Roles and Characteristics of a Manager and a Leader

This document discusses the roles and characteristics of a manager and a leader in an organization. It explores the key approaches to operations management and the role played by managers and leaders. It also highlights the value and importance of operations management in achieving business objectives. The document is based on a case study of John Lewis Partnership, a British company dealing with housewares, clothes, and jewelry.

Management and
Operations

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
LO1 & LO3......................................................................................................................................3
Compare and define assorted roles as well as characteristics of a manager and a leader......3
Key approaches to operations management and role that played by managers and leaders. .6
Value and importance of operations management to achieve business objectives................7
LO2 & LO4......................................................................................................................................8
How functions of a manager and role of a leader apply in several situation context.............8
Various theories and models of approach includes system, situational and contingency
leadership................................................................................................................................9
Factors within business environment that impact upon operational management and decision
making by managers and leaders..........................................................................................10
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................12
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................13

INTRODUCTION
Operation management refers to the administration of business practices in order to
develop large level of efficiency in a possible manner within an organisation. It is always
concerned with converting material as well as labours into finish product and services. It helps
businesses towards attaining effective growth and profit of their business. On the other side,
management operations team generally attempt to balance cost with high revenue in order to
meet net operating profit in a perfect way (Bai and et. al., 2018). Main aim of management and
operation is to offer better quality of goods and services at market to achieve organisational
goals. Present assignment is based on John Lewis Partnership which is one of the best British
company was established in 1929 through John Spedean Lewis in London. This organisation
dealing with house wares, clothes, jewellery and many more. Further discussion will be based on
several role and functions of a manager and leader. After this, applying roles of manager and
leader to the given context. At last, role and functions appreciates played by manager or leader
and then understanding the relationship of manager and leader within contemporary business
environment.
LO1 & LO3
Compare and define assorted roles as well as characteristics of a manager and a leader
Manager:
It is known as person who always have responsibility to manage ample group of people
in order to perform a particular task in an appropriate manner. Some of the people are always
available to answer of every question which is given by their manager while they perform task
effectively. In reference with John Lewis Partnership, manager plays significant role for
attainment of targeted goals and objectives (Borodin and et.al., 2016). There are few
characteristics and roles of manager within selected organisation, those are going to be discussed
below:
Role of a manager: Manager generally plays crucial role within an organisation by
performing large number of tasks into the firm. Along with manager should have quality to
implements on its predetermined vision into the small steps by following large number of stages
so that they can perform their task on time. On the other hand, role of a manager in firm always
influence other people so that they can learn so many things and able to work accordingly. Thus,

manage allotted several task to its employees in order to check their working performance with
the aim of attaining future goals perfectly.
Characteristics of a manager: In context of John Lewis Partnership, for betterment of
future, manager of this company should have good characteristics by which they can have direct
impact on people towards their work in a positive manner. There are few characteristics as
manager should have that are:
Delegation: It is essential for manager that they should always delegate among their roles
and responsibilities so that they can finish their work on time and achieve targeted goals in a
particular manner (Fügener, Schiffels and Kolisch, 2017).
Strong Communication: This is another characteristics which should be followed by
manager to run their business successfully in a particular way.
Leader:
It is an individual that have power to influence several people within the organisation and
achieve same goals or objectives properly. On the other side, as it is a person into firm who
commonly motivates another employees towards work so that they can fulfil firm's needs and
wants by achieving fixed goals. In regards with John Lewis Partnership, leaders plays essential
role for achieving targeted and predetermined goals. Some of the characteristics and roles of
leader have been mentioned below:
Role of a leader: It is an individual who has capability to perform every task that plays
effective role into the organisation for achieving successful goals on time. There are few roles
which should be followed by a leader within respected organisation, that are:
Encouragement: Within the organisation employees always wants high motivation for
performing every task and achieve better outcomes. Herein, leader plays good role by motivating
their employees so that they can work better and accomplish desired goals in a short period of
time. On the other side, a great workforce always motivated by a leader in a perfect way
(Gellings and Parmenter, 2016).
Setting vision and mission: In this aspect leader has responsibility of respective
organisation to understand their employee's need and wants for giving better performance as per
targeted mission and vision so that they can get best outcomes effectively.

