Management and Operations: Leadership and Management Functions Report

This report, focusing on management and operations, delves into the differentiation between leadership and managerial functions. It begins by defining management and exploring its theoretical constructs, including classical, management by objective, and behavioral management theories. The report contrasts leadership and management, analyzing how situational factors influence their roles. It then examines the application of managerial responsibilities and leadership within an organizational context, followed by an appreciation of organizational leadership and managerial roles, specifically within operations and operations management. Finally, the report explores the relationship between leadership and management, considering various dimensions of the contemporary business environment. The report provides a comprehensive overview of the subject matter, offering valuable insights into the dynamics of leadership and management within a business context.

STUDENT NAME:
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ASSIGNMENT NAME: MANAGEMENT AND OPERATIONS
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Table of Content
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Task 1: Evaluation of the differentiation between leadership and managerial functions................4
Theoretical construct of the concept of Management......................................................................4
Leadership vs. management.............................................................................................................8
Task 2: Contextual application of the managerial responsibilities and leadership..........................9
How situations affect the role of a leader and function of a manager.............................................9
Task 3: Appreciation of organisational leadership and managerial roles Operations and
operations management:................................................................................................................12
Task 4: Relationship between leadership and management.........................................................14
Various dimensions of contemporary business environment........................................................14
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................16
Reference List................................................................................................................................17
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Introduction
The similarities and differences between the Management and Leadership qualities are
diversified in nature. In the theoretical concepts that existed in the prior ages and during the early
days of corporate culture development and evolution, had mostly concentrated upon the
qualitative aspects the distinguished the leaders from the managerial staff. With the passage of
time the various other variables were incorporated in the study of the leadership and management
styles. Such variables were generally the associated factors of the levels of personal skills and
situational contingency management abilities. In the following problems statements of the thesis
study, the various internal and external, theoretical and practical aspects and practices of both
organisational management and leadership qualities have been delved into and explored with the
intention of creating a conclusive understanding of the various factors that both associate and
dissimilarity the two concepts.
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Task 1: Evaluation of the differentiation between leadership and managerial
functions
Management: The procedures of the achievement of the objectives and operational goals of
any business organisation through the utilisation of the specific functional settings which are
developed for the completion of the various responsibilities associated with such imperatives, is
identified as the process of Management (Stanley, 2016, p.91). The various involved factors of
functioning of such Managerial responsibilities within the overall architecture of any business
organisation are coordination of the employee effort investment in the business process
execution and task performance, dissemination of the responsibilities among the subordinates
and the employees according to their job profiles and finally to monitor and evaluate the
performance guidelines that could be further improved to better suit the organisational
requirements (Goetsch and Davis, 2014, p.120). In most cases, such managerial responsibilities
also involve the greater responsibility of provisioning of training and leadership to the
employees, which incorporate individual and collective implications of immense importance.
Theoretical construct of the concept of Management
The various theoretical concepts related to Management are implemented for the purpose of
rendering assistance to the procedural effort of maximisation and enhancement of the
productivity of the organisation along with the maintenance of the quality of services
simultaneously. The responsibilities of every manager demand the application of various theories
and concepts related to supervision and administration of the organisational human resource
assets while ensuring the performance of the necessary business liabilities in a time bound
manner (Avolio and Yammarino, 2013, p.123). In most of the cases, the utilisation of a number
of different theories and concepts related with proper workplace management could be
identified. The various theories related to the management processes of any business
organisation completely depend on the nature of the business imperatives, the purpose of the
managerial effort, the specific business discipline and sector of economy where such
organisations operate and finally on the mission and vission and the norms of the involved
business company.
The various theoretical concepts in common utilisation in the present working environment and
business scenario could be identified as the management processes undertaken by objectives,
classical theories of management, behavioural theory of management and contingency
management theory (Armstrong, 2016, p.125 ).
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The Classical management theory
This theory, also known as the Scientific Theory of Management, emphasises on the
enhancement of the productivity potential of the working personnel. The theory was constructed
and conceived by Frederick Taylor and this theory of management focuses on the core activity of
scientific study and observation of the performance index of the workers and employees and the
various designated job profiles that they have. The theory strives to construct the necessary
working environment under which the workers and the employees of any organisation would be
better provided the tools and facilities which would be instrumentally beneficial in increasing the
productivity of the working personnel through efficiency management and output expansion.
