Critical Analysis of Leadership and Management at Premier Inn, UK

This report delves into the concepts of leadership and management, using Premier Inn as a case study. It explores the roles and characteristics of leaders and managers, differentiating between their functions and responsibilities. The report analyzes various leadership theories, including situational, participative, and contingency approaches, evaluating their strengths and weaknesses. It examines the application of these theories within Premier Inn, considering the impact on operational management, decision-making, and the business environment. The analysis covers key approaches to operations management and the influence of leaders and managers on operational efficiency, concluding with a critical evaluation of the chosen strategies. The report also discusses how the business environment impacts the community.

MANAGEMENT AND
OPERATIONS
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................................3
LO1..............................................................................................................................................................3
P1 Roles and characteristics of a leader and a manager..........................................................................3
M1 Differentiation between the role of a leader and function of a manager .........................................4
D1 Critically analyse different theories and approaches of leadership ...................................................5
LO2..............................................................................................................................................................5
P2 The role of a leader and the function of a manager in different situational .....................................5
P3 Different theories and models of approach........................................................................................6
M2 strengths and weaknesses of different approaches..........................................................................7
D1 Critically analyse different theories and approaches of leadership....................................................7
Task 2...........................................................................................................................................................8
LO3..............................................................................................................................................................8
P4 key approaches of operations management and the role of leader and manager ...........................8
P5 Importance and value of operations management ..........................................................................11
M3 Evaluate how leaders and managers improves efficiencies of operational management ..............13
P6) The impact upon operational management and decision-making by Leaders and manager..........13
M4 Different factors affect the business environment and their community.......................................14
D2 Critically evaluate application of operations management..............................................................15
Conclusion:................................................................................................................................................16
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................................17
INTRODUCTION
A leader and a manager are the two major personal responsible for the smooth management and
enthusiastic environment of the company. The significant aspects of operation management and
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the relation between the different levels of the hierarchy are discussed in this project. Premier Inn
is the largest hotel brand and hotel chain in the UK. As it has 72,000 rooms and 785 hotels all
over the globe. It is owned by the British multinational hotel and restaurant company Whitbread
plc. The focus is on the difference between leadership and management of an organisation what
are the roles and responsibilities of leaders and managers in the chosen organisation.
LO1
P1 Roles and characteristics of a leader and a manager
A leader is the one who inspires people to work selflessly towards the common goal whereas a
manager is the one who uses his authority to work for him. A leader needs to be a charismatic
personality so that people can find and inspiration to work towards the common goal.
1 .Role of the Leader
A leader is the one who is followed by people sharing a common goal. He carries a charisma and
values which are respected by his/her followers.
A good leader inspires his/her followers to work for the common goal. This involves the
betterment of each and also of the team as a whole. A leader influences and motivates his
followers to achieve a shared goal.
He applies different leadership approaches to keep his followers inspired and working.
A leader gives preference to people oriented leadership where he values the individuals in his
group.
A good leader can be a good manager.
2. Function of Manager
People work for the manager. He is the one who uses his authority to get the work done.
He carries authority, so he is obeyed by the people working for him.
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A good manager dictates his team to work for the corporate goal, which benefits the organisation
more than it does to the employers. A manager divides the task into his team and makes sure that
the work gets done till the deadline.
A manager applies different management approaches to get the job done. He gives preference to
task oriented management style where he provides more preference to the completion of the task
(Berry, et. Al. 2016).
A good manager can’t necessarily be a good leader.
M1 Differentiation between the role of a leader and function of a manager
A leader is the one who uses inspires people to achieve a common goal. He is usually a strong
character who encourages his followers. According to the situational theory of leadership a
leader analyses the situation thoroughly and measures the pros and cons of his actions before
acting. According to the participative method a leader gives equal opportunities to his team
members for putting forth their point of view (McGrath & Bates, 2017).
A manager is the one who works for organisational goals and makes sure the timely
accomplishment of the tasks by assigning it to different members of the team. According to the
task-oriented management theory, a manager focuses more on the task rather than the employees
(McGrath & Bates, 2017).
