UNIT 4

OPERATIONAL
MANAGEMENT

Assignment by
Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................... 3

ROLE OF LEADERS VS ROLE OF MANAGERS ................................................................................... 3

LEADERSHIP TRAITS IN TELENOR .................................................................................................. 3

1. SELF-MOTIVATED ...................................................................................................................... 3
2. CONFIDENCE: ........................................................................................................................... 3
3. OPTIMISM & POSITIVITY ............................................................................................................. 4
4. ENGAGED ................................................................................................................................ 4

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR UFONE ................................................................................................ 4

TRANSFORMATIONAL VS TRANSACTIONAL LEADERSHIP STYLES: ................................................... 4

IMPLEMENTATION OF LEADERSHIP STYLES ON TELENOR:.............................................................. 5

IMPLEMENTATION OF LEADERSHIP STYLES ON UFONE: ................................................................. 5

THEORIES OF MANAGEMENT: ...................................................................................................... 6

CONTINGENCY THEORY ...................................................................................................................... 6

VROOM’S EXPECTANCY THEORY .......................................................................................................... 6
SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT THEORY ........................................................................................................ 6
WHICH THEORY IS MORE EFFECTIVE? ..................................................................................................... 7

APPLICATION OF THESE THEORIES ON TELENOR............................................................................ 7

MAXIMIZE EMPLOYEE PRODUCTIVITY.................................................................................................... 7

SIMPLIFY DECISION MAKING ............................................................................................................... 7
ADAPT TO GLOBAL CHANGES .............................................................................................................. 7
INCREASE STAFF PARTICIPATION .......................................................................................................... 7

IMPORTANCE OF MANAGEMENT FUNCTIONS ............................................................................... 7

PLANNING ...................................................................................................................................... 7
ORGANIZING ................................................................................................................................... 8
DIRECTING ..................................................................................................................................... 8
CONTROLLING ................................................................................................................................. 8

APPLICATION OF MANAGEMENT FUNCTIONS IN TELENOR AND UFONE ......................................... 8

RELATIONSHIP OF TELENOR STAKEHOLDER IN CONTEXT OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND
INTRAPRENEURSHIP..................................................................................................................... 8

TASK 2 ......................................................................................................................................... 9

REFLECTIVE ON TQM .................................................................................................................... 9

INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................ 9
ANALYSIS ....................................................................................................................................... 9
CONCLUSION:.................................................................................................................................. 9

REFLECTIVE ON VARIABLES AFFECTING INVENTORY MANAGEMENT: ........................................... 10

INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................. 10
ANALYSIS ..................................................................................................................................... 10
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................. 10

REFLECTIVE ON ACTION CENTRED LEADERSHIP: .......................................................................... 10

INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................. 10
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................. 10

REFLECTIVE ON HARD AND SOFT MANAGEMENT SKILLS.............................................................. 11

INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................. 11
ANALYSIS ..................................................................................................................................... 11
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................. 11

REFLECTIVE ON LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT IN CONTEXT TO CORPORATE SOCIAL

RESPONSIBILITY: ........................................................................................................................ 11

INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................. 11
ANALYSIS ..................................................................................................................................... 11
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................. 11

REFERENCES .............................................................................................................................. 12
Introduction

A manager is a person who has the sole responsibility for planning, organization, direction,
coordination and control. Managers are people who get their work done by the employees by
enlisting goals and objectives, in addition to this they even have the authority to hire or fire the
employees. On the other hand, a leader is a person who will influences his followers to in order to
achieve specified goal, they have a clear vision of how things are to be done. Leaders inspire their
followers in such a way that employees feel motivated.

Role of Leaders Vs Role of Managers

Leaders are people who create a vision, they paint a picture of what they see as possible and inspire
in order to engage their people so that vision turns into reality. Unlike others, they think beyond what
individuals do and motivate people to be part of something bigger. In addition to this leader know
that high-functioning teams can accomplish more tasks by working together than individuals working
autonomously. While managers focus on setting up objectives, measuring and achieving those goals
and then they control situations in order to reach or exceed those objectives.

