Leaders and Managers Comparison Roles and Characteristics

Introduction

This report would define and make a comparison of the differences in roles and
characteristics between leaders and managers, then apply theories of management and
operations to analyze the work of a manager – Mr. Quang. The report includes the study
on the business of Ford Vietnam Company which is an automobile manufactoring
company. The value of management theories and leadership styles would be explained in
the case of Ford Vietnam Company’s organizational management.

Major Findings
I. Differentiate between the role of a leader and the function of a manager
1. Definition of leader and manager:
1.1. Leader:
According to Selart & Johansen (2011), leaders are the ones in charge of getting
the job done by the workforce in order to achieve the company's objectives.
“Leaders have the power to flexibly apply communication and leadership skills to
convince, inspire and motivate employees, making sure that they understand the
vision of the organization and follow the instruction. They need to make their
staffs work in a reasonable and efficient way to attain the objectives. The main
target of leaders is to influence and inspire staffs to get things done, so that they
can increasing efficiency and productivity for the company.”
1.2. Manager:
According to Ionescu & Dragomiroiu (2014), the manager is responsible for
designing and managing the work of the organization in accordance with the
company's predefined directions and goals. “Manager is the one who takes routine
decision and have a group of subordinates. In order to successfully accomplish
objectives, managers need to develop related strategies and policies and then work
plans for employees to ensure they perform their duties in line with the goals of
the company. In an organization, managers are divided into different levels to
manage tasks in different departments. Managers must also focus on evaluating
the performance of their employees, and they accomplish this task by conducting
performance evaluation processes at periodic intervals.”
2. Differences between leader and manager:
2.1. Roles and characteristics of a leader:
 Roles of a leader: According to Juneja (2009), there are 5 roles that a leader
has to fulfil:

- Required at all levels – “At all levels of administration, leadership is a necessary
skill. It is critical to have a collaborative effort in communicating strategies and
techniques on a large scale. At the middle and lower levels, it is critical to decipher
and carry out the plans and actions outlined by the most notable authority. The
heading and direction of subordinates in carrying out the arrangement can be used
to drill down into administration.”
- Representative of the organization – “A leader is seen as a responsible agent. He
has to deal with nerves at meetings, social gatherings, and parties, and that's only
the beginning. It is his obligation to communicate the work's reasoning to the
general audience. He also exemplifies the field of competence he heads.”
- Integrates and reconciles the personal goals with organizational goals – “A leader
imaginative qualities aid in the adjustment/facilitation of unique goals with
progressing goals. He's striving to assist the individual in achieving a reasonable
goal and, if necessary, achieving the goal. This is only possible because he is
efficient and capable of coordination, and he is eager to achieve his goal.”
- Solicit support – “It is the leader who draws in and welcomes his subordinates'
help and involvement. This he can do through his character, knowledge, progress,
and experience, all of which can lead to certain consequences. In this way, a
pioneer should encourage ideas and, if feasible, turn them into plans and initiatives
that he or she is responsible for. Along these lines, he might demand his
representative's entire cooperation, igniting his desire to work and his ability to
cope with anxiety.”
- Play the role of a friend, philosopher and guide – “Three-dimensional qualities are
required in a leader. Through sharing feelings, thoughts, and desires, a manager
can be employees’ friend. By putting intelligence and skills to good use and
guiding the employees as needed, he/she may be a philosopher. He/she can act as a
guide by supervising and explaining top management's plans and procedures to
employees, ensuring that they work together to achieve the company's goals. He
can play the role of a counselor at times by employing counseling and a problem-