This theory reorganises and introduces the regiment active effects in the working personnel
management and this leads to the creation of the atmosphere that could best be delineated as the
assembly line management architecture in the workplace associated with any organisation that
practices such classical theory of management. The classical theories of management could be
deemed to be the most successful in terms of the menial job profiles and in case of the business
processes where the responsibility of executing repetition of the same work process dictate and
dominate the work environment. Factory management is one of the best served processes under
this theoretical concept and implementation (Solomon et al. 2016, p.143).
There are four main principles that influence the constituents of the classical management
theories. The first one is the development of the standardised method of performing the job
profile related responsibilities on part of the organizational leadership management departments.
The next principle of the Classical Management Theory necessitates the selection and
recruitment of the working personnel in the organisation depending upon the specific set of skills
and capabilities that they could bring into the fold of work performance as the placement of the
most suitable employee to the best possible job role is considered to be of vital importance under
the theoretical construct of the Classical Management Theory. The third principle requires the
company management to completely eliminate all the impediments and interruptions which
could prove to be hindrances for the proper and swift productive engagement of the
organisational employees to yield maximum value for the profit maximisation and growth
potential enhancement for the company. The final principle involves the incentivisation of the
working personnel so as to provide them with the necessary encouragement quotient to improve
their productivity (Mujtaba, 2013, p.129).
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The Theory of Management by Objective
This theory also known as MBO, is considered to be the personnel management concept and
technique that promotes the cooperation between the managerial stuff and the employees within
the organisational work architecture. The Theory of MBO stresses on the necessity of setting
goals, recording and monitoring of the improvement efforts invested to achieve the those
established goals and to measure the time period which get elapsed in the entire process. The
determination of the organisational objectives and planning effort, under the Management by
Objectives process of operations and management, is one of the most critical conduits of
successful implementation of the managerial systems (Thorpe, 2016, p.133). Under this
management theoretical construct, the control and management processes for the employees have
to flow in a top towards the down gradients in the organisational hierarchy and this technique
was developed for the first time by Peter Drucker.
The core constituent of the Management by Objectives is the methodical planning process that is
meant to shape the organisational staff in acquiring a proactive posture in response to the various
situational and circumstantial challenges that may emerge from the market conditions that the
companies have to operate in.
The identification of the goals and the planning for achieving the same are the two core aspects
of the Management by Objectives Theory. Planning performance determines the greatest
measure of the most proactive approach that any organisational workforce can have in any
challenging business situation. Planning is the only process through which the alternative
strategic tactics could be developed for the contingency situations and the various business
roadblocks that impede the progress of the business organisation could be also dealt with
maximum effect through the application of proper business planning (Shafritz et al. 2015,
p.136). This aspect of the MBO system is most beneficial for any business organisation in terms
of business process management.
The Theory also emphasises upon the observation of the practice of organisational working
personnel of setting the most measurable and logically sound personal goals to supplement the
organisational objectives as well. In such an assessment, it is important to align the individual
goals of the employees with that of the organisational intentions. Close coordination between all
the involved working segments of the management architecture and between the hierarchy of
supervision and the tier first employees is one of the most coveted aspects under this form of
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management process. The setting of business objectives on an organisational level is regularly
undertaken by the organisational supervisory and management high command and monitoring of
such work processes geared towards the achievement of the organisational business objectives is
performed by the managers as an auxiliary responsibility (Geisler and Wickramasinghe, 2015,
p.140).
Behavioural Management Theory
Known alternatively as the human relations movement theory due to the fact of the addressal by
it, of the human behavioural dimensions and responses, the Behavioural Theory of management
emphasises upon the creation of greater analytical understanding of the human behaviour while
undergoing working processes at the various organisational levels. The measure of human
responses such as the motivational aspects, the employee expectations, the productivity
challenges and responses to those specific stimulants and the ability of conflict management are
some of the most crucial aspects for the Behavioural Management Theory to comprehend to.
One of the most important contributors in the development of the theoretical concept of the
Behavioural Management of human beings while at work was Abraham Maslow. The theory
which he propounded was known as the Theory of Motivation. This theory was completely
based upon the recognition of the considerations of human necessities. The various assumptions
that could be developed by the utilisation of the Maslowian Theory of Human Necessities are
generally comprised of three basic elements of analytical psychology. The first one was the
realisation that human necessities are not satiable at any condition (Kipping and Üsdiken, 2014,
p.565). The second one was that human behaviour is always guided and controlled by the
necessity of achievement of satisfaction and thus is always serving the purpose of achieving the
same. The final psychological revelation consisted of the understanding of the human
psychological phenomenon that the human necessities are structured in a hierarchical format
regarding the intensity of the importance of such emotive factors.
