Leadership and Management: Concepts, Similarities, and Differences

This essay discusses the concepts of leadership and management, their similarities and differences, and the importance of leadership development programs. It also explores various leadership theories and evaluates the leadership development program of the NHS.

LEADERSHIP AND
MANAGEMENT

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
DISCUSION OF LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT LITERATURE...................................1
Concept of Leadership............................................................................................................1
Concept of Management.........................................................................................................2
Similarities and Differences between Leadership and Management.....................................3
Leadership Theories...............................................................................................................5
EVALUATION OF LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME.......................................7
Importance of leadership training and development..............................................................7
Analysis of programme and review of its components..........................................................8
Benefits of Leadership Programme......................................................................................10
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................12
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................13

INTRODUCTION
Leadership refers to combination of all the activities and processes which individuals
within organisations undertake in order to lead the organisation towards achievement of its goals
and objectives. On the other hand, Management means planning, organising, directing and
controlling the resources and functions of a company which supports the firm towards fulfilling
its agenda. These terms are often used interchangeably in some contexts as the motive behind
both these academic theories is similar. However, the debate is ongoing on these elements that
are associated with their distinct approaches and functions which these factors implement while
supporting the company. However, despite their similarities and differences, the academic theory
appropriately influences organisations when they create leadership and development
programmes. This is because it appropriately and effectively provides guidance to the managers
and leaders towards the current performance of the company, anticipated requirements as well as
its end goals, which are necessary to be supported by these programmes (McCaffery, 2018).
In this regard, the essay below is based on concept of leadership and management, which
would be discussing these concepts, along with their similarities and differences. Moreover, the
essay would also be focusing on discussion of relevant theories related to these elements in form
of a literature review. On the other hand, the essay would also be exploring the evaluation of
leadership development programme of National Health Service, which is one of the biggest and
most recognised healthcare organisations within the United Kingdom. This would be covering an
appropriate selection of the leadership development programme adopted by the NHS Leadership
academy and analysis of the same along with reviewing its components. In addition to this,
identification and evaluation of the benefits of this leadership programme on individuals and the
organisation itself.
DISCUSION OF LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT LITERATURE
Concept of Leadership
Leadership could be referred to as a research area for individuals, as well as an effective
skill, which is inclusive of the capabilities of a person in order to leader, guide and direct
individuals, groups and teams within a company towards achieving their organisational
objectives. This concept is highly valuable within an organisation or senior individuals to follow
and implement as it requires development of an appropriate vision, along with creation of focus
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upon which individuals working within the company would be directed towards. Moreover,
leadership also has a prominent role of guidance provided by the seniors to their subordinates
that is subjected towards helping them throughout accomplishing their jobs (Liphadzi,
Aigbavboa and Thwala, 2017).
There are certain features which are associated with leadership and are important to be
analysed in order to effectively understand this this concept effectively. One feature in this
regard is that this aspect is related to influencing individuals' behaviour and aligning the same in
order to achieve a common goal or purpose. Another feature of leadership is that it is an inter-
personal procedure, meaning that it takes place within a leader and subordinates and its success
is highly dependant upon the the effectiveness and efficiency of how the targets of the company
are being met.
Concept of Management
Management is a concept with multiple definitions and ideology due to being a wider
perspective than leadership. It means the procedure of planning and forecasting the functions,
organising resources, commanding groups, coordinate the operations, as well as controlling of
the deliverables and outcomes. This element within the company is one of the main reasons for
its success as it provides a structure to the company and its operations, along with ensuring
collectivity by coordinating the functions, operations, equipments and people of the organisation.
Management also provides directions to individuals and managers towards achieving the short as
well as long-term targets, which drives the organisation towards growth and sustainability in
markets in which it operates (Kutz, 2018).
There are certain features of management which makes it a rather required and
imperative approach within a company. An effective feature related to this element is that it is
result-oriented. This means that the goal of management is to derive best and anticipated results
within the organisation, rather than emphasising upon the processes which are adopted by the
company to accomplish those objectives. Another feature of management is that it is a never
ending process. As per this factor, management is incepted and carries on till an organisation's
dissolution. This is because management is subjected towards each and every goal of the
company which keeps on changing as per the scale and growth of the business organisation.
