An Analysis of Leadership, Management, and Operations at Starbucks

This report delves into the application of management and operational approaches and techniques within the organizational context of Starbucks. It begins by defining and comparing the roles and characteristics of leaders and managers, highlighting their distinct objectives, approaches, and skills. The report then examines how the roles of leaders and functions of managers are applied in various situational contexts, providing examples related to Starbucks' operations. Different leadership theories and models, including contingency, situational, and systematic leadership styles, are explored to understand their practical implications. The report further explains key approaches to operations management and the significant roles that leaders and managers play in this context. It emphasizes the importance and value of operations management in achieving business objectives within Starbucks and assesses the impact of various factors within the business environment on operational management and decision-making processes by leaders and managers. The report concludes with a comprehensive overview of the findings and insights gained from the analysis.

Application of management &
operation approaches and
techniques in organisational
context

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
LO1..................................................................................................................................................1
P1 Define And Compare Different Roles And Characteristics Of A Leader And Managers.....1
LO2..................................................................................................................................................3
P2 Role Of A Leader And Functions Of A Manager apply In Different Situational Contexts.. 3
P3 Applying different theories models of leadership contingencies, situational, and systematic
leadership styles..........................................................................................................................4
LO3..................................................................................................................................................6
P4 Explaining the key approaches to operations management and the role that leaders and
managers play..............................................................................................................................6
P5 Presenting the importance and values of operation management in Starbucks.....................7
P 6 Assess the factors within the business environment that impact upon operational
management and decisions making by leaders and managers. ..................................................8
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................10
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................11

INTRODUCTION
Operations management is basically business practices administration to create high
efficiency possible in an organization. Starbucks is an American coffee company or courthouse
chain. They started their business in Washington in 1971. They operate globally with almost
20,200 locations worldwide. They produce coffee beverages, smoothies, tea, baked goods,
sandwiches etc. with almost 238,000 employees working for them globally. They deliver the
highest quality coffee in the world. They made their expansion in British Colombia in 1980. This
report will lay emphasis on different roles and characters of leader and managers, how role of
leader and function of a manager is applied in different situational context, different theories and
models of leadership like situational leadership, system and contingency leadership will be
explained. Key approaches to operation management, and the role of leaders and managers,
importance of value of operations management in achieving business objectives, and factors
within business environment that impact operational management and decision making by
leaders and managers will be explained(Auh and et.al., 2016) . All these factors will be explained
by Starbucks as an example.
LO1
P1 Define And Compare Different Roles And Characteristics Of A Leader And Managers.
Leader Manager
A person who has a capability to influence
their subordinates for achieving a specific
objective is known as leader.
A person who has the capability to manage an
organization and has responsibility of
directing, planning, controlling and
coordinating is known as a manager.
Leaders aim is growth and development and
seek strategy, vision and execution
Managers aim is to attain required results and
seek tasks, goals and projects..
Leaders create a vision. They create a picture
of what they want to achieve and is possible,
engage and inspire their subordinates for
turning that picture into reality. They inspire
people into participating into bigger projects.
Managers focuses on measuring, setting and
achieving goals. They try to control the
situation to achieve their goals or objectives.
1

Leader's approach is to set directions. Manager's approach is to plan details.
Leader always think of innovation. They
always bring changes even if things are
working smoothly they think of a better way
forward. They always think that changes create
waves.
Managers always stick with refined systems,
structures, and process to make things way
better than they are.
Leaders are unique. They work actively and
are self aware of their work to build
differentiated and unique personal brand. They
are transparent and authentic.
Managers always copy the behaviour and
competencies they learn and adopt others
leadership style instead of defining it.
Leaders always take risk and try new different
things even if they fail miserably. They always
think failure is a step towards success.
Managers always try to minimize risk. They
always try to avoid or control any problem thy
have instead of facing it.
Leaders intentionally do what they want to do
and try to stay motivated for their goals even
without receiving any appreciation or rewards.
Managers always work and think on short term
goals seeking rewards and regular appreciation
or acknowledgement.
Leaders always try to learn something new
everyday so they don't fall behind. They are
always curious to learn new thing in this ever
changing world.
Manager always work on the same existing
path which made them successful by bringing
perfection in their skills and by adopting
already proven behaviour.
Leaders always focus on people to build
relationship. They always know their
stakeholders and spend their time with them.
Managers always build process and system.
They always focus on necessary structure to
achieve or set goals.
Leaders coach the people who are with them to
find answers. They are always optimistic about
their peoples potential.
Managers directly direct their subordinates,
guide them and assign them tasks and way to
accomplish them.
Leaders have people who follow then as their
fans who follow them. Their people always
help them to achieve goals in fact increase
Managers have staff or employees who follow
their directions and seek for pleasing their
2

