Contrasting Roles of Managers and Leaders

This report compares the contrasting roles of managers and leaders in an organization, discussing different theories and styles of management and leadership. It explores how these approaches affect employee performance, decision-making, and quality dimensions within a company like Marks & Spencer Plc.

Management and Operations

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
P1 Roles and Characteristics of a Leader and a Manager.....................................................1
P2 Role of a Leader and Managerial Functions in Different Situations.................................2
P3 Different theories and models to attain Sustainable Performance at M&S.......................4
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................5
P4 Key Approaches to Operations Management and the Role of Leaders and Mangers at
M&S.......................................................................................................................................5
P5 The importance and value of operations management in achieving business objectives. 6
P6 Impact of External Business Environment Factors that affect Decision-Making ............7
CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................10
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INTRODUCTION
Operations management is termed as the management of commercial activities so that the
greatest level of skilfulness could be achieved within an organization. It is chiefly related with
planning, organizing and supervising people to change materials and labour into products and
services as efficiently as possible to maximize the profit of an organization. In today's business
environment, the prime factor of functional flexibility is technological know-how. Progression in
technology makes it possible to build better products using lesser resources (Fuller and Mansour,
2008).
Marks and Spencer is a large retail company specialises in the marketing of men and
women clothing, expensive food products and home articles is headquartered in London in the
City of Westminster. Marks and Spencer was founded by a partnership between Michael Marks
and Thomas Spencer in Leeds in 1884 which allows online services since the mid-2000s. Marks
and Spencer by marketing only UK-made goods entered into long-term relationships with U.
K. manufacturers. This study starts with a simple self-assessment of a leader and a manager.
Next, it defines what management and leadership are and compares and contrasts their skills,
characteristics and unique qualities. It also provides some instincts for further consideration,
study and with reference to Marks and Spencer a British multinational retailer.
TASK 1
P1 Roles and Characteristics of a Leader and a Manager.
Management and leadership are terms that are often used together in the business context
which represents someone who manages a team of human resources. To be an outstanding
manager one must study and understand what it takes to be a great leader. The primary
difference between leaders and managers is that leaders have followers while managers have
groups who work for them. A successful businessman needs to be both a strong leader and great
manager to motivate the people towards their vision of success (Dinh And et.al., 2014).
The key characteristics of a manager involve ensuring the business gets done, focus on
day to day job, and manage the tasks of subordinates. Managers focus on tactical activities and
often times have a more guiding and dominant approach towards work. The traits of a leader
include inspiring and motivating employees rather than directing employees.
1. People
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Leaders and managers involves working with people. Moreover, for a leader, people implies the
one's for whom the task is developed, a vision attained or a project completed (Kruger and
Ramphal, 2009). For a manager, people are the prime motive to achieve an important goal,
execute a crucial project or fulfill a task.
2. Reality
A leader's motive is to assist those employees who believes in the organization vision of a
resolution to their Reality. The manager's intention is to motivate them on a concrete path to
achieve desired results.
3. Vision
At times employees develop the vision to see things as they should be, which plays a crucial role
for both leaders and managers. Managers help people make that Vision a reality by breaking it
down in concrete goals and tasks and providing the needful resources for moving forward in the
direction of the Vision (Cox, 2016). While leaders help people forge a common vision that they
believe in and communicate it back to them to get their consent on a common goal.
The task of running a Marks & Spencer store is so complex that it has to be bifurcated
into a number of different and closely coordinate fields. Each store is divided into different
sectors which specialize in different functions. Marks & Spencer Stores have a management
team which includes a Commercial, Financial and Personnel Managers, who reports to a
common General Manager and have assistant managers under them. They all have a common
objective which is to improve and increase the performance of their store by motivating and
leading other people in the store to achieve better results (Kruger and Ramphal, 2009). The
different roles of the managers and leaders in an organization, results in the continuous growth of
the establishment as the different jobs are segregated among different groups having desired
skills to perform in a better way.