Role of a leader
The role of a leader is to direct followers towards the right direction, to motivate people to deal
with the crisis so that they can emerge from it quickly, to provide a goal to the followers, to
maintain high morale among his followers.
Functions of a manager
Function of a manager is to use his authority for getting the work done on time, to check and
maintain the day to day operations in the company, to assign tasks to the employees, and to
maintain collaboration within the teams, to manage the discipline and punctuality within the
organisation.
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D1 Critically analyse different theories and approaches of leadership
LO2
P2 The role of a leader and the function of a manager in different situational
The role of a leader applies in the process of transformation of the organisational goal into a
common goal where all the employees consider them a united body and hence work hard to
achieve the common goal. A leader is like a role model, and his role comes into play whenever
there is a need for motivation, direction, and building morale of the employees. During the
situation of any brand crisis, a leader holds up the organisation together. A leader takes the
responsibility of maintaining the brand image in the market.
For example, if any crisis happens within Premier Inn, the manager will exercise control over the
employees, and he will keep the important processes running inside the organisation. A leader
will try his best to prevent the crisis by gathering information and formulating strategies with the
crisis management team. The leader will engage with the PR team and will motivate the team to
minimise the effects of the crises upon the brand image. The manager will handle the internal
goings-on, and the leader will face external threats to the organisation.
Behavioural theory. Critical Analysis
According to the behavioural method of leadership, it is believed that leaders made rather than
born. It is based on the notion that leadership is a learned behaviour rather than an inborn talent.
It also states that leadership can be learned by observing the behaviour and actions of great
leaders and their followers.
This theory works by observing the reactions of leaders to a particular situation. This leads to the
formation of pre-sets for a different situation. The same action can’t be taken in different
circumstances. Every case needs to be differently dealt with. So observations doesn’t work well,
and the theory fails at any points(Amanchukwu, 2015).
Participative Theory. Critical Analysis.
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This theory states that a good leader takes inputs from his followers in the process of decision
making. Hence making the leadership a participatory one. Which in turn gains him the full
support of his followers. This approach to leadership leaves the leader with lesser power, and it
also makes the decision making process long and slow(Lee, 2016).
Situational Theory.
Situational Theory suggests that leaders should first analyse the situation and then they should
choose the best approach for dealing with the situation. It states no single theory is sufficient for
all situations.
P3 Different theories and models of approach
Situational leadership is like a mix of all the leadership. It is the best approach because it
suggests what type of leadership approach should be adopted to deal with a particular situation.
So it is a flexible and highly adaptive approach. It can be adopted at the time of any crisis
because it gives us the power to deal with complex situations.
Leadership approach in the system leadership tries to create the conditions which can be used to
enhance the productivity of the employees. It involves the behavioural analysis of the employees
and the testing of their skills so they can be assigned tasks best suiting to their skill set. This type
of leadership can be best applied at the time of employee turnover. As it will slow down the
effects of the turnover by increasing the productivity of the existing employees.
Contingency leadership states that a particular style of leadership is most effective when it best
matches the situation. So in this kind of leadership, the leader's style is evaluated against a
specific situation using LPC to the situation. This theory reduces the amount of expectations
from the leader and tries to match the leader with the task.
The transformational leadership theory is another theory that can be used by the management of
Premier Inn where the leaders can identify the weak points in their organization and use
adequately developed strategies to improve such weak areas by developing and implementing the
change strategies. Managers on the other hand ensure that the employees understand the change
that is desired and the reason behind it thus simplify the overall process at Premier Inn.
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M2 strengths and weaknesses of different approaches
The advantages to situational leadership are that it is flexible; it is a blend of all the styles and
emphasises on the choice of the best. This approach to leadership works in all kind of situations.
The situational leadership stresses on the adjustment of the leadership style to fit the needs of
the employers. So if a leader becomes more oriented to this approach he might become focused
on constant adjustment. In this scenario, the organisation can lose its structural stability (Yasir &
Mohamad, 2016).
System leadership is capable of dealing with complexity. It takes a holistic view. It is highly
adaptive, and so it can easily manage change by interacting with the environment. It is easy to
improve because it utilises feedback. The disadvantages of this theory are that it is too abstract
and so it is difficult to apply in a practical situation. It does not provide tools and techniques for
practising managers.
