Difference between Manager and Leader Roles in Operations Management

This article discusses the roles and features of managers and leaders in operations management. It explores the key approaches to operations management and the impact of leaders and managers. It also highlights the importance of operations management in achieving business objectives.

MANAGEMENT AND
OPERATION

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
LO1..................................................................................................................................................3
P1. Defining and contrast between the roles and the features of the manager and the leader ...3
LO2..................................................................................................................................................5
P2.Explaining functions and the role of leaders in several situations.........................................5
P3.Applying models and the theories inconsideration with system and situational leadership
that impacts operational management.........................................................................................6
LO3..................................................................................................................................................7
P4 key approaches to operations management and the role that leaders and managers play. . . .7
P5 Importance and value of operations management in achieving business objectives. ...........8
LO 4.................................................................................................................................................9
P6 factors within the business environment that impact upon operational management and
decision-making by leaders and managers..................................................................................9
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................11
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................12

INTRODUCTION
Operations management is an area of management concerned with designing and controlling the
process of production and redesigning business operations in the production of goods or services. Sainsbury’s
is one of the biggest retailer in the UK. After Tesco and Asda in the UK. Sainsbury’s is founded by John James
Sainsbury in the year 1869. This report highlights the difference between role of the manager in organization
and the function of the leader in the organization. After that the report goes on to highlight the role of both the
manager in the different business situation in the organization. After that the report goes on to highlight the
different theory and the model of the leadership which can be applied on the organization. After that the report
highlight the key approaches of operational management and the importance of using operational management
tool in the organization. In the end the report highlights the different factor of the business environment which
used to influence the decision making of the manager and leader in the organization.
LO1.
P1. Defining and contrast between the roles and the features of the manager and the leader
Managers- They are the persons within an entity who has the responsibility of designing and
managing work of the company in direction to set goals and the objective of the firm. In order to
achieve the goals successfully, main task of managers is developing and establishing relevant
strategies and the policies for planning the working of employees and the staff with an aim that
they will be performing their assigned task as per the standards set and the objectives framed.
Managers are been distributed at several levels within an enterprise for the purpose of managing
the tasks effectively and efficiently in each and every department. Managers are mainly
concerned with an appraisal of an employees performance and in performing their task by
executing the process of performance appraisal at regular interval of time.
Leaders- They are meant as persons who are responsible for getting the work done from
the staff in concerned to the goals of an enterprise. They plays a crucial role in motivating
employees through their communication and the leadership skills that are inherent for reaching to
the vision of the corporation. They makes an employee work in such a manner that helps in
accomplishing the objectives. The main aim of the leaders is stated as inspiring and influencing
an employees for achieving their performance that results in increasing productivity and an
efficiency within the company.
Difference b/w leaders and managers

Specifically, it is seen as the roles of the leaders and the managers is counted as
interchangeable, but there exist some of the differences in between the functions that are
performed by managers and leaders for getting an employees work for an entity.
Managers Leaders
They set for an objective of the firm. On the other hand, they are the persons in the
organization who persuades an objective that
had been developed by managers.
Managers reports and communicate for the
policies framed to leaders.
Further leaders induces all the employees for
performing the task as per the set policies by
communicating them about the policies that are
been prepared by managers.
He is the person who facilitates a direction to
groups towards achievement of goals.
Within a team one person is the leader who
provides the direction in a team.
Managers seek for creating new ideas for the
success of an enterprise.
However, leaders play an important role in
executing the ideas into the reality.
The main role of the managers is to make an
effective plan in the company.
On the other note, main role of leaders is
inspiring employees and the staff at the
workplace.
Managers mainly emphasize on doing the
things.
While, Leader focuses majorly on the people
and making them doing the task effectively.
They provide a direction and instruction
regarding the work to employees.
However, leaders encourage and motivate all
the team members and the employees to
perform in an efficient way.
Thus, In Sainsbury’s, a retail sector company that operates its business as the chain of the
supermarket within UK. The management of an enterprise is seen as efficient as it had developed
an effective and competitive strategy which leads the company to increased productivity. In the
work environment, managers of Sainsbury have played a differentiated role in comparison to the
leader’s role in effective manner (Akalin, Huang and Willems, 2016). Managers of Sainsbury’s
establishes appropriate standards for performing the tasks of an employee and leaders in the firm
along with their efficient communication skills in order to get the work done from employees as
per the established standards and set strategies. Such differentiated roles of leaders and the
managers in an entity resulted a growth in business as tasks are been segregated and has been
performed in the better way.

