Waitrose: Management and Leadership Roles in Business Operations

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of leadership and management roles within the context of Waitrose, a leading UK grocery provider. It begins by comparing and contrasting the characteristics and roles of leaders and managers, highlighting their distinct responsibilities. The report then explores how these roles are applied in various organizational situations, such as employee resistance to change and intense market competition, using Waitrose as a case study. Furthermore, it delves into the application of leadership theories, including situational leadership, contingency management, and systems leadership, in managing these situations. The report also examines approaches to operations management, its significance in achieving business objectives, and the factors within the business environment that impact operational decision-making. The analysis provides insights into how effective leadership and management contribute to the success of Waitrose, addressing challenges and leveraging opportunities within the competitive retail landscape.

MANAGEMENT AND OPERATIONS

Table of Contents
INTRODUCITON...........................................................................................................................3
LO 1.................................................................................................................................................3
Comparison on the basis of different characteristics and roles of manager and a leader............3
LO 2.................................................................................................................................................6
Role of leader and function of manager apply in varied situations.............................................6
Theories and models of theory applied in different situations.....................................................7
LO 3.................................................................................................................................................9
Approaches to operations management and roles that manager & leader play within it.............9
Importance and value of operations management in achieving objectives of business.............11
LO 4...............................................................................................................................................12
Factors within business environment that impact on OM and decision making act..................12
CONCLUSION..........................................................................................................................13
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................14

INTRODUCITON
Management and operations are the greatest assets of businesses; any firm is able to
expand their business within new market place with the help of effective management who are
capable to handle each operation in systematic manner. The current study is based on Waitrose
which falls under list of leading grocery providers across UK. Firm combine convenience of
supermarket with service and expertise of specialist outlet. Its food touched live of millions of
buyers from their consumers to those who make progress and pact company products.
This report will compare and define role & characteristic of leader and manager. It will
explain different organizational situation in which leader play their role and manager define their
functions. Furthermore, this assignment will describe different models in context of varied
situational and will also explain important approaches to operations management along with their
significance in achieving business objectives. Factors in business environment that affect
decision making by both positions and OM will justified.
LO 1
Comparison on the basis of different characteristics and roles of manager and a leader
A leader is a person who takes accountability for everyone’s performance and their own
as well while working in a well reputed company.
There are following roles played by a leader-
Motivate and inspire people-
The main role of leader in any organization is to motivate their team member and other
workers in effective manner which makes individual able to accomplish their day to day
activities (Gibson and et.al., 2018).
Provide a vision-
Another role of leader is to provide clear vision for entire workforce because workers
cannot be expected to take part in common attempt when they do not know aims of practice

(Mumford and et.al., 2017). When leader cater vision and aims of practice to applicants they are
more concentrate and comprehend how their single role aid to drive success of company.
Guide workers-
Leader guide and direct their workers regarding accomplishing daily activities or tasks at
workplace which is really very important (Esteves and et.al., 2018).
Characteristics of a leader-
Communication-
Effective leader & effective communication are interrelated, a leader have good
communication characteristic with which they works to encourage team members and motivate
them as well (Luo and et.al., 2016).
Influence-
One of the characteristics of a leader is how individual think, talk and consider that
person (Sun, Liden and Ouyang, 2019). They have good influence characteristics with which
leader can influence their employees to perform even better.
Passionate-
It is one of the best and beneficial characteristics of a leader as they are passionate about
what workers known and care about it can shine through and people can follow (Mawlawi, El
Fawal and Maaliky, 2019).
A manager is a person who is accountable for motivating and supervising staff and for
directing success of a company.
Roles of manager-
Monitor-
According to this role, manager receives and gathers information related to production
and other operations of any organization to monitor everything (Nagpal and et.al., 2017).

