Analysis of Leadership and Operations at Vodafone UK (Report)

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of leadership and operations management within Vodafone UK. It begins by defining the roles and characteristics of leaders and managers, differentiating between their responsibilities and authorities. The report then examines the application of these roles in various situations, including conflict resolution and time management. It further explores different leadership theories and models, such as situational, system, and contingency leadership styles, and their relevance to Vodafone's operations. The report then delves into key approaches to operations management, including Just-in-Time, Total Quality Management, and Six Sigma, detailing the roles of leaders and managers in implementing these strategies. Finally, the report highlights the importance and value of operations management in achieving efficiency and converting raw materials into finished goods and services, and discusses factors within the business environment impacting operational management and decision-making by leaders and managers. The report concludes by summarizing the key findings and implications for Vodafone UK's business performance.

MANAGEMENT AND
OPERATIONS

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................3
P1 Roles and characteristics of leader and manager..............................................................3
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................5
P2 Application of role of leader and functions of manager in different situations................5
P3 Theories of Leadership and models of approaches...........................................................6
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................7
P4 Explain the key approaches to operations management and the role that leaders and
managers play.........................................................................................................................7
P5 Importance and value of operations management............................................................8
TASK 4............................................................................................................................................9
P6 Factors within the business environment that impact upon operational management and
decision making by leaders and managers.............................................................................9
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................11
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................12
.......................................................................................................................................................13

INTRODUCTION
Management and operations is a wide array of operations in every business entity.
Operations management refers to ways in which any business gets its operations and business
activities conducted. Operations management is basically concerned with converting raw
materials and labour into goods and services. It also aims at reducing wastes and optimum
utilisation of resources (What is Operations Management?, 2015.). This report is based on
Vodafone UK. It is a British multinational telecommunications conglomerate which has its
headquarters in London and Newbury, Berkshire. Furthermore, in this report roles and
characteristics of leaders and managers have been mentioned. Also various approaches of
operations management have been discussed here. This report also assesses various key
importance and value of operations management for achieving business operations.
TASK 1
P1 Roles and characteristics of leader and manager
Vodafone Group plc is a major British multinational telecommunications conglomerate
which has its headquarters in London. Operations management refers to ways in which any
business gets its operations and business activities conducted. Operations management is
basically concerned with converting raw materials and labour into goods and services. It also
aims at reducing wastes and optimum utilisation of resources. It is a process which deals with
controlling and designing of business operations. Managers of Vodafone undertake operations
management process for designing their day to day activities and processes.
Leader: A leader refers to a person who is responsible for impacting and motivating other
employees in a business concern. Leaders of Vodafone have certain qualities to perform certain
roles that are explained as under:
Role of a leader: Leaders of Vodafone should have excellent negotiating power which
helps in developing relationships between employees and other related people.
 A leader is a person who is responsible for maintaining effective communicative
relationship between employees (Balasubramaniam and et. al., 2016). They help the employees of the organisation in attaining their set goals and objectives.
Characteristics of a leader:

 Leaders of Vodafone have a positive approach with which they handle all kinds of
situations and motivates workers to work in an effective way.
 Leaders in Vodafone posses effective communication skill which benefits them to deliver
proper information or company vision to employees of company.
Manager: A manager is a person who is accountable for supervising and motivating
employees in an organisation (Certo, 2018). Manager performs their functions with the help of
effective managerial techniques.
Role of a manager:
 Managers of Vodafone have to perform roles of delegating responsibilities among
subordinates. It helps in timely achievement of goals and objectives. Managers are responsible for managing day to day activities of employees in Vodafone.
Characteristics of a manager:
 Managers of Vodafone should possess excellent communication and soft skills so that
they can manage employees and operations efficiently. Managers of Vodafone are time efficient and know to manage their time as per activities
assigned.
Comparison between Leader and Manager
Basis Leader Manager
Attributes Leaders of Vodafone create
vision, maintains integrity and
focus on goals.
A manager should possess
leadership qualities,experience,
communication, knowledge
and so on.
Responsibilities A leader is responsible for
creating vision for employees.
Planning of strategies for
management of various
business operations,
assignment of role to
employees are respon
sibilities of managers in
Vodafone.
Authorities Leaders of Vodafone motivate Managers of Vodafone have