LO2.
P2.Explaining functions and the role of leaders in several situations
There are various functions that are played by managers and the leaders’ role which in
turn makes Sainsbury’s working in the common and desired direction in respect of achieving an
organizational objective (Saucedo-Martínez and et.al., 2018). Presently, Sainsbury’s is facing
inflationary situation where prices of its material and equipment seems to be increasing rapidly.
In such situation, effective execution of the managers functions and leaders skills in planning and
implementation of such strategies that could handle manufacturing cost for the purpose of
increasing sales and the revenue of an enterprise.
There exist various management theories that implies with leadership skills that helps in
growing the business operations of the firm on a faster pace (Radnor and Bateman, 2016). The
operational department of Sainsbury’s concentrates on application of management theories and
in combining efforts of the leaders for lowering the manufacturing cost or ensuring less
spending. For instance- contemporary theory is been applied by Sainsbury’s in order to deal with
current situation relating to increased cost of the production and the purchase.
Managers could plan for adopting strategies like selecting suppliers who could facilitate
or supply the raw material to the company at the reduced cost (Chevalier and et.al., 2015).
Leaders in Sainsbury’s make use of their own traits for motivating employees in adapting
advance technologies in reducing manufacturing cost and also in eliminating resistance to the
change among employees by creating trustworthy environment along with effective level of
communication skills within the work environment.
MBO theory is also employed that focuses on overall efforts of managers and an
employee for accomplishing the goals. Managers works along with employees and set standards
of performance and leaders in delegating duties to employees so that they remains motivated and
performs the task to their best potential.
Theory of classical management is used by Sainsbury’s within which managers’ frames
policies for enhancing production level (Venkat and et.al., 2015). Managers developed TQM and
Benchmarking techniques in which efforts of the staff are constantly monitored in order to
improve the production activities and the participative leadership style could be applied so that
input of managers as well as the worker in making decisions in relation to reducing cost and
improving production process.

Behavioral theory is been applied by Sainsbury’s and managers follows policies that
takes into account skills and an abilities of employees. Leaders adopts transformational
leadership style where leaders communicate with an employees and policies are been defined to
an employee effectively.
Contingency theory emphasize on changes within strategies in accordance to situations
and on the other side leaders plays a crucial role within which they influences an employees for
bringing operational changes for the purpose of meeting challenges that prevails within market
(Hitt, Xu and Carnes, 2016). Managers of Sainsbury’s counted reasons of an increased
manufacturing cost and had applied a theory in executing some of the changes in operational
activity for reducing price of the equipment and materials that is received from suppliers and
modifying policies in the operation and the production department accordingly.
P3.Applying models and the theories inconsideration with system and situational leadership
that impacts operational management
Situational leadership means a kind of leadership in which leadership style mainly
depends upon abilities and the skills of an employees for whom leaders needs to influence task
completion (Saucedo-Martínez and et.al., 2018). Operation management of Sainsbury’s impacts
such leadership because different styles is been applied in different situations. In the present
scenario where an organization faces issue regarding high cost, situational theory plays a critical
role.
However, system leadership reflects control of the leaders on the working of an employee
and in communicating situations of an enterprise to the employees so that they work as per
requirements of the firm (Akalin, Huang and Willems, 2016). For example- Sainsbury’s making
changes in company’s operations and in implementing such strategies for the fulfillment of
Benchmarking and TQM so that improvement in the manufacturing of the product can be
achieved by the employees at lower cost.
The objective of the management plays an essential role in sorting an operational issue by
way of sharing process of decision making along with employees and experts that are combine of
managers & employees in order to accomplish task. MBO approach brings motivation among
employees with a feeling that they are been valued within the company and this could bring more
and more efficiency in respect to their working (Chevalier and et.al., 2015). Chaos theory