The contingency theory suggests the chaotic nature of any environment, and it suggests that all
the situations are not under human control. It states leadership is circumstantial. The major
disadvantage of this theory is that not every variable is considered in decision-making and it is
very difficult to include all the variables.
D1 Critically analyse different theories and approaches of leadership
Premier Inn uses the situational model of leadership as it has many competitors in the
market. So it needs to adopt different leadership styles according to the changing market. As
while launching new hotel chains and other sub-brands it uses the contingency model of
leadership because the launch of a new product includes risks which can only be eliminated it
uses the contingency approach. Hence, weighing the pros and cons of each strategy and
analysing the possible threats in the market.
From the above discussion, it can be concluded that leadership and management are two
vital parts of the business industry and there is a fine line of differentiation between them. To be
successful in the market a company needs to adopt different models of leadership and
management. A good leader is the one who can inspire others to work for the common goal and a
good manager is the one who can get the work done on time.
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Task 2
LO3
INTRODUCTION:
This learning outcome will be discussing the necessary approaches which can make a
change in the role played by the operations managers and also how it can make a change in the
decision-making processes of the Premier lodge. How operations managers can make an impact
on the effective and efficient use of the labours.
P4 key approaches of operations management and the role of leader and manager
Operational management is a very important phenomenon in the management context
and it is been used to monitor the tasks in multiple manners. The companies have the two main
important tasks involving services and products (Get smarter, 2017).
The term operations management has developed from a broadening of the concept of production
management, which, as the name implies was primarily concerned with the management of the
conversion of raw materials into finished products for sale(R. L. Galloway, 1996).
The services are more important in context with the value of a brand in comparison with the
production field and operations management is more used in the service sector of Premier hotels.
The paths through which operations management can be achieved or can be used in:
1. Effort and applicants: These involve all the outer concepts like the capitals,
Recruitment and proper knowledge in the field you are working. Reliability is very
important and certain demands by the consumers can be meet up. The enterprise is a good
way for any customer to make a demand or need. Feedback is important to be sent to the
suppliers of the raw materials whether their needs are been fulfilled or not. There are
many benefits of this kind of approach as it will make a very good revenue and also this
path will help to secure investments(Cleverism, 2016)
2. Modification the system of management: These paths are very much effective to make
an efficient environment. The accounts and the production departments are the two main
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major concern for these kinds of paths. This method of important and very helpful in
developing and improving the knowledge and human behaviour.
3. Declaration scheme: In every task and work good communications is required with
proper feasible way importantly in the operational scheme. The external environment of
the company and the communications with between the internal and external
environment is important (Getsmarter, 2017).
Responsibilities of operations management
Operations managers have some responsibilities for all the activities in the organization
which contribute to the production of goods and services.
The direct responsibilities :
 Understanding the operation’s strategic objectives;
 Developing an operations strategy for the organization;
 Designing the operation’s products, services and processes;
 Planning and controlling;
 Improving the performance of the operation.
The indirect responsibilities:
 To inform other functions of the opportunities provided by the operations
capabilities;
 To discuss with other functions how plans might be modified for the profit of both
functions;
 To encourage other functions to suggests ways in which the operations function
can improve the service to the rest of the organization(John Cunningham Wood,
Michael C.Wood, 2005).
Total Quality Management(TQM)
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TQM is an amalgam of the ideas evolving from Deming, Juran, Crosby, and others. TQM
is the management philosophy that focuses on fulfilling customer expectations by providing
quality services and products(John Cunningham Wood, Michael C. Wood, 2005). The leaders
ensure that the reason behind applying TQM is made understood to the employees and the
managers evaluate that whether the employees have adequate knowledge regarding
implementation of the TQM and when they face any difficulties, managers must be available to
assist them.
Craft Manufacturing
Craft manufacturing details the entire process through which the skilled workmen
produce the desired goods or products. This operational management technique is generally
applicable on the craftspeople who are skilled and the operation level is usually at a small scale.