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Similarities and Differences between Leadership and Management
Management and Leadership are concepts that could be used within professional and
academic contexts as well (Kok and McDonald, 2017). However, they are very much similar and
different from one another, which is essential to be analysed so that these concepts could be
understood in a better manner. Thus, below is a detailed exploration of similarities and
differences between leadership and management.
As for similarities, leadership and management have several things in common. For
instance, one similar factor within both these components are surround around people of the
organisation. This means that their application and implementation is subjected towards getting
the work done by employees within the company in a sound and efficient manner. Another
similarity within both these concepts is that both of them contribute within the organisation in
context of creating a firm structure of the same. In addition to this, another similarity in this
regard is that leadership and management are responsible within the organisation to in context of
allocation of resources in a manner which could increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the
organisation.
However, apart from the similarities, there are several differences that are associated with
the concepts of leadership and management as well. One such difference within these factors is
that the focus on management is upon getting the work done by exercising authority and power
upon the subordinates within the organisation. However, leadership is directed towards
supporting and motivating the individuals in order to achieve the set goals and targets within the
company. A study by Musgrave, (2014) supports this pointer, while the managers see the
operational functions to achieve materialistic activities; leaders take a social approach towards
supporting those functions within the organisation. Another difference between the concepts of
management and leadership is that the former is subjected towards reaction to the changes
happening within the business environment of the firm. On the other hand, the latter is
responsible for bringing the change within the company which is necessary for growth of the
company, along with its higher sustainability. Leaders create a vision for employees within the
company towards the standards that are necessary to be achieved, along with providing them
information about the changes that are necessary to facilitate those changes. However, managers
just set the criteria for the change and bring in methods and processes that would be imperative
to adopt and implement (Lai and Cheung, 2015). In addition, a prominent divergence within
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these factors is that management is surrounded with a structured and proper exercising of power
over individuals working within the firm. Whereas, leadership empowers the organisation's
employees, through providing they better opportunities, learning and development, as well as
motivation through different schemes.
According to Wajdi, (2017), the major element which separates the concept of
management and leadership is upon the application. While he believes that both these factors
contain several elements in common, however, they are applied in two different scenarios. For
example, the skills related to management are used for planning, building, as well as directing
the organisational systems in relation to achieve goals, whereas the skills within leadership are
applied to emphasise on the change which is conducted through providing a direction, aligning
employees and motivating them. The author here focused more on its application rather than its
contextual differences, which is a positive aspect as contextually, it is quite complex to find any
pointers of difference.
In contrast to this viewpoint, Edwards and et. al., (2015), emphasised more upon the
exercising of authority and power within both these elements to draw differences between
management and leadership. While this study is based on performance of both these functions,
but it highlights the role and scope of these performances. For instance, for the concept related to
management, managers become leaders when it comes to bringing and directing the firm towards
change. The same is performed by leaders for leadership. However, the extent up to which the
former takes place is higher than the latter. The reason for this is because while management is
required to enhance the application of leadership, leadership is implemented to support
management. Hence, this emphasises on the differences of both these concepts.
However, this idea is a bit problematic when it is directed towards various industries and
companies having different sizes. For example, companies in manufacturing with large scale
operations could see this difference in their existing practices. However, the same could be said
for hospitality organisation where managers are responsible for both management and leadership.
Similarly, a large scale companies might have enough human resources for the same, however,
smaller businesses see these concepts collectively and hence, and the concept of power is
eradicated.
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Thus, the above evaluation is associated with the concepts, similarities and differences of
management and leadership, both of which are very much effective and important in context of
enhancing the growth of the firm, along with productivity of employees (Hallinger, 2018).
Leadership Theories
The concept of leadership is highly imperative for an organisation to follow in order to
motivate, empower and encourage employees to work at par with the expectation of company.
However, delivering leadership is one of the most complex activities with individuals in top and
middle management have to experience and implement. Moreover, organisational psychology
has been very much keen in context of analysing the concept of leadership and what makes an
effective leader. Hence, for this purpose, it is imperative that several leadership theories are
analysed so that the application of this concept, along with elements which make a good leader
are more effectively understood.
One of the most commonly used theories in relation to leadership is Contingency Theory.