Leaders are regarded as proud disrupters; innovation is their mantra. They can easily embrace
change and are aware even if things are working, they have the opportunity to move forward.
Similarly, they are able to comprehend and accept the fact that changes to the system often create
waves. On the other hand, managers stick with what works best for them instead of adopting to
changes; they believe in refining systems, structures and processes to make them better. (Parker,
2012)

Leaders are unique, they are self-aware and work actively in order to build up their image. They are
comfortable in their own shoes and they willing to stand out by working beyond their horizons. They
are authentic and transparent when it comes to efficiency. While managers mimic the
competencies and behaviours of others, they learn and adopt their leadership style rather than
defining it themselves. That is why it is said that a good leader will always be a good manager.(Ackoff
and Pourdehnad, 2009)

Leadership traits in Telenor

1. Self-motivated
Leaders at Telenor are motivated leaders as they desire to achieve above and beyond expectations.
They have passion, pride and desire to become better and their motivation is to do things better
than all their competitors in order to stand out in the market.

2. Confidence:
Leaders at Telenor believe that confidence can be one of those things you either have or don’t have,
but majorly they believe that it can be practiced and learned. They said that confidence is important
for leaders as it has to do something with their inner perception and ability to fulfil a particular role
and is built through their experiences and dealings of the business.
3. Optimism & Positivity
According to leaders at Telenor, positivity is contagious, so they make sure they have a positive
attitude towards unforeseen conditions too and understand that every problem has a solution.
These leaders have designed a coping mechanism for difficult situations which helps them to remain
optimistic about every decision.

4. Engaged
Leaders of Telenor are great leaders because are able to focus their attention on the problem at
hand without being distracted, even when they extremely busy, they make sure that they are
participating in the process with team their members and not giving orders from the side-line.
(Telenor Group, 2019)

Recommendations for Ufone

At Ufone the managers or the leaders need to define goals for their team members. By setting
clearer goals, their team members would not have to think long and hard about what their initial
task was. Team members will have a clear sense of direction, gets them going and focus on the
important task at hand, instead of doing it their way. In addition to this everyone nowadays is
looking for that flexibility at work. At Ufone, managers should allow their team members flexibility
by not monitoring them often, as long as their work is completed by specific deadlines and also
engage them in meetings so that it fosters group cohesion. In addition to this if employees will feel
appreciate if they are given. They will realise that their daily performance is being monitored they
will feel overwhelmed and especially when management delivers one of them the ‘Employee of the
Month’ award. (Ufone.com, 2019)

Transformational vs Transactional leadership styles:

Transformational leadership style is where the leader taps into his followers’ higher needs and
values, inspires them with new possibilities as well as opportunities that will have a strong appeal
and will raise their level of confidence, conviction and desire to achieve a common, moral purpose.
In a transformational approach, there is clear emphasis on individual strengths as well weaknesses
of employees in order to enhance their capabilities and their commitment to organizational goals,
often by seeking their buy-in for decisions.

While transactional leadership style is where the leader causes a follower to act in a certain way in
return for something the follower wants to have. Transactional leadership focuses on promoting
compliance with existing organizational goals and performance expectations through direct
supervision along with the usage of rewards as well as punishments. Transactional leaders are task-
as well as outcome-oriented. This approach adheres to the status quo and employs a form of
management that will focus on how employees perform their tasks, especially effective under strict
time and resource constraints and in highly specified projects.(Parker, 2012)
Implementation of leadership styles on Telenor:

A transformational leadership style is followed at Telenor, these leaders have strategic plan that
focuses on objective setting perspective, a strong communicator that can be trusted so that by
extension people are willing to 'get on the bus', and both be passionate. This will drive change from
inception to a successful conclusion. In addition to this leader at Telenor implement this style by
rocking the boat and asking questions, these leaders are always challenging the status quo and
aren't afraid of failure. They foster an environment where it's safe to have conversations, in order to
be creative and voice ideas, a place where all team members feel valued. They also challenge
cultural norms and work to inspire passion within their teams and peers. Also, it should be taken
into account that “Don't treat people how you want to be treated, treat them the way they want to
be treated”. These leaders believe that people are different, and they should be motivated different
depending in which department they work in for instance if they are from the sales team; a leader
can send them on a training seminar of Sales. Also following this leadership style, leaders learn to
adapt to different styles in order to accommodate the skills and people on their team. (Telenor
Group, 2019)

Implementation of leadership styles on Ufone:

Ufone also makes use of transformational leadership style, Ufone adopts this style which requires
decision-makers to make decisions that works towards the greater good. Ufone believes that values-
based leadership is necessary for driving sustainable change in order to ensures that the result is
achieved are underpinned with a strong moral as well as an ethical foundation. (Ufone.com, 2019)
This way Ufone can also stand up to any scrutiny or resistance to change. With the help of this
approach leaders master the role by figuring out how they are going to get all these people to work
with you, they do this by holding meetings frequently and encourage feedback. In addition to this all
employees can easily discuss any issues with their managers or departmental heads, they provide
assistance to employees at every stage in order to build trust, harmony and motivate them in
achieving the goals as well as increase the productivity in the organization. (Fllurton etal, 2014)