Manager through the craft manufacturing ensure that the future personnel who is expected to
carry out or utilize the skills further are adequately trained as these kind f technique is passed
from one generation to another. On the other hand, the role of leaders is to ensure that the person
who is being trained for such skills are motivated and have the capability to learn the skills rather
than learning them forcibly.
Mass Production
Under this the production is done in a bulk and the characteristics of the goods produced
is similar i.e. the goods produced are homogenous. Leaders can ensure that the efficiency of the
production is not compromised with and the manager supervises the entire production process.
Modern Period
Modern period specifies the time that is taken in the entire production prices and how
quickly can it be completed. The leaders ensure that the period is not unrealistic and the
managers also manage the efficiency of workers in such a way that targets one set can be
achieved accordingly.
P5 Importance and value of operations management
The productions management, planning process and the management department come
under operational management. The basic and the most important part operations management
involved is to develop the outputs from the inputs given. The operations managers are very
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important officials in Premier lodge and it is helping the premier lodge to convert the inputs and
to achieve the goals.
Operations management is the most versatile field of management and the value of
operations management is quite clear. The operations manager is involved in every important
department of the organisation and hence, it is involved in the operations in the department
mainly to give output to the company.
Importance of operations management
 These are the flexible management processes and depends on the kind of work involved
in the Premier lodge. These operations management is involved in every department of
the Premier lodge (Cleverism, 2016).
 The process involved in the conversions of the input part in the company to the output it
produces the Operation manager maintains all these vital processes.
 It gives good efficiency for the hotels like Premier lodge.
 The needs of the customers are the most important context any hotel should be worried
about, and hence operations managers monitor those.
 The most fund of the Premier lodge is consumed in the service sector and hence it gives
an efficient way of maintaining this management.
Premier inn is multinational organization which offers services to customers across the world.
Operation management plays vital role in various sectors i.e.
Globalization of Economy
Operation management gives significant values in global economy because it introduces
various strategies which helps company to generate high revenue over the time. For example
operation management helps organization to offer room services on affordable price across the
world. It manages customers reviews about and address company to improve their lodge services
which gives values to each customer around the world. Thus, kind strategies helps to generate
net income within organization.
Total quality management (TQM)
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Total quality management has goal to offer high quality products or services to public which
influences their values. Premium lodge involves TQM for improving quality of services. TQM
act as audit for other department who monitors various function of departments. TQM organizes
strategies while operation management takes in action and assigns tasks to each employees
within company. It leads dedication in employees for their job, and they review overall
operations which are conducted for achieving aim of company. Thus, operation management
supports TQM to maintain services quality within premier lodge.
Empowerment
Operation management empower employees within organization by offering training and
development classes. It helps employees to learn new tactic which improves their working
efficiency at workplace. By the T&D classes, employees makes them potential for gaining
rewards. Thus, organization leads satisfaction in employees for the job by the helps of operation
management.
Technology
Technology development plays essential role in company because it supports to take competitive
advantage in competitive market. Operation management aware employees about new
technology and trains them how to operate. Thus, management improves employees skills and
makes them efficient for achieving economical benefit in the company. Technology development
influences Premier lodge services and assist to generate high revenue within company.
M3 Evaluate how leaders and managers improves efficiencies of operational management
A manager or a leader working in the premier lodge will work in an effective way in such ways
explained below:
The value of the employee in any organization especially in Hotel lodge should be known to the
operation manager of the firm. Working in a good collaborative environment for the employees
is very important and feedbacks taken from the consumers or visitors of hotel premier lodge
should be known and customers should be satisfied (Cleverism, 2016).
If we take an example: If the operations manager understands the current production system of
the Hotel premier lodge and the services provided by the premier lodge is going down and
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customers are submitting bad feedbacks in their forums this is the responsibility of the operations
manager to get to know about the current production status of the company.
 It is the responsibility of the operation manager to look after the efficient way of working.
The operations manager is responsible for the working culture which is collaborative in a
premier lodge.
 The operations management or the manager always has to focus on the quality of work
and also to work in an efficient way of work culture, and as a hotel sector, it is very
important to know and monitor the quality of services provided to the customers or
visitors (Cleverism, 2016).