There are several schools of thought upon the notion in which this theory works.
According to Fiedler, (2015), Contingency Theory works on the notion that there is no
specific way in which leadership could be delivered by the organisation. Rather, success of
seniors within the organisation in delivering leadership is dependent upon several situations.
Moreover, there are specific factors and components which decide as to what approach must
leaders adopt in order to deal with a specific situation. Some of these factors influencing the
leadership are inclusive of the activity or the task that is required by the employees to perform,
along with the leader's personality and formation of teams for that particular task. All these
aspects are very much effective and essential to be analysed by leaders to determine the kind of
approach that must be adopted by them in order to deal with different scenarios within the
organisation (Kantanen and et. al., 2017).
Moreover, the main argument that is derived by this theory is that effective leadership
must have effective professional relations between the employees and employers. Moreover, the
activities provided to the subordinates must have precise objectives and processes. Along with
this, another supporting factor in this regard is that leader of the company must also be very
much effective in managing rewards, as well as punishments within the firm. If each of these
elements are not met by the leader, then leadership within the organisation would fail.
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Illustration 1: Contingency Theory
(Source: Contingency Theory, 2020)
The display above is Least Preferred Co-worker (LPC) scale, which is associated with
rankings provided by the leader with respect to the traits which are least preferred by the leader.
Hence, this is one situation in which the leader must choose the kind of leadership style which
supports the cooperation of individuals (Huber, 2017).
According to the viewpoints of Robertson, (2015), the contingency theory, particularly,
the one provided by Fielder has several advantages. For instance, one such advantage related to
this theory is that it contributes within the flexibility of how leadership and management are
provided within the organisation. This is because it introduces the managers and leaders of the
company with the concept of flexibility, which is necessary to mould the leadership style as per
the situations and attitudes of employees within the company. Another advantage of this theory
is that the opinions, mindset and preferences of employees are quite effectively considered
within this theory and delivering the leadership. Thus, in order to be an effective leader as per
this theory, leaders are required to mould their leadership style as per situations and people.
Another theory in regards to the management is Transformational Leadership. According
to the viewpoints of Burkus, (2020), this leadership approach emphasises on how valuable, as
well as contributing change could be brought within an organisation. As the name suggest, the
notion on which this theory works is associated with transformation of the mindset, and goals of
others to align the same within the organisational objectives.
As per Towler, (2020), leaders of a contemporary organisation must bring in new ways
and transform the functioning of the companies by providing unique, innovative and new
approach. Hence, in this context, there are four main components of transformational leadership.
The first element is individualised consideration, which is associated with the extent to which the
needs of subordinates are attended by the leader. Hence, seniors within the organisation must
appropriately take the opinions and concerns of employees into account and must ensure
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background and situation within each individual. Another component is inspirational motivation,
which refers to the degree to which the vision is articulated and inspires individuals within the
organisation. This enhances the encouragement levels within the organisation in order to invest
their potential more effectively within the company in an appropriate and effective manner.
Idealised influence is another component which requires leaders to showcase effective and
ethical behaviour within the company which inspires and influences individuals within the
organisation to work in the same manner. This is because this theory contains the fact that
subordinates are likely to be appropriately and effectively be influenced by their leaders, which
requires the latter to follow their ethical code of conduct quite seriously (Hallinger and Hammad,
2019). The last element in this regard is Intellectual Stimulation, which refers to the extent up to
which the assumptions and uncertainties are challenged by the leader. Furthermore, the degree of
risk taking is also inclusive within this factor. Hence, while the new approaches are tried and
implemented by the subordinates, leaders within the company are responsible to support them
effectively by using effective and innovative approaches. Hence, this approach is very crucial for
an organisation in order to bring appropriate and effective changes within the company and
transform the same effectively.
EVALUATION OF LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
Importance of leadership training and development
Leadership training is important so that leaders can acquire the abilities which help them
in communicating, inspiring and encouraging the employees of organisation which help them in
completing their work efficiently. Training and development of leaders help in enhancing their
leadership qualities so that they can influence and persuade team members which help in
accomplishing goals and objectives of company on time (Murray, 2017). These programmes are
important for company so that employees can be effectively directed and motivated by leaders
which help in gaining a competitive advantage in market. Further company performance can be
improved as employees can be motivated to increase customer satisfaction which thereby
increases company sales. Also talented employees can be retained in company through effective
leadership which can help in saving the cost of frequent recruitment and selection of employees.