Theories of Management:

Contingency theory

Managers have started to use contingency approach; it focuses upon identifying the best leadership
or management style based on the current situation. This contingency theory asserts, that when
managers make a decision, they must consider all aspects of the current situation and act on those
aspects that are key to the situation at hand. It is not a new approach, it advises the managers to
manage organizations according to their present situation and emphasises on managers in the
organization to focus on structure, culture, aims and objectives, problem at hand etc. It illustrates
that high organizational performance results from matching a firm’s structure to its external as well
as its internal contingencies (Burt, 2007). According to this theory there is an association between
contingency and organization structure, contingency determines organization structure, and there is
a fit of some level of organizational structure to each level of the contingency, which leads to higher
performance, whereas misfit leads to lower performance (Donaldson, 2001).

Vroom’s Expectancy Theory

Vroom’s expectancy theory states that employee’s effort will lead to performance and increase
performance will lead to rewards (Vroom, 1964). According to this theory individuals can be
motivated if they believe that there is a positive correlation between the efforts they put in as well
as their performance and that their favourable performance will leads to a reward. Thus, the reward
helps to satisfy an important need and the desire to satisfy that need is strong enough to make the
efforts worth wile. Also the theory states that the strength of an individual’s motivation will most
likely be dependent on the extent to which they expect the results of their efforts to contribute
towards their personal needs or goals Vroom’s theory can also be applied to any situation where
someone does something as they expect a certain outcome. This theory is based on the associations
people make towards expected outcomes and the contribution they feel they can make towards
those outcomes (Bowen,1991)

Systems Management Theory

Systems management offers an alternative approach to the planning and management of
organizations. The systems management theory proposes that businesses, like the human body,
consists of multiple components that work harmoniously so that the larger system can function
optimally. According to the theory, the success of an organization depends on several key elements:
synergy, interdependence, and interrelations between various subsystems. Employees are one of
the most important components of a company. Other elements crucial to the success of a business
are departments, workgroups, and business units. In practice, managers are required to evaluate
patterns and events in their companies so as to determine the best management approach. This
way, they are able to collaborate on different programs so that they can work as a collective whole
rather than as isolated units.
Which theory is more effective?
Contingency management style is more effective because managers can respond to the causes of
individual problems rather than overreacting to the problem itself. Also, it focuses on the results of
the problem, managers who understand the importance of contingency theory will seek to
understand what influencing factors that led to the problem. It also takes into account the
situational factors at the current in order to deal with problems, this theory acts as a coping
mechanism for the organization.

Application of these theories on Telenor

These management theories have helped Telenor in certain ways mentioned below

Maximize Employee Productivity

These theories can help Telenor to maximize the productivity of skilled workers by first observing
work processes and then developing best practices. These theories focus on the division of labour,
which ensures that each worker becomes increasingly more skilled at a particular task, so that it
allows each worker to become as productive as possible.

Simplify Decision Making

These theories help in forming hierarchical systems that encourage informed decision Thus theories
will help Telenor to increase communication paths, stimulate local innovation, speed up decision
making and create an environment where managers or leaders are closely involved in the
production production. In Telenor flattening out hierarchy means removing overhead and reducing
bureaucracy which will foster more innovation and teamwork.

Adapt to Global Changes

These theories also take into account changes occurring throughout the world and how these
changes can influence Telenor’s operations. These management theories illustrate that business
world is becoming increasingly more interconnected and many enterprises are engaging in business
with other international companies, it will help a company like Telenor to gain importance if the
same procedures and policies are followed.

Increase Staff Participation

Management theories also focuse on interpersonal relationships in the workplace, called the human
relations approach. Telenor will increase staff participation through different training programs,
projects or seminars that help to build cohesion among teams as well as increase staff participation.
(Telenor Group, 2019)

Importance of Management functions

Planning
Planning consists of the process of evaluating the goals of an organization, creating a plan to meet
those goals and objectives set by the managers. Both Koontz and O’Donnell state that planning
refers to deciding in advance on what to do, when and how it will be done, and who will be
performing the tasks. (Akrani). Therefore, planning is the foundation of the management role, and
plays a critical part to the success of an organization by determining the means and the methods in
order to achieve the objective. A key element and starting point of this process should include the
development of a Mission and Vision Statement to which aids in the way an organization functions.

