Difference between Leader and Manager in Operations Management - Marks & Spencer Case Study

Unit 4 Management
and Operations

Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................3
Compare and contrast the differences between a leader and a manager.....................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6

INTRODUCTION
Operations management can be referred to as something which is chiefly concerned with the
planning, supervising and organizing in relation to manufacturing, production and provision of
services. It is a process which is concerned generally with managing the operations as it helps in
managing, supervising and controlling the goods, people and services effectively. Every
organization which is involved in such management is required to make sure that there are
managers and leaders who are effectively ensuring its production in terms of maintaining quality,
customer satisfaction, competitive advantage and revenue enhancement (Covey, 2017). The
company chosen for this report is Marks & Spencer, which is a leading multinational retailer
which is headquartered in London. It was founded in the year 1884 and deals in selling clothing,
food and home products. This report will cover the difference between leader and manager by
using appropriate theories.
MAIN BODY
Compare and contrast the differences between a leader and a manager.
M&S is the largest multinational company which deals in retail sector in UK. It follows the
flat organizational structure wherein there are limited levels of the management between the
front line workforce and administrative level. There are leaders and managers who works in the
company and plays their individual roles and have their characteristics.
Meaning and Role of leader:
It is an individual which is mainly involved in motivating the people so that
organizational goals can be achieved. A leader is a person who has power to monitor and control
person’s performance. There are different leadership styles which may be used by the leaders
such as directive, authoritative, democratic, etc. M&S may follow transformational leadership
style which can be mainly applied in the operations management. The skills as well as abilities of
employees are monitored closely by leaders and also in this, the leader of M&S encourages,
motivates and inspires the employees in order to create change and encourage innovation so that
the growth and shape of the business is ensured (Szostak and Sułkowski, 2021). There are
various roles which a leader plays which are discussed below-
 Offers direction: It is an essential role wherein the leader is involved in communicating
the clear as well as persuasive direction. The leader of M&S is involved in creating the