Effective leadership thus can be developed through these programmes which help in building
strong brand image in market and increasing job satisfaction of employees.
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Thus it is important for NHS to effectively train and develop their leaders which can help
in boosting up their leadership skills which is important to effectively monitor, control and direct
the work of employees. NHS is a large public healthcare organisation which needs strong leaders
to monitor the work of this organisation which can be made possible through training and
development programmes so that delegation of work to team members, setting of clear and
achievable goals etc. can be done efficiently. Also the leaders can help in ensuring that best
quality of healthcare services are provided to patients which help in increasing the goodwill of
organisation and attracting funds for further development of company. The training programmes
of leadership also help in acquiring new knowledge through which innovative and creative ideas
of doing work can be developed which can help in improving the work quality of employees.
Thus teams can be made more efficient in dealing with patients which is important to improve
their health and give them best quality of services which help in increasing their satisfaction
(Oshagbemi, 2017).
Analysis of programme and review of its components
The leadership development programme which is selected for NHS is Mary Seacole
programme which was given by Korn Ferry Hay Group so as to develop the skills and
knowledge in leadership and management. This programme help in training and development of
first time leaders in healthcare so that they can motivate their team members, set shared goals
and handle conflicts in an efficient manner (Weiss, Tappen and Grimley, 2019). This programme
helps in integrating the learning process with practical implementation of knowledge so that
team members can be lead in an efficient manner. The programme provide various benefits both
to the individual and organisation as it help in enhancing the leadership qualities which help
them to motivate workers so that they can perform in a particular manner. As the number of
efficient leaders in company increase the workforce can be managed and directed efficiently so
that company goals are achieved on time. The various components of this programme are: Structure of programme: The programme is six months duration with 12 units of study
which are taught online. The units are organised into two-week study block which help in
scheduling the online learning of leaders. This makes learning easy and convenient which
means that learning can be done as per the convenience of leaders. Also the structure of
programme is simple which helps in enhancing the learning process (Swanwick and
McKimm, 2017).
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 First time leaders: The programme is focused on first time leaders in healthcare which
means that learning is done from the basic level which helps in gaining complete
information about how leaders can manage and direct the work of team members. This
help in making learning effective and simple and helps in overall development of leaders.
 Face-to-face behavioural workshops: These workshops are held four weeks after the
programme officially starts and there are eight weeks between each subsequent
workshop. These workshops help in overall learning of leaders as they provide face-to-
face assessment of their capabilities so that improvements can be made and leadership
skills can be acquired which are important to direct the work of team members.
Eligibility criteria: The programme is applicable for first time leaders in healthcare which can
help in enhancing their leadership skills by integrating their learning with practical application of
their knowledge to lead team members.
Programme structure: The Mary Seacole programme is six months long with 100 hours of
online study including 3 face-to-face behavioural workshops which are delivered locally. The
programme can be undertaken in either of the two ways;
 Nationally with multiple intakes in a year.
 Locally which are tailored by healthcare organisation in which leaders work
The learning in this programme can be accessed through:
 The NHS Leadership Academy's virtual campus which includes programme films,
interactive contents etc.
 Through three one day face-to-face skills workshop which are delivered by experst across
country (Willis, Clarke and O'Connor, 2017).
The programme is delivered in 12 units and each take 5-10 hours of online study:
 Units 1-8 cover leadership fundamentals.
 Units 9-12 are flexible and can be undertaken at any time of the programme
The training methods of this programme include:
 Work-based learning which help in the application of learning methods in practical
situations. This help in application of learning in situations while working at healthcare
organisation.
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 Face-to-face learning workshops which help in behavioural and personal development of
leaders and also help in experiential and simulation learning activities which provide
social networking opportunities.
 Online learning is done in this programme and an interactive learning environment is
built which makes the process of learning more effective.
Intended outcomes:
Through this programme benefits are intended to be achieved both for leaders and the
organisation by building efficient leaders so that they can manage and monitor the work in an
efficient and effective manner. This also helps the company in being successful by having
potential leaders who can make efficient decisions and help in the growth and development of
company.