Organizing
Another important function in management is organizing and its key roles are the results of the
decisions that were made during the planning process. Organizing is the next step of planning
process. Therefore, organizing means bringing together of resources to accomplish the
organization’s objectives. It is the ability of the managers to identify and coordinate the various role
positions along with the jobs that are related. It is important for a manger to organize the structure
of the organization so that it promotes harmony by creating direction and cooperation between
different departments in the organization by optimizing your available resources.

Directing
Directing in management is very important for the sole purpose is to teach employees either
through verbal or written communication. This provides motivation, guidance, creates action, and
builds morale and confidence. In addition, leading and directing provides a means to the employees
the objectives and goals of the organization that they work for. Employees want to know what is
expected of them and when they have the assurance of their management in executing clear
directions then they have a better understanding of what is expected of their performance
(Heathfield). Most importantly, directing/leading provides employees a sense of trust and support.

Controlling
Controlling is another necessary function used by the managers, it is used to protect the
organization from various threats such as natural disasters, workplace violence, security breaches by
having plans and procedures in place that protects the facility, employees, and its infrastructure.
Lastly, control is about ensuring that your organization is on course and running smoothly. Many
people view control as being in a negative sense, however when management has control it puts
a positive perspective towards accomplishing the goals and in achieving maximum output from all
resources. (Harvery etal., 2016)

Application of management functions in Telenor and Ufone

Telenor as well as Ufone both make use the combination of these management functions as it helps
the managers to successfully run the organization by being result and solution driven, can put
together a directed and well-motivated group of employees, and one who can understand while
being strict at the same time. Managers at Telenor are able to convey these various actions on a
daily basis while making sure that the objectives and goals are being met. Similarly, in Ufone
managers are sent to different locations for managerial training programs where their management
skills are polished. All of these functions share and is centred on a common theme adopted by both
the managers of Ufone as well Telenor that focus upon employee empowerment and engagement,
growth opportunities, and success

Relationship of Telenor stakeholder in context of entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship:

An entrepreneur is a person who takes substantial risk in being the owner and operator of a
business with expectations of profit and other rewards gained from the business. On the contrary,
an intrapreneur is an individual employed by an organization for remuneration, which is based on
the financial success of the unit he is responsible for. Intrapreneurs share the same traits as
entrepreneurs such as conviction, zeal and insight. As the intrapreneur continues to express his
ideas vigorously, it will reveal the gap between the philosophy of the organization and the
employee.

In context to entrepreneurship, relationship of directors, managers and employees will be improved

with each other. This is because entrepreneurship helps in developing a vision; this can be a first
step in planning for the enterprise is sharing the vision of what the organization wants to achieve.
Directors, managers and employees all need to know and understand vision. It will also encourage
innovation, managers and employees would be working together to develop an innovation strategy
as it is the key element. Innovation will be radical and incremental, radical innovations are launch of
breakthrough that radically transforms an industry and would also meet the requirements of the
customers. Incremental innovations are systemic transformation of existing service or product into
new markets which will solely increase the market share, consequently all the stakeholders will be
satisfied. These products are in advance stage of life cycle and both type of innovations require
vision as well as support (Frederick, 2010). On the other hand, intrapreneurship will also have a
positive impact on the stakeholders of Telenor this is because intrapreneurs are passionate about
achieving success, they are brave as risk takers and are not afraid to revolutionise the companies
that they work for. They are willing to take challenge, order to find the perfect resolution of a
problem. This way they contribute towards the organization, building harmony and trust between
managers and employees by undertaking different innovative agendas. (Brown etal., 2012)

Task 2

Reflective on TQM

Introduction
TQM basically refers to the organisation’s culture which is defined the constant attainment of
customer satisfaction through an integrated system of tools, techniques, and training. This involves
the continuous improvement of organisational processes, resulting in high quality products and
services. The chosen company for TQM is Toyota.

Analysis
The most important of these efforts are what took place in the late 1960s. That time Toyota was
truck manufacturer, which then decided to begin producing passenger cars. They came up with a an
innovation for which they were determined to appraise and improve their methods at a
fundamental level. They succeeded phenomenonally at this and by 1980 were producing the highest
quality automobiles in the world. First of all what they did was stopped moving workers around as
much, they assigned workers to have different responsibility over their individual machines. The
next step was to require workers to have special notebooks in which they documented the
functioning of their machine.