emphasize on changes that are prevailing in market and towards it leaders and the managers
respond and in accordance to it makes an entity work in a particular or common direction.
Thus, for obtaining better results, company needs to apply management theories within
their business operations. It includes an application of the contemporary theory that mainly
focuses on responding to the prevailing changes within the work environment and in which
leaders could make an effort in respect of eliminating situation in relation to change resistance.
Other theories has also applied by Sainsbury’s that includes behavioral, classical and the
leadership style that in helps the company in achieving growing success in the future periods.
LO3
P4 key approaches to operations management and the role that leaders and managers play.
Operational management are the different type of administrative practices which used to
take place in the organization with the sole motive of creating the highest level of the efficiency
in the organization. As this are the tool which used to look at converting the different raw
material and the labour into the form of the goods and services as efficiently as possible so that
the maximum profit can be taken out of an organization (Annarelli and Nonino, 2016). There are
many types of the operational management approaches which are adopted by the organization to
improve the efficiency of the work in the organization. Leader and manager in Sainsbury used to
play a very crucial role at the time of adopting the different operational management tool. Some
common operational management tool are as follows:
Total Quality Management (TQM):
TQM is the operational management tool which used to look at detecting and reducing
the eliminating error which used to present in the manufacturing, streamlining supply chain
management of the organization. This technique used to make all the different sort of the parties
accountable for the overall quality of the final product. Leader in the organization used to take
the feedback of the employee on the continues basis in the organization on the basis of the same
makes find out the difficulty which is faced by the employee in carrying out the operation of the
business and take the corrective action to improve the same. Manager in the organization used to
supervise the function of the organization and also used to see the feedback of the customer for
the organization, on the basis of the same the manager in the organization used to make the
different decision to improve the efficiency of work in the organization.
Just In Time (JIT):

Just in Time is the operational management strategy that used to align and prepare a
proper schedule of all the raw material order from the supplier directly and used to schedule the
different production function in the organization. This generally help the(Annarelli and Nonino,
2016) company in reducing the cost of the good produce and reducing the gap time of the
production in the organization. In this method the leader in the organization used to continuously
guide and train the employee in the organization to forecast the demand in accurately in the
organization. Also, the manager used to fix the good amount of the coordination and
communication with production department in the organization and used to take the supervisory
idea about the amount of the good which is left in the warehouse of the company and also the
amount of good which is under processing in the organization. On the basis of the same different
decision about the order of the different resources and raw material are being taken by the
manager in the organization.
Lean Six Sigma
This is the approach of the operational management which look at improving the
efficiency of the business in the organization by reducing the amount of the wastage in the
production process of the organization. Generally in this approach the organization used to plan
the production activity of the organization with the help of the proper availability of the
resources and the raw material in the organization (Dufosse, Patry and Reiner, 2017). Leader in
the organization used to delegate the different responsibility and the resources to the employee in
the organization to carry out the operation of organization. Manager in the organization used to
plan the different scheduling of the production in the organization.
P5 Importance and value of operations management in achieving business objectives.
Operational management used to play a very crucial role in improving the efficiency of
the business in the organization as it used to fasten up the amount of the work in the organization
and also used to improve the quality of the product produce in the organization. Operational
management tool used to increase the efficiency of both internal and the external operation of the
business which eventually help the company in achieving the organizational goal very efficiently
in the market. Some benefit which is brought by the operational management tool to the
organization are as follows:
Control and Distribution Systems, Transformation of raw material into finished
goods/services and Process design: It is one of the biggest benefit which is brought by the