Decision making-
Manager play effective role in company as decision maker they take especially two types
of decisions. It includes acting as businessman to try to set new aims for firm and disturbance
handler (Vyatkin, Fomina and Shmeleva, 2019).
Resource allocator-
Manager role in company is to allocate valuable and accessible resources within company
to employees according to needs (Weldemariam and et.al., 2019).
Characteristics of a manager-
Communicate honestly-
Manager interacts and communicates with their team members and other people honestly
which is quite beneficial in term of building strong bond between both of them.
Time management-
Manager according to this characteristic create schedule for workers which makes them
able to accomplish day to day activities which in return increase productivity of business rather
than before.
Reliability-
It is the best characteristic of manager with which they can make assure workers are
performing well at workplace within organization.
Differences between leader and manager on the basis of their roles & qualities-
It can be said that the role of manager and leader as well as characteristics are quite
different from each other. Manager is the person who allocates resources to employees and
leader is the one of guide applicants how to use assets in effective manner. Manager monitor
employee performance and leader improve their activities at workplace which make each person
capable to work hard. Leader is passionate, they can do anything with passion which makes them

different from manager on the other hand, manager by developing appropriate schedule can
complete work.
LO 2
Role of leader and function of manager apply in varied situations
Situation 1- Employee resistance for change
When management takes a decision to change organization structure and employees do
not cooperate in it, then at that time any kind of modification will be negatively impact on
business success and growth. Many workers do not easily accept change; they resist adopting it,
in such a situation leader plays vital role in Waitrose (Shimoni, 2017). Leader as good
communicator talks to applicants, they try to explain them who change is important and
beneficial for them as well as company. Effective communication is one of the best tools leader
can use to overcome situation and obtain desire results. As it help to makes people ready for
adopting organization structure change. Manager also plays their role in this situation with
effective functions they can handle overall condition. Planning is the primary function of
manager through which they can create plan for implementing organization structure change
along with focusing on employee needs. Manager make plan after communicating with
employees they identify their needs and then act accordingly. For example, when people reject to
adopt change manager develop a plan for conducting face to face meeting where they interact
with employees and provide all information about new organization structure benefits. It works
really very well in context of business and management. They also create plan for organizing
employee’s performance according to their requirement which makes individual able to
accomplish tasks in effective manner. To get everything fine manager develop a training
programme for existing as well as new workers.
Situation 2- Intense competition within marketplace-
Competition in retail industry is very high because existing players give tough opposition
to each other by developing new plans for business and creating new strategies which may be
beneficial for firms (Fernie and Sparks, 2018). Due to this force, Waitrose feel high pressure
from market competition and asks workers to do better than before. Leader with skilled

applicants play their role in effective manner. They guide applicants how to work even better and
accomplish daily activities on timely manner which make company able to deliver products to
consumers on time that help to build positive image within specific market place. Leader
motivate their team to manufacture goods and provide services according to needs of target
market which in return retain people for longer period of time.
Manager helps to overcome this situation and they plan to recruit new staffs who are able
to contribute in achieving competitive advantages. Recruitment is the main function of manger
within Waitrose that help in increasing productivity of business. They hire skilled and talented
applicants who can do anything and give extra attempts for company. It is one of the best ways
manager can use to enhance business sales. They create effective and appropriate budget for
implementing new technologies and plans. Budget permits manager to create plan accordingly
and allow gathering resource. By creating effective plan manager control staff performance as
well as business. They continuously monitor outcomes against aims and take corrective actions
important to make assure that their areas plans remain on track for long.
Theories and models of theory applied in different situations
Situational leadership theory
It is one of the best leadership theories that can be use by leaders to handle every
situation along with above one in effective manner. It is based on 1977 concept that was
developed by Ken Blanchard and Paul Hersey, focuses on more than leader (Zigarmi and
Roberts, 2017). This theory is based on four leadership styles such as delegating, supporting,
coaching and directing. According to this concept, leader within Waitrose analyze current
situation and take decision accordingly. They make employees ready to gain competitive
advantages by performing even better. Directing is an initial level of this theory according to that
leader gives appropriate directions to employees, usually all applicants need more directive style
of leadership. Coaching is second level where leader provide effective guidance to staff for
working effectively. It is for followers who have created certain competence along with
improved and strong commitment. They engage people in work so leader can develop to further
level. There is less telling and more recommending which leads to more motivation and
encouragement.