P2 Role of a Leader and Managerial Functions in Different Situations
Management and leadership functions are quite related though have a lot of difference
when it comes to solve the workplace problems. Management is defined as the administrative
part of an organization whereas leadership is termed as an innovative workforce to execute the
strategies of management through the human resources of an organization (Jones and Robinson,
2012). Manager’s function as to plan and organize the resources to meet the organizational goals,
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on the other hand leaders ensures fulfilling the task in effective manner through the arrangements
of management.
The role of a leader and the functions of the management in an organization are as follows : Planning: At M&S managers are involved in planning and setting the goals for the
company which increases the overall profit of the stores. The various strategies equipped
by M&S Plc keeping in point the objectives of company includes continuous
improvement in the quality of product and offering fair value for money (Leadership and
Management - Relationship & Differences, 2018). The leaders role in M&S Plc is to
communicate these roles set by the managers to the employees. Organizing: Marks & Spencer emphasizes on quality by offering fair value for money
and accepts the return of discarded articles, giving cash repayment in full, despite of
when the merchandise was bought. The mangers function is to organize and utilize the
limited resources in an effective manner so as to fulfill the goals and objectives of an
enterprise (Schaltegger and et.al., 2015). The leaders are responsible for allocating those
resources among the employees and motivating them to use the resources in the best
possible manner. Directing: Directing plays a crucial role in the management process. Managers at M&S
Plc are involved in guiding, instructing and checking the performance of the store
workers so as to achieve the desired results through the process of directing (Operations
Management, 2018). Staffing: Staffing is referred to as the function of managers and leaders to recruit and
select the best employees for the vacant positions. At M&S managers continuously
monitor employee activities and provide training as and when required to perform skilled
jobs (Slack, Chambers and Johnston, 2010). Coordinating: The role of the managers of M&S Plc is to coordinate the activities of the
different departments so as to achieve the common organizational goals. The manager
coordinates between the production department, marketing and sales department and the
finance department so as to produce at minimum cost.
 Controlling: The main aim of the controlling function of the management is to ensure
that all the other functions are operating in a correct manner (Stevenson and Hojati,
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2007). It involves setting performance standards for the workers at M&S and the leaders
ensures that the workers tasks meet the standards.
P3 Different theories and models to attain Sustainable Performance at M&S.
Operations management is a vast course of knowledge that implies managing
organization's operations and uses different theories and said models to attain sustainable growth
in the long run. At M&S, operations management concentrates on the purpose of providing
quality products or services. They apply ideas and technologies to improve adaptability to meet
speedily changing customer wants, increase productivity and reduce costs, assure a safe and
secure work environment for every human resource, and assists in ensuring high degree of
customer service. Situational Leadership: It is a style of leadership where leaders or managers try to adjust
their style to influence their followers and fits in the development skills and capabilities
of their employees for the accomplishment of organizational goals. Situational leadership,
is concerned with changing the style of the leader, as the follower will not take up
leader's style of working. However, continuous changing of the leadership style to meet
the needs of the organization may affect the overall growth of the company as leaders
adopt different styles in different situations (Jones and Robinson, 2012). At M&S the
store managers adopt situational leadership to reduce cost, increase efficiency of the
workers by fully utilizing their skills and capabilities.
 Systems Leadership: It is another style of leadership where leaders control the activities
and workings of employees and guide them to work towards the goals of the organization
by communicating them the vision of the company. As in the case of M&S, the store
managers are continuously engaged in communicating the operational needs of the
company as to manage the different departments by minimizing the cost of
manufacturing and maximizing the overall profit for all the sections. The aim behind
systematic leadership is to enable appropriate leadership to work on so that organizational
goals are met (Slack, Chambers and Johnston, 2010).
 Contingency leadership: A contingent leader is one who effectively utilizes his own
style of leadership to get the desired results in the right situation (Cox, 2016). It posits
that effective leadership can only be practiced while interacting between individual traits
and external conditions. Contingency theory, at M&S implies careful management of
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internal needs of employees while evaluating the external environment. The contingency
theory is used to take the decisions on the basis of situation in workplace. Contingency
model of leadership is based on kinship among the leader and employees, the structure of
the task and authority and power of the leadership. This theory concentrates on the
modifications that takes place in the external environment and how the leaders and the
manager’s response to these changes so that the organization achieves its desired
objectives and goals.