operational management tool to the organization (Osei-Kyei and Chan, 2017). As operational
management used to improve the distribution system in the organization which means that the
organization is able to produce the large amount of the product in the organization at the same
time which eventually help the company in achieving the organizational goal on time in the
organization.
Waste management and increasing revenue: Waste management is the another
importance which is brought by the operational management technique to the organization. As
this will help the company in developing the larger number of the product in the organization in
the same amount of the cost which is incurred by the company in the past as well. This
eventually help in improving the profit margin of the organization. As profit margin is positively
linked with the revenue of the company it eventually helps the company in achieving the
organizational objective very positively in the organization (Prajogo, 2016). Almost all the
private organization used to work with the common objective of improving the profitability of
the organization, operational technique help the company in achieving the same efficiently in the
organization with the help of reducing the wastage in the organization and lowering down the
cost of the good produce in the organization.
There are many values which are also brought by the operational management to the
operation of the organization. One of the biggest value which is brought by the operational
management technique is that it used to increase the living standard of the consumer in the
nation. As operational management technique help the organization in providing the good quality
of the good in the nation at the lower rate it eventually helps the nation in improving the quality
of the leaving of the consumer as they used to consume the good quality of the good which is
good for the nation as well as the consumer in the nation.
LO 4
P6 factors within the business environment that impact upon operational management and
decision-making by leaders and managers
Business environement is the mixture of the internal and external factor which used to
influence a business at the time of achieving the organizational goal. Internal factor are the factor
which used to be drive from the internal operation of the business (Jaakkola and et.al., 2016).
Whereas external factor are the factor of the organization which used to affect the organization
from the outside operation of the business. This factor also used to have great impact on the

decision making of the manager and the leader. Some of the factor which used to have the impact
on the decision making of the leader and manager are as follows:
Culture: It is one of the biggest internal factor of the business environment which used to
impact the decision making of both manager and leader. As all the organization used to have a
variety of the employees with the different culture and background in the organization. If culture
of organization is in not that positive than manager and leader in the organization used to adopt
more supportive leadership or management strategies in the organization to carry out different
operation in the organization. As manager and leaders in the organization always look to
maintain a good culture in the organization as it used to help the organization in building good
image in the eye of the employee as well in the market (Brunet-Thornton and Martinez, 2018).
Team work: it is the another internal factor of the business environment which used to
have a great power of influencing the decision making in the organization. Team work is the
work in the organization which is done by the group of the people with the common interest. As
manger in the organization always look to build the environment in the organization where there
are number of the team used to work together to achieve the organization (Reid and Sanders,
2019). Manger generally used to take the decision in the organization which involve group task
so that all the employee used to jell up with other in the organization. At the same time the team
work also used to influence the decision making of leader in the organization as leader is the one
who used to be close to the employee in the organization and good team work help the leader in
taking more freely action as all the employee are ready to understand the different decision in the
organization. Whereas at the same time when their is no proper team work in the organization
leader are forced to cut down the different decision in the organization.
Technology: It is the external business environment factor which used to affect the
decision making of the leader and the manager. In the rapidly changing business environment
there is a good need of the new technology to develop the unique product in the organization.
Manager at the time of the technology adoption used to take more supportive decision in the
organization, as employee are more uncertain at that point of time. Leader in the organization are
also forced to take more team building and skill building skill in the organization so that the
employee can build the good skill to carry out the operation of the business very efficiently
(Gundelach and Hansen, 2018).

CONCLUSION
After going through the above report it has been summarized that leader and manager are two
different authority of the organization and used to perform the variety of the different role and
responsibility in the organization. After that the report has summarized that both manager and
the leader in the organization used to play a very crucial role in different business situation. After
that the report has highlighted different approaches of the operational management in the
organization (Total Quality management, six sigma) and the way through which organization can
adopt the operational management tool in the organization. After that the report has summarized
that there are many different advantage which has been brought by the operational management
which help the business in achieving the organization goal very efficiently in the market as
operational management used to increase the efficiency in the organization by providing the high
quality of the product in the organization in the same period of time and cost of production. In
the end the report has summarized that there are many factor like technology, team work and
culture which used to have a very great influence on the decision making of the leader and
manager in the organization

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