Characteristics of a leader: A leader generally manage and control so many employees
together within the firm in order to gain huge benefits for better results in future. In regards with
John Lewis Partnership, a great leader mainly needed to have few characteristics like:
Able to face challenges: A good leader has ability to face different types of challenges
and difficulties while performing any task into firm. Therefore, this characteristics makes leader
productive and this type of trait also influence employees in a positive manner.
Leadership skills and positive attitude: It is the another characteristic of a leader as
leaders mainly needs to to learn several concept every time in order to influence their employees
among better work. It increase overall productivity of respective firm and encourage employees
to make proper vision to gain better results in a stipulated manner (Giannakis and Papadopoulos,
2016).
Difference between Leaders and Manager
Basis Leaders Managers
Meaning A leader considered as one of
the charge as well as person
who generally convinces other
people to follow (Guha and
Kumar, 2018).
A manager is a person who
always responsible for
motivating and supervising
lots of employees for attain
better output within an
organisation.
Subordinates Employees always considered
as subordinates for a leader .
Herein, manager has specific
team of employees for proper
task.
Vision A leader mainly develop few
steps for growing their
organisation appropriately.
Whereas, manager has
effective vision to accomplish
each task on time.
Style Leaders always follow
transactional style.
Manager generally use
transformational style.
Trait theory of leadership:

Leadership theory of traits always considered as an early assumption in which leaders
have have ability to correct qualities and traits by which they cam make best leadership skills
within the organisation. In regards with John Lewis Partnership, this theory analyse characteristic
and behaviour of leaders at workplace. According to this theory leaders always work in a flexible
manner in order to develop best outcomes for firm.
Hard management skills: These are those skills which is used by managers in order to
enhance firm's productivity through providing training sessions of their employees so that they
can achieve goals effectively.
Soft leadership skills: These type of skills within the organisation always focuses on
employee's working performance like how they are working and how they are able to achieve
task oriented goals.
Leadership styles:
Autocratic leadership style: According to this leadership style leader talk with their
employees towards resolving several issues that creates difficulties while performing task in
respected firm.
Democratic leadership style: It includes one or more employees in order to create
effective decision making process for better results in future. But at the same side, in this style
leaders generally hold decision devising authority (Laari and et.al., 2016).
Key approaches to operations management and role that played by managers and leaders
Operation management considered as an essential aspect of business firms in which
leaders and manager always able to understand their entire roles and responsibilities by which
they can make effective plans and maximise productivity of an organisation. In regards with
John Lewis Partners, manager of this firm mainly available to understand entire issues that can
be occur any time into the firm. For this manager makes effective plan and problem solving
skills to achieve targeted goals. There are several approaches which all are used by respective
organisation, those are as follows:
Six Sigma: It is considered as influencing approach that consist large number of
methodologies in order to develop quality of goods and services into firm. This approach
generally used to enhance or maintain entire quality of goods that gives huge satisfaction to their
customers. In the case of John Lewis Partners, this principle is used by manager and leaders in
order to understand their employee's issues at each level and than they resolve them by

