It will also discuss about the various external factor which can influence
the decision-making abilities of the company and how such factor can effect the activities and
profitability of the company. Here, it is important to implement learning strategies for the better
knowledge of the current trend in the context of management and operations(Accomazzi, 2012).
TASK 1
P1 operation management and characteristic of a leader and manager
Operations management can be defined as the area of management which involves all the
activities like designing and controlling. The main purpose of operation management is to make
the organisation as efficient as possible and to convert the raw material into the final product in
an efficient way. This helps in maximizing the overall profit of the organisation. The operation
management is responsible for managing the overall process of managing the product and
services. Walmart is the leading supermarket chain in united kingdom and follows flat type of
organisation structure which means there are very less or no level of management between the
management and employee and they manage their operation on the basis of day to day activity.
The definition of the leader and a manager are as follows:
Leader - According to the William Alan Cohen, point of view it can be said that leader is
the person who owns the art of persuading people to perform with their best efforts for achieving
goals and objective of particular company or project. It is an individual who is highly experience
in its own field and influences a group of people so that they can achieve the organisational goal

in an easy manner. In Walmart, the role of the leader is to motivate the worker under it regarding
the improvement of the work on the daily basis. Walmart is the supermarket chain and the
different section of the supermarket needs some knowledge base of the product so it is the
leader's responsibility to guide the worker under him(Ahuja, 2017).
Manager - According to Henry Fayol, the manager is a person who is responsible for
controlling and administrating all the activities in the working operation. It can control all the
department of the company and can guide the people to work on them. An individual who is
responsible for managing all the activities in the organisation like
recruiting,supervising,controlling,and administrating etc. In Walmart, managers allocates
different types of work to different leaders and they also manages the requirement and selection
procedure of the newer employee. For example; research manager in Walmart always manages
all the activities of managing the activities like designing the new plan,researching and
implementing the new program in the process etc.
Basis Leader Manager
Functions A leader is an individual who
guides and motivates and the
follower or employee under
him and motivates them
regarding the work(Alderton,
2013).
While a manager makes a
plan organise the team or
staff,it gives the direction to
his team and then control
them through the process of
feedback.
Roles The role of a leader is to
motivate the employee
working under it in various
ways and its role changes time
to time as per need for the
organisation.
The role of a manager is to
set the different goals for the
the different people working
in the various field of the
organisation.
Responsibilities A leader is responsible for
failure and success of the
particular task given to them.
It is responsible for all the
planning process and it also
sees the operation of the
different business unit.

Authority and power A leader has a power to inspire
people, while no formal
authority is given to him in
perspective of organisation
context.
While a manager have the
formal authority of giving
position to different worker
and have power of making
different policies in the
organisation.
Traits Creativity , innovations and
decision-making capabilities
are some important traits of the
good leader. For example in
Walmart the leader are the one
who takes the initiative for
introducing the innovative
product.
Technical,conceptual and
human management skills of
some important traits of the
effective managers. Like in
Walmart the manager are
responsible for solving
conflict issues between the
workers.
Importance of the role of leader and a manager in effective functioning of a store
The operations management of Walmart handles all the issues related to strategy like
manufacturing of the particular product or to implement the strategy of implementing the product
in the their supermarket. It also includes the activities like quality control,management of the
inventory level etc. (Saieva, 2013)
Maximisation of profit - The overall objective of every organisation or a company is to
maximize its profit for the longer period of time. The manager in Walmart ensures the
availability of the the product in there store so that the supply and demand process could be
maintained easily. while the role of leader is to follow the instruction from the manager and to
make the the worker to work under it and to motivate the worker throughout the working
process.
Effectiveness and efficiency of work - The overall process of management of operation
is done for achieving the optimal performance in the given task and effectiveness and efficiency
are the two big things that have to be met for achieving the best. In Walmart the manager needs
to make the effective and sound policies so that an efficient performance from the leader and
there co-workers can be obtained. For example the HR management of Walmart makes the

