Role of Leaders and Managers in Operations Management at Marks and Spencer

MANAGEMENT AND
OPERATIONS

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
P1 Comparison of different role and characteristics of a leader and a manager.........................1
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................3
P2 Role of leaders and function of manager applied in different situational context.................3
P3 Different theories and models of approaches, including situational, system leadership and
contingency.................................................................................................................................4
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................6
P4 Key approaches to operation management and role of leaders and managers in Marks and
Spencer........................................................................................................................................6
P5 Importance and value of operations management for achieving business objectives............7
TASK 4............................................................................................................................................8
P6 Factors within business environment that have an impact on operational management and
decision making..........................................................................................................................8
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................10

INTRODUCTION
Management and Operations is considered as an administration that perform their work in
order to provide and create highest level of efficiency within a company. Thus, it is a process of
converting raw material into final goods so that commodity can gain maximum profits for an
organisation. M&S Ltd is a multinational retailer in Britain and specialises in selling clothes,
home appliances etc., Report will mainly focus on different role and functions of leaders and
managers respectively (Ageron, Gunasekaran and Spalanzani, 2012). Along with this,
application of role of leaders and function of managers in different situational context will be
explained in this report. Lastly, demonstration is done for understanding the relationship between
leaders and management in context with business environment is included.
TASK 1
P1 Comparison of different role and characteristics of a leader and a manager
Marks and Spencer is a retail company that deals in clothing, household etc. Company
was established in the year 1884 and currently around 84,939 number of employees are working
in order to provide maximum benefits to company. M&S is using Flat Organisational Structure
of management which is further explained below:
Flat Organisational Structure of Management: There are different kinds of
management structures but it depends upon the nature of business operations of companies.
Marks and Spencer has focused on flat organisational structure of management under which firm
doesn't follow any levels of management between superiors and staff members. Firm is using flat
structure because the process of decision making doesn't go through executives instead it occurs
at staff level. Although flat structure decreases bureaucracy and provide chance to authority in
making decision by themselves but these people have to report to departmental heads. The
biggest advantage of opting flat structure of management is that it lowers down the operational
cost and along with this, it improves communication between employees which is enabling them
in maintaining mutual understanding (Benjaafar and Daskin, 2013).
Managers: They are considered as an individual who are in charge for a group or subset
of an organisation. Managers' prime role is to is to make objectives and ensures whether aims are
achieved or not.
1