encouraging them towards work. It helps them to increase entire productivity of firm so that they
can achieve business goals.
Total quality management: This is used to change product's quality in order to enhance
their performance at marketplace. This is very important for each and every business
organisation to make goods as per their consumer's needs and wants. In relation with respective
firm, manager and leader always focus on this management by which they can manage their
goods accordingly and able to overcome different types of errors from manufacturing process.
Further, it will helps to produce effective quality of goods and services that satisfy consumer's
needs and increase productivity of firm.
Lean principle: It identifies different types of techniques which is used by firms in order
to reduce wastage from manufacturing. This approach generally required by those firms who are
dealing with manufacturing operations as it helps to overcome wastage from them. In regards
with John Lewis Partners, leaders use this approach by which they can improve their
productivity towards achievement of business goals and objectives.
Just In Time approach: It refers to the management strategy that adjust overall raw
material orders from suppliers directly with the production schedules in a perfect way. In regards
with respective firm they mainly use this approach to decrease wastages from receiving goods as
they require for production process (Ma, Hu and Spanos, 2016).
Capacity management: It refers to the act that ensures a business able to enhance its all
over potential activities in order to gain productive output in a perfect manner under all different
conditions. In regards with respective firm, manager and leader have opportunities to sell and
produce effective product within a short period of time to end customers.
Value and importance of operations management to achieve business objectives
It is the set of several practices of business that helps business to increase their entire
effectiveness and efficiency into the organisation. In regards with John Lewis Partner, this is
used by managers to operate overall functions of firm in a particular way.
Quality
It is most considerable factor of firms in which they manufactured and develop large
number of goods and services to achieve specific goals of business in a proper manner. In
regards with respected organisation, it has been seen that manager and leader both together
focuses on their goods and services in order to produce high quality of product to end consumers.

Thus, developing valuable and qualitative product for consumers always increase firm's value so
that they can achieve their goals into competitive scenario (Murray and et.al., 2016).
LO2 & LO4
How functions of a manager and role of a leader apply in several situation context
Functions of a manager and role of a leader plays significant role within the organisation
through following several situations. In regards with John Lewis Partner, there are different
situations in which manager and a leader plays crucial role, those are mentioned in beneath:
Conflict resolution: John Lewis Partners is very well known firm that deals with large
number products and services in order to satisfy consumer's needs and want on time. Thus, they
have different types of employees at workplace who works for them and increase firm's
productivity in an appropriate manner (Mustak and et.al., 2016). As they have several employees
so there is huge conflicts between them towards team members due to lack of communication.
Along with conflicts could be raised by several view of point according to people as all
employees have different methods and task that creates negative interaction with leader and a
manager. Both manager and a leader plays significant role for enhancing overall productivity of
firm. But together with, it is very important for them to resolve entire conflicts in firm for
gaining better outcomes with productive results as well. Thus, there are large number of situation
that handle by manager or leader as they perform together their entire activities. So that here,
functions of manager and role of a leader affect these situations and overcome together these
sorts of issues from firm to attain business goals successfully.
Implementation of change: In context of John Lewis Partner, as they deal with large
variety of clothes, homes ware and so many such kind of products to accomplish consumer's
desires. Thus, it is necessary for manager and leader to implements on different types of essential
strategies in order to overcome problems from an organisation (Piran and et.al., 2016). For this,
they generally motivate their employees for sustainable change at workplace. Herein, functions
of manager includes examining accurate value of changing impacts for understanding employees
needs and wants from the. By reviewing all these kind of problems between workers they can
give better satisfaction to them and able to implements on various change which are essential for
firm. On the other side, as leader plays their role in a perfect way so that they can easily lead its
employees and able to understand their desires for execution of different changes process.

Changes are very necessary for firm, that's why manager and leader work together and provide
specific guideline along with training sessions to their employees. Through conducting all these
things at workplace affect behaviour of employee's in a positive way and encourage them
towards better work. Moreover, manager and leader develop a particular bridge in between them
in regards with implementation of changes properly and it also motivates employees along with
boost their energy level to reach high efficiency goals within a short period of time (yan Zhang
and Van Den Bulcke, 2018).
Various theories and models of approach includes system, situational and contingency leadership
Within the competitive scenario there are large numbers of organisations who are rapidly
increasing their business day to day. On the same side they also use different types of models and
theories in order to gain high profit at marketplace (Qi and Shen, 2019). In regards with John
Lewis Partners, leaders has been adopted so many leadership theories and models, those are
going to be explained below:
Situational leadership: This leadership model and theory was given by Paul Hersey and
Kenneth Blanchard who has been said that organisations as well as business firms should use this
theory in order to encourages leaders for taking stock of their group members and focuses on so
many variables in their working place. In regards with John Lewis Partners, leaders generally
chose this leadership style in order to attain their best goals as well as circumstances. Thus, this
model provide effective choices for leaders so that they can develop common leadership style
within the firm and able to apply into their workforce. It changes overall working environment
into positive manner and fulfils employee's needs and wants at workplace. Thus, it is considered
as influencing approach in which leaders always able to handle difficulties between team
members and encourage employees for their better work, so that they can achieve business
targeted goals and objectives (Rajeev and et.al., 2017).
Strength and weakness
Strength Weakness
 This approach develop flexible working
environment within the John Lewis
Partners so that they can easily achieve
successful goals as well as good results.
 Situational leaders needs to
concentrates on their goals in this
theory along with results can be
effective as well as ineffective both.