effective policy regarding the working hours of the workers so this made workers in efficient
management of the work in the organisation.
Productivity - In simple terms to being productive means successfully producing the
desired results when compared to intended results. The company like Walmart always prefer
being productive rather then maximisation there profit as for the longer run for the business the
productivity is more important the profit. Walmart applies different ways through which there
productivity could be increased such as taking regular break during the work this helps in
maintaining the constant performance level, and the leader could also set there self imposed
deadline which keeps themselves focus regularly towards the goal,the leader of Walmart should
motivate the worker to quit multitasking so that they could improve the productivity rate and
there is the bigger role of leader in improving the productivity of the organisation.
Optimal utilization of resources - The role of manager is to allocate the resources and
services to the different department and from here the role of both managers and leaders comes
into the picture as manager give the limited product to the sales department and leaders in
Walmart tries to promote the product in there supermarket through there co-workers. The
optimum utilization of resources is always needed so that price per unit of the product can be
reduced and wastage can be limited. The role of a leader in the store of Walmart's is to lead the
team of its co-worker and keep them guiding about the inventory control, to maintain the
sufficient level of stock in the store. While the manager in the store ensures the overall
availability of product,to maintain supply and demand ratio of the production. For example in
Walmart there is a demand of the particular product in there supermarket and so the manger of
the Walmart will take the responsibility for allotting the product and leader would try to keep the
sufficient stock in there store so at the time of high demand of the particular product they can
maintain the supply chain and through this the effective function of the operation management of
the stores can be achieved(Burns, 2014).
TASK 2
P2 Role of a leader and the function of a manager in different situational contexts
Leader and manager plays an important role in bringing success for an organisation.
Leadership is an action of managing and leading an employee to achieve well-defined goals and
targets. It plays an efficient role in performance of an employee and growth & productivity.

Henry Fayol has given five basic functions of the management. According to the Fayol theory of
managerial function, manager is one who manages and control the activities and functions of a
company in order to relate both with the common goals of an organisation. In context with
Walmart, good manager have five basic functions which is detailed as below:
Function of a manager according to Fayol
Planning - This is a primary step of an effective manager's role and function. This step
includes mapping out and decides what and how to achieve a defined goals. For example,
Walmart wants to increase the sales by 10 percent from the current status(Feng, 2014). In
order to achieve this, manager first of all needs to plan and decide what steps are necessary to
achieve this defined targets or goals. In context with Walmart, manager needs to formulate the
strategies to employ the talented workforce, train and motivate them and divide each one's task
or individual part of for achieving the goals.
Organizing - After planning, organizing is a second function of the manager. For
achieving the target of 10 percent sales, manager needs to organize their team and manpower
according to their plan for achieving the desired targets and goals. For example In context with
Walmart, Executive of a company needs to assign work and task to their subordinate and control
them with the authority and fair power with the purpose of not to mislead or harm them
(Gunasekaran, 2012).
Staffing - After the manager decides the purpose of target, manager wants to look at the
matter for enhance staffing by recruiting, selecting, training and personally developing them. In
context with the Walmart, manager works with the human resource department of the company
to accomplish the well-defined target and goals. Staffing involves inviting application from
prospective candidate, hire and train them in order to locate all those to particular purpose and
goals. For example, with the purpose of increasing the sales by 10 percent, Walmart must hire
adequate number of manpower to bring the result into the reality and train them accordingly to
achieve desired goals or targets.
Controlling - It means determining what is need to be accomplish which is evaluating
the performance and take necessary corrective measures to make ensure that performance must
take place in according with the plans. In context with Walmart, manager's need to achieve the
target of 10 percent sales by taking decision such as location, segment of the consumer, budget