Benefit of situational leadership is that it allow leader to tailor training scenarios for new
applicants that can bring them up to speed effectively & quickly. But is may create confusion
within firm; leader can shift their method to meet needs of each employees. When direct reports
consider this change occurs, it can leave them with big questions.
Contingency management theory-
This model is related to the role and functions of manager that they play within Waitrose
for managing above situations. It is based on concept that management and manager
effectiveness is contingent upon interplay between application of senior behavior as well as
specific situations (Sayegh and et.al., 2017). With this theory, manager change their management
style according to situation which is quite beneficial for company in term of motivating staff. It
is based on idea that there is no single way to manage business practices in competitive
environment. It refers to immediate contingent situations. Manager by tailoring their planning,
organizing, leading and controlling functions help Waitrose of gain competitive benefits and
encourage team to take part in organization structure change procedure. Manager with the help
of this theory take right action they can determine situation of company, requirements of existing
as well as new workforce and individual included as part of operations success. It assumes that
there is no answer to many things because firm, people and condition vary & change over period.
Overall thing is that it helps a lot and provides desire outcomes.
The best thing about this theory is that it allows manager to consider all factors either
internal or external, analyze situations thoroughly and then take decision appropriately.
Suggestion of this concept is very simple, that is manager need to do things according to need of
condition but when they put into practice it becomes very difficult.
Systems leadership theory-
Along with situational leadership, system leadership theory also help leader to handle
above two different situations. It enables them in Waitrose to create environment where workers
at all levels can perform productively to their potential. It utilizes sound principles about human
nature or behavior to create concepts of better leadership, systems design, organizational strategy
and social procedure (Pulles, Montes and Gutierrez-Gutierrrez, 2017). This theory is helpful as it
cater leader with best tools that aid them to predict workers behavior in organization. It also aids

to build effective programmes which drive productive nature and lead to more efficient
realization of business purpose. This concept is well suited to above complex situation that bring
many challenges in front of leader within Waitrose to reduce the negative effects of employee
resistance and other things as well that needs collective action where no individual entity is in
control.
It can be said that systems leadership theory help to increase organization capability to
environmental changes. But it may not be always practical and lead to delays in decision making
process.
LO 3
Approaches to operations management and roles that manager & leader play within it
TQM-
It described operations management approach to long term progress and success of
business through consumer’s satisfaction. In Total quality management attempts, all workers of
Waitrose participate in improving procedure and changing organizational structure in which they
work for longer period of time (Sahoo and Yadav, 2017). By following the 8 principles of this
approach leader and manager can play their role in effective manner. For instance, manager
focus on buying behavior of consumers, they concentrate back on individual purchasing firm
products which makes them able to identify that people are satisfied with items. With this
approach leader cater clear vision and aims of business in front of their team that allow them to
work accordingly.
Just in time-
It consider as inventory strategy where raw materials are ordered only and obtained as
they are required in manufacturing procedure within Waitrose. The purpose of this method is to
reduce costs by saving money and efforts on overhead inventory expenses. Manager with this
method, identify need for more resource and then create list only when it needed other than just
avoid extra expenses. The leader guides the working people to save money and extra attempts;
they provide the right direction by talking to them again and again which is really very
important.