System leadership: This models refers to the large number set of skills as well as
capacities which could be used by people or firm in order to support entire process of system
level change effectively. Along with it is the combination of collaborative leadership and so
many systems in order to gain appropriate goals and objectives in a perfect manner. In relation
with John Lewis Partners, leaders are able to use this approach as it is necessary for them to
enhance entire productivity of business. For example: if an organisation is facing large number
of issues during the low process of supply chains, it generally overcome sales of goods and
creates huge competition. In order to manage this situation, leaders plays important role through
using this system leadership theory which will helps them to modify their supply chain process
by which they can offer accurate product and information to customers directly. It increase entire
profit of business and make business sustainable at marketplace.
Strength and weakness
Strength Weakness
 This approach is considered as dynamic
in nature which is very helpful for
management in order to make few
changes in organisation to overcome
entire impact that affect them
negatively.
 It is not most considerable practical as
it take lots of time to develop better
decision.
Contingency leadership: According to this leadership approach leader are able to handle
or manage each and every situation sue to implementation of various change. Along with leaders
develop huge effort of them towards enchaining overall working performance of employees in a
perfect way. Additionally, leaders of John Lewis Partners, they use this style to maintain entire
performance of employees in a right mode (Revilla and Saenz, 2017).
Strength and weakness
Strength Weakness
 According to this, leaders of respective
firm is able to make huge changes at
workplace for increase decision making
skills and employee's performance.
 Sometimes, it is considered as
difficult situation that create so many
issues for leaders while
implementation of new change.

Factors within business environment that impact upon operational management and decision
making by managers and leaders
Business environment refers to the combination of external and internal factors that helps
firm to make particular decisions for examining and developing different types of strategies.
Some of the factors that influence decision-making process of managers and leaders, those are
going to discussed below:
Organizational culture: This factor influence business as well as their entire process of
decision making. Thus, each and every organisation have different types of assumptions, values,
beliefs and so on. In regards with John Lewis Partners, they are following effective working
culture by maintaining entire working performance of employees, so that they can perform well.
Further it helps them to achieve targeted goals on time and able to make effective decision
making process (Spandre and et.al., 2016).
Organizational ethics: It is known as set of standards which is necessary to follow every
people to manage overall activities of firm in a better mode. In regards with John Lewis manager
and leader generally use proper working ethics in order to influence other people within an
organisation. Thus, if firm will follow appropriate working ethics at workplaces than it directly
influence people so that they can achieve desired goals.
Recommendations to management for future improvements
As leaders and managers plays effective role by decreasing entire issues from John Lewis
partners. On the basis of this it has been recommended to this firm that they should use large
number of long term strategies along with they should develop computer based tools by which
they can achieve future desired goals in a more better way and able to provide more support to
employees through overcoming issues (Wu and et.al., 2016). By adopting such kind of
techniques they can get better results and manager or leaders are able to improve future output of
selected organisation.

CONCLUSION
According to the above identified report it has been analysed that, management operation
plays significant role within the organisation as it provides large number of product and services
to firm for achieve targeted goals successfully. There are different types of roles and
characteristics that played by manager and leader to encourage employees and increasing firm's
value to gain competitive advantages. Along with manager and a leader is most considerable part
for firm that manage each and every business activity to attain profitable goals and objectives by
resolving each issue of firm. Therefore, management operation is one of the most desirable term
which is used by several firms for running their business successfully and give better satisfaction
to consumers that also increase productivity of firm.

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