their credibility and visibility(Algahtani.,
2014).
boss.
They always seek effectiveness They always seek for efficiency.
They have transformational style They have transactional style.
They use conflict as an asset They always try to avoid conflicts.
They always facilitate decisions They always make decisions.
For leaders people are always more important
than task
For managers task is always more important
than people.
Leaders have lateral thinking Managers have linear thinking
They always seek guidelines from inside They always sense or seek external data
Leaders have soft leadership skills Managers have hard management skills
LO2
P2 Role Of A Leader And Functions Of A Manager apply In Different Situational Contexts.
Functions of a manager in different situational context with example.
 Planning: In this managers seek hoe to achieve the goals. Manager schedule activities for
achieving goals. For example if Starbucks wants to increase their coffee sales in UK then
first they need to target their customers and analysis their orders and according to those
they need to bring changes in their menu accordingly and plan their budget needed to
make changes .
 Organizing: After the plan is made managers need to organize their materials and team
for their plan. Like in Starbucks after creating a plan they need to organize that which
team is going to work on which aspect to increase their coffee sales.
 Staffing: After briefing their staff about the work they need to weather they need to
appoint new staff to increase their sales or they need to train their current employees to
increase their sales. And need to see if financial department needs any more budget
allocation for recruiting new staff members.
3

 Directing System: Managers need to lead their staff to see what need to be done is a
responsibility of managers. Starbucks managers need to train their new employees to
analysis the situation and encourage them to deal with the situation(Michelli., 2014).
 Controlling: After analysing the whole situation managers job is not finished. Like
manager of Starbucks need to see weather they have required staff to attend their
customers and for that weather have proper financial budget.
Role of a leader
 Required at all levels: leadership is required at all the functions of management. In
Starbucks situation it is important for all the top level management to analyse the
situation and make changes in their policies and make plan. In middle level they are
required to analyse the situation of increasing the sales of coffe and what course of action
is required to increase the sales.
 Coach potential: Leaders are required to improve ability of all employees to solve the
problem and unleash their potential. In Starbucks leaders need to see that what changes
are required in employees to increase their sales like if training is required to train the
employees then training should be given to all those employees.
 Take the responsibility: Leader should take the responsibility of any course of action
which is done. If Starbucks sales are deceasing then top management leaders should take
the responsibility and coordinate with other departments and work accordingly to
increase their sales(Harrington, Ottenbacher and Fauser., 2017).
 Positioning powers: In this powers of a managers is measured to see the number of
favourable decisions managers have taken and number of unfavourable decisions they
have taken. In Starbucks top management will see weather correct decisions have been
taken by the managers to increase sales and they are working in favour of company or
because of those decisions sales of company is decreasing.
P3 Applying different theories models of leadership contingencies, situational, and systematic
leadership styles.
Operational management refers to the way in which a business manager the resources
responsible for creating good or services., machines, people and technology. The main aim, of
the operational management is that to control the long term managing task in order to meet out
the long term success within the business context. The importance between the role of manager
4

and leaders (Glaser, Stam and Takeuchi, 2016). Further it also explains the differences between
the different functions of manager and leaders. However, overall it represents that models and
approaches of situational, leadership, systematic leadership and contingency approaches.
Besides, study also explained about the external environment which affects the managers and
leaders decision making approach.
Contingency leadership style : this leadership styles has been based on different
leadership styles which is based on different leadership goals and objectives. This theory has
concerned with having the leader adapt to a situation, rather the goal is to match the leaders style
with a compatible situation (Avgerou and Walsham, eds., 2017). Starbucks needs to maintained
the long term goals in order to meet out the long term management task and effective outcome
performances. It affects the business idea and new managing successfully business growth for
the Starbucks. Contingency leadership style is very much useful in uncertain situation. In this
leaders are more task oriented and effective. They performed their best active services to get the
best outcome results.
This leadership style helps to use create new leadership styles and profile for the
organisations.
Situational leadership style : Situational leadership is the another kind of leadership
style that helps to encourage leaders to take the stock of their team members, weigh the many
variables in their workplaces and choose the different opportunity task. These kinds of leadership
style under which leaders encourage people and work group targets. Establish rapport and to
bring out the best in their people. This leadership style is more flexible to adopt which is based
on some specific skill of the leader (Brigham and et.al., 2016). It helps to take the new managing
and leading purposeful task. It helps to continue the long term goals and best effective
performance making targets. Situational leadership styles based on some situations at different
level.
This leadership style and managing good behaviour helps to define better targets and
goals.
Systematic leadership style : Systematic approach helps to change the effective changes
within the company environment. It affects the business effective model and goals to get the best
target market performance in order to meet out the best target results. Apart from that, it helps to
5