Queuing-
It is a theory that helps to examine every element of waiting in line to be provided,
including production procedure, services and number of servers as well. It also includes number
of operations places and number of buyers which may be individual, data packets and other
things. Manager role is to identify people who have compliance or queries about products or
services and then communicate with leader to respond it in effective manner. Leader role is to
analyze needs of people and to motivate them accordingly. By applying this concept in company
manager and leader working together develop more effective queuing system.
Six sigma-
With above approaches, sig sigma also caters many benefits to Waitrose in term of
increasing profitability and productivity (Worlitz, Noack and Woll, 2016). It is set of techniques
and effective tools use by leader or manager for production improvement. It is disciplined and
continuous improvement method for reducing defects in products or services offered by firm to
specific target market. It can also be thought of as a measure of procedures performance, with
this approach being aim, based on defect. Manager role is to identify issues in production
operation and then take measure to solve problem as soon as possible. Leader play role as guider
they guide workers to work appropriately without making any mistakes.
Kaizen-
It is an method to developing continuous improvement based on idea and concepts that
small, ongoing effective changes can reap necessary improvements. Team work, quality circles,
personal discipline, improved morale and recommendations for further improvement are the 5
founding components of this approach that help leader and manager. Leader can motivate their
workers to perform in team which make individual employee able to deliver quality products or
services to buyers. They can improve morale of current and new employees as well to retain
them for long with firm.
Lean production-
It also act effectively and allow users either manager or leader to manage current business
production operations systematically. It focuses on cutting out unnecessary thing or waste

material whilst assuring quality. It can be applied in all aspects of company from product design
through manufacture to distribution. Manager by following the rules and principles of this
approach work efficiently and identify waste things that consume time and money as well. They
understand of what value consumers assign to goods and services, it helps to determine what
buyers can pay. And after that leader motivate people to manufacture accordingly.
Importance and value of operations management in achieving objectives of business
Waitrose of wants achieve their set aim and objectives in effective manner which are
short term targets that they can need to gain by using different strategies or methods. Following
are some of company objectives:
 To increase profitability and productivity more than competitors.
 To develop their organic products range
 To create connection with local people or community
 To increase degree of consumers services
 To gain all competitive advantages within retail sector UK and across nation.
Operations management can help in achieving all above objectives of enterprise. It is
combination of planning, managing and supervising utilized in Waitrose business functions and
operations for manufacturing, production or provision of services which aid in offering
successful outputs. It is really very important within company as it help to keep check on firm
and assures that their varied operation are effective in term of utilizing as small number of assets
are required and efficient term of meeting requirement of consumers. It is essential in business
operations since it forms main part of company by controlling system of production and other
operations. It deals with design, operation and improvement of system that develops and delivers
Waitrose primary goods and services. Like finance and marketing, operations management is a
functional area of business with clear administration accountabilities. Firm can satisfy their
target market needs through quality products and services.
In Waitrose, significance and value of operation management are to be comprehended so
as to achieve desired outcomes (Importance of operations management, 2018). It can help in
making increase in ratio of sales and profitability; increase in profit margin can help in
expanding firm in varied areas & to capture another segment of market. Increasing profitability

also outcome in achieving set objectives and making new targets. Operation management
supports in maximizing sales of item and service by conducting investigation about competitive
benefits and new techniques. In firm use of operations management is quite necessary in every
activity of business functions. Waitrose uses this element to assure and sustain efficiency as well
as effectiveness in company. Efficiency in organization is concerned with how well assets such
as workers expertise and inputs are put in utilize irrespective of purpose for which they were
developed in context of business.
Enterprise through their activities and management assure that primary objective for their
establishment to make profit and increase consumers base value is realized. In can be said, that
with operations management, company is capable to make better use of available resources such
as employee’s experience, raw material and other things. It play vital role in business as it
handles problems like maintenance, design and operations systems used for manufacture of
products.
With this tool company can gain long term success, it is the best area of management
which focused with creation of items of Waitrose. As per industry experts it is set of effective
activities that create value in form of services and items by transforming raw materials into
finished goods. By focusing carefully on managing procedures to manufacture and distribute
things such that it adds value to company to convert to profit outputs. It is art of management of
production process, distribution system and workers performance for delivery of useful & quality
items or services successfully to buyers.
LO 4
Factors within business environment that impact on OM and decision making act
The environment of Waitrose gets affected by number of external factors which impact
on their business operations and also decision making part of leader as well as manager.
Therefore, it is very important from firm point of view to determine external factors impact on
business environment so that it can use effective strategies and appropriate policies to reduce
affects on both above things.