TASK 2
P4 Key Approaches to Operations Management and the Role of Leaders and Mangers at M&S.
Operations management is one of an important area in any manufacturing firm. It is
engaged in designing and producing goods and services with the use of latest technology. The
competitive advantage of any organization is directly affected by the efficient of utilization of
available resources in the best possible manner through satisfying customer needs and wants.
The key motive of operations management is to convert inputs in terms of raw substances, labor
etc into outputs such as finished products or services (Cox, 2016). Operations management is the
cognitive process of utilization of the resources of the establishment in the best possible manner
and increasing the productivity by converting the raw materials into finished products. This
report includes the role of the managers and leaders in the i raw substances, labor etc into outputs
such as finished products or services mprovisation of production quality and dispatching goods
to all the outlets of the M&S. The developmental role of managers and leaders is described in
context of M&S is as follows:
 Six Sigma: The role of the managers is to accomplish the tasks given by the top
management by focusing on the strengths and weaknesses and providing training to the
employees so as to simplify the effort and cost to complete a given task. The six sigma
methodology focuses on team efforts and accomplishment of tasks by minimizing waste
of resources of the organization (Asif and et.al., 2009).
The role of the manager at M&S is to plan and implement six sigma strategies by
eliminating wastes and making the most effective use of the available resources.
The role of the leader on the other hand is to monitor and implement overall work of the
team towards minimizing wastage of organizations resources.
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 Total Quality Management: Total Quality Management is defined as achieving customer
satisfaction in the long run through continuous quality enhancement. It involves
participation of all the employees of a particular business concern in enhancing the
business work environment, product quality, and the crucial business processes. Total
quality management is an approach that works towards bringing continuous improvement
in the quality of production of the M&S manufacturing company. It mainly focuses on
quality teamwork, customer orientation, efficient production and improvement of internal
relations (Chon and Lawrence, 2012). TQM is a cognitive process of bringing efficiency
through producing quality products and services keeping in mind the market demands
and customer preferences.
The role of the managers at M&S is continuously applying the strategies of producing
improved products and monitoring the pros and cons of TQM.
The role of the leader emphasizes on motivating the workers at M&S, so that changes
could be implemented firmly without workers resisting to adopt new technology for producing
quality products and services.
P5 The importance and value of operations management in achieving business objectives
Every business is responsible for managing multiple business functions such as finance,
marketing and sales, operations and management of information. Operations contribute to the
success of an organization, by taking strategic decisions on the type of operations, the
technological effects on overall performance, and the effect of global competitors in the market
environment.
1) Today, the companies are oriented towards enhancing the values, beliefs and work
ethics in the organization to improve the relationship with the external environment i.e.
customers and to give satisfactory services to the clients of the organization by following the
ethical norms in the operations of the company.
2) M&S Plc operates in an environment where competition is increasing at a fast pace
and to establish a superior position of the company from its competitors, it needs to prove itself
by producing Eco-friendly products and providing sustainable services. (Cachon and Terwiesch,
2009). The management and leadership in M&S Plc is a vital factor responsible for corporate
social responsibility.
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3) Operations management is a core of any manufacturing industry as it takes care of a
number of operations and activities including obtaining of raw materials, segregating of
resources and producing finished products (Dinh And et.al., 2014). Any unit engaging in
producing goods and services needs to take a note of meeting customer needs and demands.
Hence, the managers play a vital role in fulfilling this role by gathering information from the
external environment and designing products and services based on the information.
4) Operations Management is important to all sorts of business units, at the M&S PLC
manufacturing section the managers purpose is to bring down the wastage of resources, increase
the productivity by managing the available time and limited resources in order to make sure that
the cost of production is low and at the stores section the company focuses on efficient utilization
of store space depending on the location and customer demographic when it comes to clothing
(Tourish, 2014). Thus, every business requires some or the other set of management techniques
despite of the nature of the business. A successful organization is the one where operations are
being carried out meeting the needs and wants of their customers as well as their people.