sustained the effective management task. This is the process which simple enhancing the simple
process that is increasingly valuable when moving a new product or service.
Systematic leadership tool are generally based on real situations which reflects the
change in vocabulary (Brigham and et.al., 2016). Systematic leadership helps leaders to adopt
the systematic approach that helps leaders to set the work on prioritise and then work
accordingly. It helps leaders to give their hundred percent in order to meet out the goals and
objectives as well.
LO3
P4 Explaining the key approaches to operations management and the role that leaders and
managers play.
Leadership management is the influencing people, so the objectives are attained willingly
and enthusiastically management goals. Leaders of the Starbucks are highly motivated and
influenced by the company culture which influence business growth and development areas of
the business organisations. It helps to discover the new managing business that helps to upgrade
the business performance. Management is a discipline of managing things in the best possible
manner.
Manager is the another play the most important role in within the company environment
in order to manage the working environment. There are providing some key approaches to
operation management in order to play the key roles of development. It helps to represents the
long term targets and give the best performing goals and target.
Operation management is the most essential target market functional area which serves
different process of converting inputs in terms of material, labour and energy into outputs. The
key concepts or approaches of plans will help to identify the new managing successful business
targets to perform the different functional area (Northouse, 2018). It also affect the new
managing successful business growth to achieve the target of Starbucks.
TQM Total Quality Management
it is the best approach to operation management, it affects the best possible action plan.
Total quality management helps manager to meet the leadership goals. Leader and managers
both helps to manage the effective growth in order to meet out the result oriented. Overall, it
6

helps to continue the effective management task. It helps manager and leader to achieve all target
in effective manner. It helps to improve product quality, services, culture and effective
management approach. This approach helps to focused target customer, total employee
involvement, process centred, integrated system, and strategic and systematic approach.
Lean production
It is the another strategy or key approach to the operation management in order to meet
out the effective product outcome goals. Lean production is an approach that focuses on cutting
out waste and ensuring the overall process quality goals (Wan and et.al., 2016). Lean approach
managing several task and developing results such as creating new managing technical quality
and effective management task. It helps to reduce the process of logistic and create new
developing opportunity to take better result and goals.
Six Sigma
It is the another managing and effective approach or style to managing effective
operation management task and overall process. Six sigma is a disciplinary management
effective performance and drive approach and continuous improvements methodology for
eliminating the unstinting task and ineffective waste material.
Sigma represents the better objective and long term task in order to meet out the better
goals oriented process and effective management task. Six sigma measures the variations in a
data set collected about the process (Wang and et.al., 2016). If a defect is defined by
specification limits separating good from bad outcomes.
P5 Presenting the importance and values of operation management in Starbucks
Operational management is the simple process that consist of planning, organizing and
controlling the system in a quoted company. In Starbucks, the company also have unique
operational management system which also ensures that there should be timely delivery of all the
products that help to attract wide range of customers towards them (Turner, 2014). The
importance of the operational management's system in the working area is as follows:
Importance of operational Management
 This system help to manage the overall system as well as daily activities in Starbucks and
through operational management system, an organization can able to determine how to
use the labour, raw material and other resources on time. Hence, it shows that the
7

operational management further involves all the planning, controlling and directing
elements that further help to raise the production level of the company.
 Operation management system is that activities which take place in a business and also
contributes to making those products which help to align the needs of their customers.
Therefore, it is also known as the heart of the company because it controls the overall
system and if the products are meet out the needs of their customers need then they will
further sell in a market at cheap and affordable rates (Kerzner and Kerzner, 2017).
 The key approaches such as TQM, Six sigma or lean production approaches also help the
company in order to maximizes the production level and minimizes the wastage of the
company. So that it will be more beneficial for Starbucks to improve the profitability and
improve the overall financial performance of the company. This approaches are applied
by Starbucks because the company provides the best quality of products to their
customers and it will further help to raise the production level of the company.
 Operation management system in Starbucks is important to enhance the entire
productivity. The ratio of output and input is referred as productivity. It provides a
measure of the efficiency of the managers as well as workers. As the discipline
concentrates on utilising the available resources in the best possible way to attain end
goals, as to better the productivity.
 Before it has been observed that the operation management was not that crucial for
organisations, but afterwards, it was revealed that it is actually very vital for companies
like Starbucks. It was also found that the producing of raw material to make final product
and selling them along with management of trading is essential, and this is done
effectively by handling the operations (Laudon and Laudon, 2016).
It little complicated procedure to handle the operations, therefore, in-depth knowledge is need to
be required by Starbucks to attain goals.
P 6 Assess the factors within the business environment that impact upon operational
management and decisions making by leaders and managers.
Starbucks Coffee Company, was established in 1971 that has expanded to an
international brand. Since the world's biggest coffee house company, Starbucks constantly leads
the industry in Sustainable business and innovation. The macro economic environment that
company operates in its categorised by the ongoing global economic recession which has
8