Conclusion:
With the use and implementation of TQM, Toyota have improved their process, prevent defection,
priorities efforts, helping teams make better decisions, and most importantly improve their
customer satisfaction to be the most profitable car manufacturer in the world today.
Reflective on variables affecting inventory management:

Introduction

Inventory management refers to supervision of non-capitalized assets (inventory) as well as stock

items. It is one of the components of supply chain management, it also supervises the flow of goods
from manufacturers to warehouses and also facilities to point of sale.There are a number of
variables that affect the inventory management system, the chosen company is Toyota which will
take into account the inventory management process as well variables that affect it.

Analysis
For inventory management, TPS system was being used by Toyota, the idea behind the system was
sparked when examining a vending machine with the simple process of a customer buying a drink,
and the at the same time replacing it. The primary goals of the TPS was to find solutions to
overburden, inconsistency, and to get rid of waste in order to bring effiency. For this employee had
to be given special training in order to make use of the system. On the job training as well as off the
job training facilities were given to employees in order to adopt to the new system. This systems
philosophy is to produce intelligently and eliminate aspects such as over-production, waiting, and
correction, so that inventory is not needed.
Conclusion

As a result of adopting this TPS in Toyota inventory levels at parts distribution centres decreased by
53 percent from stocking levels in the 1980, similarly, the inventory turn of parts in the average
dealership also increased and Toyota was able to increase from 20 percent to 40 percent reductions
in floor space utilization.

Reflective on action centred leadership:

Introduction
Action Centered Leadership is a model presented by John Adair back in 1973, this model can be
described by the three areas of leadership that focus on Task, Team, and Individual. All of these
three elements plays an important role in the leadership where all these three elements are
balanced properly will the leader be achieving success. For this model, UNICEF has been chosen to
demonstrated the action centred leadership.

Analysis:
UNICEF makes use of this approach because the aim of the project is to provide emergency food and
healthcare to children and mothers in countries that had been devastated in the second world war.
In order to achieve the objectives of UNICEF, this approach is ideal as it focuses on what tasks to
achieve, how those tasks would be allocated in a team and how an individual can work on that
particular objective to be achieved.

Conclusion
Action Centered Leadership is a popular leadership model used by UNICEF because of the simplicity
that it offers, just by understanding these three areas of leadership provided in this model - Task,
Team, and Individual – managers or leaders at UNICEF will be able to make the project successful.
Reflective on hard and soft management skills

Introduction
Hard skills are skills taught in a classroom environment which are measurable and quantifiable at the
same time. These skills are specific in nature and can be taught easily with an assigned duration as
they depict the minimum skills necessary to perform a particular job. Whereas, soft skills are more
elusive, intangible and difficult to quantify. They are described the ways to develop relationships
among people both at home as well as work place. Soft skills include; team building, empathy,
acceptance, problem solving, ability to take decisions etc. UNICEF makes use of both the soft as well
as hard skills in their projects.

Analysis

UNICEF makes use of both the hard as well as the soft skills. However presently their main focus is
on training provided on the soft skills. The MMM Training Solutions (2010) has been used by the
organization which provides executive coaching and soft skills training where they can deliver the
training through workshops, webinars as well as customized training material that will suit the need
of the projects.
Conclusion
It is of no argument that hard skills are an essential part in project management especially in
UNICEF. The manager’s technical skills will provide him/her with the framework of generally
accepted processes, tools and techniques in order carry out the objectives of the project. Those
methods will be solely developed in an attempt to improve and increase project’s success rate.
However soft skills are essential too when people have to work on the same project, they need to
have teamwork skills as well as empathy so that differences are avoided.

Reflective on leadership and management in context to corporate social responsibility:

Introduction
For UNICEF, ‘corporate social responsibility’ is defined as the efforts to positively change business
behaviour and practices and how they will affect children. This is achieved in collaboration with a
range of stakeholders that includes companies, government, civil society, children and young
people.

Analysis
UNICEF’s work is focused on the most disadvantaged children, It represents a unique opportunity to
work together with the private sector in order to address core business practices and leveraging
corporate knowledge, skills and networks in order to encounter the challenges faced by
disadvantaged children. Business will act as a champion for children’s rights through their core
business activities, strategic social investments and philanthropy to exercise influence over,
governments, peers, suppliers and other business relationships as part of promoting children’s
rights.

Conclusion
UNICEF has an important role in raising awareness of how business affects children, also they play a
major role in working with both government as well as business in order to promote the
responsibility that is emphasised upon protecting respecting and supporting children’s rights in the
workplace, marketplace as well as community.
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