allocation etc. It is important to have effective control in order to evaluate and measure each and
every performance of an employee( Ngai, 2012).
Coordinating - In each and every organisation, different works are performed by various
department within the organisation. Management is regarded as collaboration and co-ordination
of a team in order to achieve the company's tasks. In context with Walmart, it is a task of a
manager to co-ordinate the team effectively and efficiently to make ensure the each team
member must attain their part of goals completely and on time. It is required to take the measures
and steps to co-ordinate the workforce and locate them to desired targets and goals.
As it is discussed previously that Walmart wants to increase their sales by 10 percent
from the current sales, to achieve this, it is a duty and responsibility of the manager to locate the
target according to each and every function of the managerial position to attain the desired
objectives and purpose effectively and favourably.
Managers of Walmart organises the training and induction program for the new and older staff
member and staffing includes to relocate the individual for the particular purpose for example
after giving the traning to the new employee and then according to their talent and skills staffing
is done . Effective coordination is require during the complexity of the process for example there
is the demand of the particular product and rush is there then it the responsibility of the manager
to make the employee coordinate and control .
P3 Different theories and models of approach, including situational leadership,System leadership
and contingency
Situational leadership, systems leadership and contingency leadership
Situational Leadership: Developed by Paul Heresy and Kenneth H. Blanchard, this is a
style of leadership where the leader and manager adapt their style of working as per current
situation. This style of leadership works on the principle that different situations require different
characteristics and thus no particular traits of leadership can be defined. A leader is the one who
can understand and analyse the situation and according to that develop a pattern of working. In
this, the behavioural working of a leader keeps on changing as per the various situations arising
in an entity, thus this is the most flexible style of leadership (Parsanezhad, 2013). This
leadership style can be effective in an organisation where constant changes incur at regular
intervals. For instance, if a particular situation arises in Walmart for example in Walmart if any
employee leaves the organisation than a particular situation of vacancy arises then there is the

responsibility of a manager to fill that vacant seat, leader directs the employees' behaviour as per
current scenario, request input from each employee and gives them the power to act so that the
organisation as a whole may adapt to the situation.
Systems Leadership: Developed by Dr Ian MacDonald, this style of leadership enables
leaders of an entity to create situations where people at all levels of the organisation can work in
a productive manner to their full potential. In this style, the leader makes use of different tools
like communication, employee feedback to understand the behaviour of employees of an
organisation. This helps the leader in developing a working structure that is suitable for the
employees working at all levels. Such a working structure that is adaptable for all the employees
results in effective and efficient working of the entity with the employees working productively
to their full potential. For instance, Walmart consists of various employees with different
behaviour and working patterns, thus a leadership pattern developed keeping this in mind,
suitable for all the employees results in a overall productive working for the entity.
Contingency Leadership: This style of leadership is also known as Fielder's Contingency
theory as this theory was developed by Fielder after reading about different types of leaderships
in various situations. The major concept of this style is somewhat similar to Situational style of
leadership but in this style, the leadership is focussed upon matching the individual leadership
style to the right situation. Situation is defined by three factors in this theory- relationship
between leader and follower, structure of task and the authority a leader has over his followers.
The major concept behind this theory is that there is no best way to make a decision, lead a
company or organise a corporation. For instance, in Walmart, a leader works in the situation that
best fits his leadership style. Where a leader is found to be working in wrong situation, the
situational variables are changed to fit his leadership style so that the organisation can work
effectively.
Situational leadership can be applied according to the situation arises in the current
position and have to react and act accordingly while in system leadership the leader makes
different tools to communicate with employee and this leadership theory is more effective than
any other theory In the contingency leadership shows that there is no best method to make the
decision of the company .

Walmart generally uses situational style of leadership because demand of their products
keeps on fluctuating due to which various types of situations arise in the organisation at every
time as it, so the working pattern is matched to the situation. This helps the company to adapt to
the situation.
TASK 3
P4 Key approaches to operations management and the role that leaders and managers play
Different approaches to operations management
Operation management is a part of management which deals with implementing,
controlling and designing the process of production and structuring the business operation for the
production of goods and services. It is concerned with managing and controlling the entire
system of production which is the conversion process of inputs into final goods and delivering of
goods and services to the customers. In context with Walmart, there are various approaches to
operation management which is required to be discussed for the better knowledge of the
company. It will be beneficial to suggest company with best suitable approach for their purpose.
These approaches are discussed as follow:
Just in time - This approach is an inventory strategy in which stocks or material only
ordered and received when there is an actual need of it. It is useful for avoiding any kind of
wastage of inventory control. The main purpose of this approach is reduction in cost by saving
money on extra storage of inventory. In context with Walmart, manager should been able to
forecast and implement demand for inventory for the effectiveness of just-in-time approach.
Total quality management - It is a method in which an employee and management
contributes their efforts into continues improvement of production of goods and services. It is
both management and quality tools which focus on aiming at business increment and reduction
of losses as a result of reduction in disposal of waste. This approach considers an organisation as
a collection of various processes. Now a days, TQM has recognized as a generic management
tools. For suggesting Walmart, it will lead to continue improvement in production work,
improving capabilities, people and technology.
Kaizan - It is an approach of equal small incremental changes in business in order to
improve quantity and efficiency. It assumes that employees are the best one for identifying scope
of their improvements and development. The firm which uses this approach needs to adopt