Physiological Necessities of Human Beings
One of the initial factors of Behavioural Management Theory consisted of the recognition of the
existence of physical necessities in the Human Beings which is thought to be one of the most
instrumental aspects for the achievement of satisfaction in the Human Beings in terms of
satiation (Brigham and Ehrhardt, 2013, p.148).
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Necessities of Safety
The Human need to have basic security to ensure the physical and psychological well being,
financial stability and protection from untoward harmful conditions and liberation from fear and
apprehension is one of the most important psychological traits in the Human populace worldwide
to achieve the necessary measure of satisfaction in this regard. The absence of the basic security
for any Human Being motivates the person to undertake effort to achieve the same (Rice, 2013,
p.144).
Sense of Belonging
The necessity of having the sense of belonging and psychological support from others is another
most powerful emotive motivator for any Human Being to shape his or her behaviour both in the
short and in the long term effect.
Necessity of Self-esteem development
The necessity of generating self-esteem to serve the purpose of self-valuation or attaching value
to oneself is one of the primary motivator elements in any Human Behaviour.
Self-actualisation
This is the final element in the host of factors that influence Human Behaviours in any
situational conditions. Through the achievement of the self-actualisation, the Human necessity of
achievement of self -realisation could be satisfied and fulfilled (Goetsch and Davis, 2014, p.131).
Leadership vs. management
The definitions and differences of leadership and management
The inherent difference between the qualities of leadership and the abilities associated with the
managerial skills is the behavioural and practical setting of employee relationship and responses
that both a manager and a leader have to grapple with. In case of a leader, people tend to follow
the person or emulate the various activities or examples demonstrated by the leader. In case of a
Manager, employees have to execute the instructions and the tasks entrusted to them by their
Manager. Employees merely work for the managerial supervisory and do not follow any
practical example of functionality set by the Manager as there is no leadership element involved
in such professional relationship. The measure of any success in the current business scenario
always relies significantly on the capability of the business owners to be able to provide, in
tandem, strong leadership qualities and guidance and the necessary managerial functions to lead
and direct the working personnel towards the organisational vision and objectives to achieve the
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business success indices that every business organisation intends to obtain (Pepper and Gore,
2015, p.1056). Proper Managerial performance relies on the ability of the manager to administer
the working personnel in the proper and the most effective manner to yield the maximum value
of organizational investment of capital and time in the preparation and conditioning of such
employees. In case of an organisational inspirational leader, this responsibility is augmented with
the necessity to generate the belief and the conviction in the organisational employees and in the
other ranks to serve the vision of the organisation. Leadership always influences people and
shapes the human behaviour and response in more ways than one but Managerial operations are
meant to direct and supervise the working teams and organisational personnel with the intention
to extract the maximum value out of the invested effort in any specific business profile process.
Transactional Leadership
The theoretical construction of the Transactional leadership model which is also identified as the
managerial leadership system, involves the processes of the organisational structuration, close
supervision and performance enhancement. Under this form of leadership, the leaders actively
promote the element of compliance and obedience to the subordinates and followers. The
stimulants or incentives in this regard are mostly the rewards and punishments that follow
success or shortcomings in the functioning of the business processes. Under the transactional
leadership model, the leaders concentrate their evaluation process of the employee achievements
on the working experiences that the employees and the workers come to exhibit in the
regularised process of work performance (Westphal and Zajac, 2013, p.630). Detection of
employee faults or deviations from pre-selected work procedures become issues of escalation.
Crisis and situations involving various emergencies, which require contingency planning, could
be best handled by the Transactional Leadership Model.
Task 2: Contextual application of the managerial responsibilities and
leadership
How situations affect the role of a leader and function of a manager
The managerial responsibilities regarding the business process of any corporate entity have the
fundamental imperatives of recognising and reinforcement provision of the various qualitative
and productive performance capabilities that could be derived from the existing and prospective
employees. Consistently encouraging the employees to undertake further performance
improvement and monitoring and assisting in the most credible and efficacious manner in this
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process of personal capability enhancement are some of the most significant responsibilities of
any managerial staff (May et al. 2014, p.124).
Utilisation of the performance management process as an instrument for the instillation, in the
work personnel of the sense of value and appreciation of the work profiles that the personnel
have been attributed to is the primary responsibility of any organisational managerial
perspective. In this regard, the most effective leadership skills could be exhibited by the
managers through the determination of the level of individual capability through the actualisation
of the performance evaluation conditioning and through holding of regularised conversational
interactions with the subordinates to track the progress of the necessary traits of employee
performance.