5) The management of operations is responsible for producing, polishing and furnishing
mechanism that takes inputs of raw materials and bring forth outputs of finished goods and
services demanded by the customers. No business can execute without operations management,
For a concern to be successful in the long run, needs an effective role of operations management
while producing goods and services (Tourish, 2014). It affects profitability in any kind or form
of organization i.e. small or large, manufacture or service, public or private, profit or not-for-
profit. The main aim of operations management is to have strong supplier relationships so as to
ensure the timely availability of raw materials.
P6 Impact of External Business Environment Factors that affect Decision-Making
Business environment is a wider concern which consists of all external and internal
components that influences an immediate business's operating environment. In other words a
company's environment includes various factors and elements which directly or indirectly
influences the working of an organization. Business environment is aggregate of all conditions,
events and influences that surround and affect the business (Keith, 2008). Business environment
comprises of the following:
(i) Micro/internal environment
(ii) Macro/external environment
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 Micro/internal environment: It consists of all the elements in the environment that
affects the working ability of the company. It comprises of the companies suppliers of
raw materials, immediate competitors producing identical products, marketing
intermediaries such as banks and its customers of goods and services. Suppliers are a
vital source of micro environment as immediate and fast supply of raw materials is very
essential for any organization. The financial firms, stock market, and banks also comes
under the role of suppliers. (Jones and Robinson, 2012). Customers being a vital element
of the internal environment uses the end product of an organization. Customers is a broad
area which includes any individual, industries and other manufacturing organisations.
Other than these the workforce, business companions, competitors, government agencies
and the marketing retailers also comes under the internal or micro business environment.
 Macro/external environment: All the elements outside of the organization which may
affect the working ability of the organization are termed as macro environment (Dinh
And et.al., 2014). External environment comprises of those factors which are beyond the
control of an enterprise and includes competitors, government, and the social, political,
legal, economical and technological factors etc.
 Economic: The economic factors of an organization such as inflation, interest
rates and unemployment affects the demand of the products which directly raises
the prices of the commodities
 Political: The political environment comprises of the government laws, rules and
regulations on which a company operates. Changes in these norms affect the
working of an organization.
 Technological: The technological environment refers to the available methods of
converting materials into finished products. Technological advances hamper the
functioning of an organization as many employees resist changes.
 Social: Custom, values and ethics forms the socio-cultural environment of an
organization which affects the performance of employees of an organization.
CONCLUSION
The report concludes that both the managerial tasks and leadership activities are
contrasting and the roles and functions of a leader and a manager is also contrasting though both
work towards the attainment of common goals and objectives of the organization. It depicts
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different managerial and leadership theories or styles and how they affect the working and
decision-making activity of the managers at Marks & Spencer and how it helps in improving the
quality dimensions of the enterprise and minimizing the cost structure. The study depicts various
operational theories of management and its implementation to reduce the wastage of resources
and improve the overall quality of performance of the organization at Marks & Spencer Plc.
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REFERENCES
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management perspective. International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management. 26
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operations management. Irwin Professional Pub.
Chon, S. K. and Lawrence Y., 2012. The International Hospitality Business: Management and
Operations. Routledge.
Cox, J.A., 2016. Leadership and Management Roles: Challenges and Success Strategies. AORN
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theoretical trends and changing perspectives. The Leadership Quarterly. 25(1). pp.36-62.
Fuller, A. J. and Mansour, H. A., 2008. Operations management and operations research: a
historical and relational perspective. Management Decision. 41 (4). pp.422-426.
Jones, P. and Robinson, P., 2012. Operations Management. OUP Oxford
Kruger, D. and Ramphal, R., 2009. Operations management. OUP Catalogue.
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<https://managementstudyguide.com/leadership-management.htm>
Online
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<http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/management/Ob-Or/Operations-
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Stevenson, W. J. and Hojati, M., 2007. Operations management. 8th Ed. Boston:
McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
Tourish, D., 2014. Leadership, more or less? A processual, communication perspective on the
role of agency in leadership theory. Leadership. 10(1). pp.79-98.
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