culture and environment which encourages and rewards an employee for their contribution in the
process. Kaizan approach can applies on individual as well as group or quality circles which is
helpful in bringing potential improvements to an individual as well as groups both. This
approach is most compatible for team working or huge group of person for assuming that
improvement in good for everyone. In context with Walmart, it is required that company should
follow this approach to increase improvement in their business activities(Dimyadi, 2013).
After the understanding about different approach to operation management, it is clear that
all these approach are useful for the production activities of any company. It is to be informed
that Walmart uses Kaizan approach to manage their stores in order to maintain inventory flow
and develop beneficial changes in the stores for increasing profitability and maintain efficiency
in the company.
Role of a store manager:
An operation manager plays a pivotal role in the any kind of business. The most
important tasks is controlling and managing nature and size of the enterprises and wide range of
business activities. My role in the store of Walmart is the most important and precious as an
operational manager. There are various roles and responsibility that a particular store manager
needs to play in an store. It is described as the most precise and significant role in such large
retail store. These are as follows:
Resource management - Operation manager plays an important role in managing and
controlling both raw materials and personnel at a same point. Recording inventory availability,
purchasing and supplies is a central job of a store manager. It also includes determining needs of
manpower, hiring suitable workforce, training and development and staff development. He is the
person who is responsible for overall functionality of the Walmart stores.
Financial management - Store manager is a key and major person for implementation of
budgeting, cost controlling and keep store on financial efficiency. Effective supply chain
management and optimum utilization of resources helps in minimisation of costs. The main role
of store manager is business forecast, report of sales and financial statements to find accurate
financial results. In financial aspects, store manager generally uses cost-benefit method analysis
to improve efficiency and gain effectiveness.
Communication - Store manager should pursue effective communication skills for
achieving different goals of the store as well as company. The job of the store manager is to

create positive culture and level of confidence in the store in order to engage both customers and
employee together. It would facilitate communication between employee and departments. The
major role of operation manager is solving disputes and taking high-level decision-making with
the help of top executives of an organisation(Peng, 2014).
P5 Importance and value of operations management in the store
The operations management is very important as it is helpful to manage various
operational activities in store of company which facilitate to conduct them easily. It is essential
to make effective strategies in given organization because it is beneficial in order to manage
products in proper way. At the other hand, stores of Sainsburry requires better understanding of
merchandising, logistics and cost control which facilitate to place number of goods from store to
hands of people in order to complete their actual desires through achieving satisfaction.
Moreover, management of goods should be done in proper manner so that customer can easily
select their choices to fulfill their needs and wants in perfect way. The role of the manager in the
operations management is to make the budget and controlling the overall cost of production and
to keep the eye on all the financial activity perforned in the store in the particular period of time
and their role are important because without making the budget for the particular thing none of
the activity could be performed
P6 Key external factors that can have an effect on the operations management for your
organisation
In context with Walmart retailer stores, there are various external or outside factor which
can effect operation management of the company's store. These external factors are as follow:
Economic environment - Economic factor plays the crucial role in the operational
aspects of the retailer store. There are various sudden or short term changes such as increase in
interest rates, high costs, under-utilization of resources etc which can impact capacity,
productivity, financial stability of an organisation etc. Changes in the interest rates effect on the
financial investment in the operational stores. In context with Walmart, it is required for the
company to control all such economic conditions to minimize the cost incurring in the stores.
Competitor flexibility and efficiency - Competitor analysis is important for the company
to manage the profit generating capacity and avoid wastage of the resources. If competitor
reduces the cost, it is a forceful act for the another store to reduce the cost for survival in the