Benefits of Leadership Programme
Mary Seacole Programme within NHS that is associated with leadership has several
benefits associated with this approach towards the organisation, as well as individuals which are
necessary to be elaborated an explained in regards to contribute to the evaluation of this
leadership development programme.
Individual Benefits
One of the major benefits of this leadership development programme upon individuals is
that it enhances encouragement and motivation within them to choose the most apt and effective
leadership style, rather than indulging within a comparison with others' related to the same
(Castillo and Hallinger, 2018). This is because within the course of Six months within the
training, the individuals would be working within several different situations, which might not
necessarily be in their favour. Moreover, the programme has a very individualistic approach
which ensures development of new and effective leadership style that are derived from personal
experiences.
Another prominent benefit of this leadership development programme upon individuals is
that it provides them with the motivation, capacity and authority to implement change in an
appropriate and desired manner. This is achieved by this programme through hours of online
study, which enhances the capacity, as well as motivation of employees due to enhancement in
clarity of concepts related to healthcare. Furthermore, behaviour workshops would be providing
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them with authority to implement the changes within their approaches in delivering leadership as
per the requirement of activities.
Furthermore, one effective benefit provided to individuals by this leadership development
programme is that it helps them in developing better self awareness, along with emotional
intelligence, which allows them to effectively work with others in a team (Bush, Bell and
Middlewood, 2019). Workshops provide an effective insight to individuals to work with others,
which are helpful in developing self awareness and teamwork spirit within the same.
Organisational Benefits
The leadership development programme in question has a lot of benefits associated with
the organisation as well, which is necessary to be evaluated in order to get an effective insight of
its contribution in National Health Service.
One benefit related to the same is that it allows in effective succession planning, which is
associated enhanced capable leaders emerging from the process. This is because training of
individuals for 6 months would allow the individuals to furnish their skill as a healthcare
professional, which would allow the organisation to find better and competent workers that could
succeed the existing workforce and provide better and effective insight within the professional
practice.
Another benefit for the organisation is associated with positive impact on the
organisational culture. The leadership programme effectively contributes towards enhances the
positivity within the environment of the organisation, as well as highlighting the scope of
improvement when it comes to managing the people within the workplace. This is achieved
through inducing a culture of training and continuous improvement within the company which
allows the new individuals within the company to enhance their working practices and ensure
and more effective approach towards healthcare towards working upon enhancement of skills.;
The leadership development programme also ensures bringing in leaders that have
powerful strategies in order to helping the organisation towards achieving change (Baltaci and
Balcı, 2017). This is achieved by the programme through providing them with opportunities for
learning and development that would help the individuals in gaining better strategies and
competence to formulate approaches for different situations within NHS. Thus, it contributes
within the organisation in a way that is very effective in context of bringing in new approaches
and techniques towards dealing with different situations in the entity.
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CONCLUSION
Thus, it is concluded that leadership and management are very important for an
organisation to follow in order to achieve the organisational goals and objectives in a better and
more effective manner. It is crucial that the concept of management and leadership is effectively
and appropriately defined and evaluated in order to enhance the understanding in a better
manner. Furthermore, the report covered similarities and differences between these concepts
which provided a better insight onto the aspects that are similar within them, as well as why it is
important for organisation to segregate these concepts when it comes to application. The report
also covers analysis and evaluation of two of the leadership theories, which are Contingency
Theory and Transformational Approach to leadership. The former is associated with adopting
leadership style that is dependent upon different situations that might be related to the
organisational elements or employees' attitudes. On the other hand, the latter approach is
associated with bringing in positive changes within the organisation, which could be done
through developing an effective vision and applying the components of this leadership approach
in a justified and effective manner. These require the leaders to enhance consideration of needs
of employees, ethical code of conduct and appropriate practices which allows the firm to
implement this approach better.
In addition to this, the report above also contains the evaluation of leadership
development programme of NHS, which is Mary Seacole Programme, which provides training to
new leaders in an appropriate and effective manner. The report did undertake the evaluation of
this programme, which includes analysis of several components associated with this process.
Moreover, an effective and appropriate insight has also been given to the benefits of this
leadership development programme upon the individuals of the entity, as well as on the
organisation itself.
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