P6) The impact upon operational management and decision-making by Leaders and manager
The factors affecting operational management are(IEdunote, 2017.):
CSR: Corporate social responsibility is a key aspect that is adopted by the companies where a
part of the resources that are utilized by the company are given back to them. Corporate social
responsibility means business initiative which benefits the society. If the companies don't
execute the CSR then consumers can refuse to accept the product or the company. With the CSR
practices a company can be able to attract a skilled and talented employees and organizations
that adopted CSR have happier and satisfied employees.
External factors:
PESTLE is a framework which helps the organization to understand the external factors
which are not under control of the company but have a great impact on the organizations. There
are strategies and methods which have to be made so that measures can be taken accordingly.
Political issues: The boundaries define the laws and regulations that state the Dos and
DONTs of the organization for having planned the further strategies for a longer run in market.
Stable political factors is a positive factor for Premier Inn.
Economic condition: It is an overall status of the condition in which a company works.
The tax rates, inflation, unemployment etc. It can affect one and the other positively and
negatively. For example, when the unemployment rate is big the quality of hiring may go down
and vice versa.
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Social Factors: The cultural barriers are minimizing therefore there are a lot of tourism
taking place and that is leading to a positive impact on the Premier Inn. Over year's tourism has
increased in the country due to which there is a high growth in demand.
Technology: Technology contributes to the efficiency of productivity. Investing in
technology is never a matter of loss. Innovations are high therefore changes of technology will
help the company have a positive impact in the tourism of the hotel.
Legal rules and regulations vary from country to country. Premier Inn provides the
employees with the rights of safety and security in the boundaries. Any kind of discrimination is
taken very seriously and leads to a positive atmosphere.
Environmental: The weather and climate are not affecting this industry in the country
and are supporting the tourism factor which is a great advantage for Premier Inn. There are
measures taken by the hotel to reduce the carbon footprint in the country therefore they have
started using solar panels for electricity and other renewable resources.
M4 Different factors affect the business environment and their community
Factors involved which affect the wider community in the hotel sector are:
Community formation and increasing the Chain and community of the hotel is sometimes
become very Hectic. Some of the factors which makes an impact due to widening the community
and branches of the hotels such as:
Manufacturing factor: There are many construction issues which come into activities such as
the availability of the labours and the resources. Decisions have to be made about all kind of
construction decisions (Informit, 2014).
Disputes: The internal disputes increase with the widening of the communities; more people
mean more disputes. Proper employability skills have to be analysed with the behaviour and
nature to minimise those.
Conclusion
This following learning outcome has been given and concluded to discuss the factors which are
there which affect the way operation managers work how they can work more efficiently and
effectively and also to know the future opportunities and recommendation.
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D2 Critically evaluate application of operations management
There are the following factors which have an impact on the Wider business environment:
Assembly of organisation: As asserted by Cleverism (2016), the structure of work culture,
especially in the hotel sector, is fundamental in the context of the Hotel sector. Working in an
excellent suited collaboration can provide an efficient work environment for the staffs of the
premier lodge.
Organisation philosophy: The most important philosophy of work is by working in a
collaborative manner which can make a good output with proper input of investments. The
behaviour with which the staffs of hotel premier lodge are managing their visitors is important as
the staffs and housekeepings are those who make an impact on the feedback of the hotel.
Analytical system: The work assigned to the staff or employee of premier lodge should be first
analyses well in the factors such as environmental, social and legal factors. Analysis of the
company before taking recruitment is important.
Background of the Premier lodge: The policy the mission on which the management is
working to achieve the goal plays a very important part especially in the business atmosphere.
The true potential of the hotel is been recognised in the peak time or recession period
(Cleverism, 2016).
Conclusion:
The importance which operations manager has got for the service sector and in the premier lodge
has been discussed and departments in which operations managers are very much active are also
discussed. How important part the managers or the leaders can play a part in their segments and
also how effective and efficient they can be to make a good kind of productivity and
serviceability to the visitors and the customers. The importance of operation management has
been discussed in the above-given report with the value it adds to the organisation and also how
the factors that can affect the broader community in the business. The decision making in the
organisation and how it changes in the context of the operations management and the leaders and
key approaches towards successful operations management.
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