Task or relationship-oriented approaches
The Task-oriented leadership model, which is also known as the relationship oriented leadership
process, could be defined as the model of leadership that propagates the idea that most of the
leadership behaviour can be identified as the management and maintenance of the various
necessary relationships which influence the outcome of any organisational process such as
business management. It is a behavioural approach that utilises the notion that in any situation or
condition, the leadership element has to emphasise on the proper performance of the tasks and
operations to achieve the ultimate goals and objectives of the standardisation of performance
enhancement in any business process (Breevaart et al. 2014, p.150).
Situational Leadership
The concept of Situational leadership involves the method of providing leadership to the working
personnel through the adjustment of the leadership propagation style according to the various
situational constraints. This concept of the leadership style was developed by Kenneth Blanchard
and Paul Hersey. The leadership methods altercate according to the necessity of the situation
under such leadership and guidance concept. Continuous changes in the process of leading the
working personnel according to the needs and suitability of the situation is the primary feature of
such format of leadership theoretical construct (Tyssen et al. 2014, p.370).
Systems Leadership
Systems Leadership involves the improvement of the existing model of leadership based on the
understanding of the organisational imperatives and implications through the unidimensional
approach to the question of the applicational standards of leadership, management and
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development of the internal communication between the leadership elements and working
personnel within the organisational hierarchy (Cserhati and Szabo, 2014, p.620 ). The necessary
criteria for the flourishing of the leadership efforts in any organisational context, be it business or
management, has to be the persistence and the prominent existence of the leadership elements
with a firm effect in the frame of the operational environment. The systemic leadership approach
enables the management efforts to combine the diversified capabilities of various techniques and
processes to better demonstrate the necessary work standard for ensuring the organisational
responsibility fulfilment.
The salient features of Systems Leadership
The Systemic Leadership commences as a clarification of purpose and systemic objective
fulfilment effort. It focuses on the working functionalities within any business organisation to
identify and enable the proper leadership elements existing in the organisation to operate on an
appropriate measure. This leads to the flourishing of the organisational leadership qualities and it
also translates the hypothetical possibilities of leadership development to be translated into actual
reality. The Systemic Leadership approach is instrumental in order to assist the organisational
management elements to utilise the proper leadership effect as a key resource of the prevailing
business process and also drives home the realisation that the development and delivery of the
applied leadership is the most beneficial factor in the procedural productivity development
within the business organisations.
Chaos Theory
The behavioural theory of Chaos focuses on the dynamics of the deterministic constituents of the
initial conditioning of the various structural variables under any situational conditioning of
behavioural fundamentals. This theory stresses the fact that chaotic behaviour accompany
various natural occurrences and this could as well be identified in any organisational effort
towards achievement of the most balanced and efficacious prospect of provision of human
organisational leadership management (Ham, 2015, p.149 ).The Chaos theory of concentrates on
the various deterministic systemic elemental constituents of any pattern of occurrences, be it
natural or artificial, which can, in principle be deemed to be that of a predictable one. In any
conditional aspect, the chaotic systems could be observed to be partially predictable for a definite
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period of time and after the lapse of the same can become haphazard and can appear to be that of
random in nature. The three various basic elements that influence any behavioural chaotic
theoretical architecture are the uncertainty period that is associated with the forecasting effort,
the measure of accuracy that is associated with the evaluation of the concurrent state of such
chaotic systems and finally the time scale that could be related to the variables of the system
(Bums, 2016, p.133 ).
Task 3: Appreciation of organisational leadership and managerial roles
Operations and operations management:
At a glance, it is responsibility of a manager and leader to maintain operational procedures.
There are certain approaches that a manager has to maintain regarding product quality and
distribution. However, the basic effort is termed as functional management, but at the same time,
operational management is also a prioritised task.
Theory of Six Sigma: Six sigma can be referred as a statistical measurement of products and
this tool is efficient to find basic reasons of poor product quality. At a glance, it is an analysis of
root ingredients that a company or respective manager should undertake additional stress on the
respective stages. For example, a car manufacturing company or respective teammates should
analyse quality of raw machinery before assembling (Pyzdek and Keller, 2014, p.126).
Figure 1: Six Sigma application
(Source: Azar and Vaidyanathan, 2015, p.132)
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