employees to increase
productivity, makes policies
and so on.
authority to delegate jobs to
their subordinates based on
their skills and educational
background.
TASK 2
P2 Application of role of leader and functions of manager in different situations.
Leaders and managers are an essential part of an organisation. In Vodafone, they are
prime members who manage issues and take part in decision making. Managers develop plans in
such a way that they do not affect business operations in changing situations. Situational
conditions refers to working environment of Vodafone and factors affecting it.
Conflicts and their resolution: Every business faces certain issues like disputes, delay in
working and so on. Conflict is a very commonly occurring activity in businesses. Conflict
resolution is a way in which two or more people try to find solutions to problems or issues that
arise between them. Managers and leaders of Vodafone also faced such situations during peak
time where employees under them got into conflict. Both managers and leaders in this situation
try to find out solutions or ways in which these conflicts can be resolved at earliest. Leaders of
Vodafone always respect differences between their ideology and employee's ideology. This
creates a sense of respect in employees and they start understanding their view points. Same
way, managers work collaboratively with leaders and employees so that they can easily prevent
employees from conflicting and find a peaceful solution to it.
Time management: Time management is an essential role of both leaders and managers
of Vodafone. It helps in timely delivery delivery of goods and services to clients. Time
management is a process which involves planning and exercising conscious control of time spent
on specific activities. Managers and leaders of Vodafone started this practice when during
festival season there was extra work load and employees were not able to timely deliver goods
and services. This process is helpful in enhancing effectiveness and efficiency of employees.
Managers of Vodafone practice effective time management by helping employees in identifying
their needs and how they can develop it. Managers also set goals and action plan which acts as
guiding tool for managers. On the other hand, leaders motivate employees and create a positive
work environment for them.

P3 Theories of Leadership and models of approaches.
Leadership approaches plays a vital role in enhancing overall performance of a business
organisation. In this context, it is necessary for managers of Vodafone to choose effective
leadership approach in order to make their workforce efficient and also in changing their
business activities in accordance with a dynamic business environment (Kerzner and Kerzner,
2017). In this regard, there are various leadership approaches which should be undertaken by the
chosen organisation in order to be competitive in a business market. Some of the leadership
approaches are discussed below as:
(a) Situational leadership style
In this approach, leaders of a business organisation have to change their leadership style
in accordance with a particular situation. This will help a business organisation to be competitive
in a business market. In this regard, Vodafone is frequently changing its business operations. So,
it is essential for managers of Vodafone to analyse both negative and positive impact that arises
while changing its business operations.
Advantages
 In this style, leaders change their style in accordance with a particular situation that will
help a business entity in gaining a competitive edge (Knott-Craig and et. al., 2015).
 It helps a business entity in building healthy relationship between its workforce.
Disadvantages
 This style is not suitable for achieving long term goals
 This style is also not suitable for task oriented leaders as they have to be dynamic in order
to achieve their specific aims and objectives
So, this leadership style will help the chosen organisation in enhancing their overall
growth and development and also in making their workforce effective and efficient.
(b) System leadership style
In this approach, leaders create situations that help their team members to work
efficiently as per their potential. It will help leaders of Vodafone in predicting behaviour of their
team members according to the assigned task. This will help a business organisation in
sustaining its productivity for a longer duration (Lehmann and Joseph eds., 2015).
Advantages

 This style help a business entity in adopting frequent changes arising in a business
environment
 It helps employees of a business entity in achieving organisational as well as individual
aims and objectives
Disadvantages
 This style is not profitable for smaller organisations.
 It delays decision making process of a business organisation.
(c) Contingency leadership style
This leadership style stats that leaders of a business entity are not suitable in all situations
but only one that suits them best. In this context, Vodafone is continuously changing their
business activities in order to be competitive in a business market. This theory mainly focuses on
matching leaders to a particular task (Liu and et. al., 2015).
Advantages
This theory is flexible as it can be used in various approaches that fits in accordance with
company's demand
Disadvantages
Decisions of leaders keep changing depending upon situations.
TASK 3
P4 Explain the key approaches to operations management and the role that leaders and managers
play.
Operations management is a very broad area in respect to management of a firm.
Basically, it is a process which involves transforming goods and services. Key factors of
operations management includes various factors such as capacity planning, inventory
management, supply chain design and so on. Operations management is a process which
involves or infuses various different processes such as planning, organising and supervision
processes . These strategies and processes help in generating all necessary improvements that
lead to maximisation of profits. Vodafone Group plc is a major British multinational
telecommunications conglomerate which has its headquarters in London. There are various key
approaches of operations management which are further explained as under:

Just in time: Just in time approach of inventory management is a basic management
strategy in which raw materials are combined directly with production schedules to achieve
enhanced productivity and profitability (López and et. al., 2015). Managers of Vodafone
undertake this operational strategy to increase profitability and productivity of its operational
cycles. This process also saves them from unnecessary waste generation. Leaders are also known
to develop various key strategies for employees and suppliers as well. Leaders also use just in
time strategy for motivating their subordinates.
Total quality management: Total quality management is an approach of operations
management which aims at improving quality of products and services rendered by Vodafone. It
is a customer oriented process and leads to constant improvement of business operations.
Managers in this approach choose best suitable employee who can perform as line manager.
Leaders on other hand, set goals and objectives for employees that they focus on. Leaders also
undertake interaction process with subordinates for improving performance of Vodafone. By
using total quality management, managers of Vodafone assess quality of tasks performed by
employees . Also they set vision after evaluation of tasks.
Six sigma: This is a statistical approach which is used by managers of Vodafone to
remove any errors in their services and products. Managers also provide strategic guidance
which helps in developing a vision for future tasks. Leaders also use six sigma for achieving
goals and objectives (McPherson and Pincus, 2017). Also they provide training to employees for
developing their skills. With help of Six Sigma managers and leaders set standards for
employees which they consider while performing tasks. Six Sigma is an effective measurement
tool which is used to ensure effectiveness of business operations.
P5 Importance and value of operations management.
Operations management is governance of various key business practices that help in
developing efficiency to a great extent within a workplace. It focuses on converting raw
materials into finished goods and services. Operations management is a process which involves
or infuses various different processes such as planning, organising and supervision processes.
Importance of operations management have been discussed as under:
 It includes same kind of management for each organisation irrespective of their nature of
operations. In context of Vodafone, managers use this process to manage daily activities.
It also helps them in making optimum utilisation of resources.

 Overall productivity can be increased by involving operations management. Here in case
of Vodafone, it acts as a measuring tool for both managers and other employees. This
process of management also helps in achieving goals and objectives on a timely basis.
 Managers of Vodafone undertake such strategies that they are able to organise entire day
working in one go. It helps managers by giving them a competitive edge . Furthermore, it
also helps in competing with competitors present in market.
 Operations management helps in measuring and evaluating performance of employees. It
further leads to enhancement of profitability and productivity level of Vodafone.
 By undertaking operations management, managers of Vodafone manage all business
activities which includes management, supervision and also production of services.
Effectiveness in management helps in timely achievement of goals and objectives.
TASK 4
P6 Factors within the business environment that impact upon operational management and
decision making by leaders and managers.
Managers of each and every business concern have certain roles and responsibilities.
These responsibilities include examination of internal as well as external environment. It helps in
better understanding of effects of environment on business and its operations. Also managers
should be well aware about business and its environment so that they can make best use of
opportunities available in market (Thaler, Priest and Fuchs, 2016). In respect to Vodafone,
managers have adopted certain policies where they also include subordinates in decision making
process. It helps them in better and quicker decision making and also timely achieve goals and
objectives. There are numerous factors that affect business and its operations. They are explained
as under:
Internal factors: Management should assess its systematic capabilities so that they can
effectively utilise funds and resources without wasting them. Managers of Vodafone examine
internal components so that they can determine areas of strengths as well as weaknesses. This
helps in delivering adequate amount of goods and services. There are various internal factors that
have been mentioned as under:
Stakeholders: Stakeholders is a name given to a combination of investors, employees,
suppliers and creditors who influence business and its operations. Managers should form

strategies in such a way that they are able to provide direction to members. They also helps
employees in maintaining effectiveness while performing tasks. This enhances sales and leads to
increase in profit generation of a firm (Shirae and et. al., 2015).
CSR Activities: Vodafone conducts various CSR activities so that they can earn benefits
from government in respect to taxation. This further helps business concerns in enhancing
goodwill and market position of businesses. This happens generally as CSR activities focus on
welfare of society.
External factors: Factors of environment that are present outside business and its area of
operations are known as external factors. For assessing external environment of business,
managers of Vodafone undertake a market survey to fetch information about market conditions.
Managers for this reason choose PEST analysis which has been explained as under:
1. P: Political factors – Political factors refers to government rules and policies that affect
functioning of a business concern. Vodafone has faced numerous issues related to
licensing. To avoid such cases in future, they have designed new strategies so that effect
of old strategies can be reduced. Also managers assure that such issues do not affect
business operations and productivity.
2. E: Economic Factors – Economic factors refers to monetary policies and terms that can
affect business. Exchange and interest rates fall under this category. Vodafone provides
cheaper voice services as compared to other telecommunication service providers. Hence,
better and attractive packages helps them in expanding their business for which decision
making is required in a way that operating in which sector can earn more profit.
3. S: Social factors – This factor deals with needs and wants of people in a society.
Managers of Vodafone form policies in such a way that during time of crisis services are
constantly provided and work ethics are also maintained. Their charges are comparatively
less and quality of services are also trustworthy (Slack, 2015).
4. T: Technological factors – This factor focusses on implementing new and innovative
tools and technique for business operations. Managers of Vodafone are quite effectively
using new innovations as now customers can avail services that are provided digitally
just by a single tap. Vodafone has also launched an app which contains all information
about recharge date and data left with customer.

These are factors that lay a significant impact on business operations of Vodafone and
also affect its decision making power.
CONCLUSION
From the above mentioned report, it can be concluded that it is prime responsibility of
management to conduct business operations effectively. It further helps an organisation in
achieving their goals and objectives on a timely basis. Managers should always assign duties
and tasks to members based on their skills and abilities. Along this, they even require to conduct
training and development activities to enhance capabilities of employees and make them perform
tasks effectively. Leaders should consider appropriate leadership style which help them in
directing employees an d boosting their motivation level. Operations management has various
benefits, as it helps management to deliver items in respect to needs and wants of people. Along
this, internal and external factors are constituents of business environment. Hence, they are
analysed by administration which help them to take appropriate judgements, thereby enhancing
sales and profitability.

REFERENCES
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Slack, N., 2015. Operations strategy. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Thaler, T. A., Priest, S. J. and Fuchs, S., 2016. Evolving inter-regional co-operation in flood risk
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Online:
What is Operations Management?. 2015. [Online]. Available
through:<https://www.topmba.com/mba-programs/what-operations-management>.
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