Roles and Characteristics of Leaders and Managers in Operations Management

MANAGEMENT AND
OPERATIONS

TABLE OF CONTENT
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
LO 1.................................................................................................................................................1
P1 Roles and characteristics of leaders and managers.................................................................1
LO 2.................................................................................................................................................3
P2 Role of leader and function of manager apply in different situational contexts.....................3
P3 Theories and models of approach...........................................................................................4
LO 3.................................................................................................................................................6
P4 Key approaches to operations management and role of leaders and managers......................6
P5 Importance and value of operations management..................................................................7
LO 4.................................................................................................................................................8
P6 Factors within business environment that impact upon operational management.................8
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................10

INTRODUCTION
Operations is the internal working of the organization so that there is an efficient working
and the business will be able to achieve their mission. Management is the administration in an
organization so that businesses in market can function in one direction so that the functioning
can get under control and achieving the objectives is easier. To get a competitive advantage the
organizations have to control the operations which is under the control of management. Leaders
and management play a very important role and different responsibilities in organizations.
Unilever is a public limited company which is having its headquarters in London. The
products which this company is dealing are beauty & personal care, cleaning and food and
refreshments. As of 2019 there are 155,000 employees working in the company and net income
of the company is €9.808 billion.
The report would consist of characteristics and roles of leaders and managers with the
help of theories like situational leadership, system leadership and contingency theories. Strengths
and weaknesses of leaders and manager will be discussed to understand the roles of them in
different situations.
LO 1
P1 Roles and characteristics of leaders and managers
In order to make the functioning of the organization be maintained the manager deals
with decision-making and functioning. Controlling and monitoring the entire organization is in
the hands of the managers but the command on employees is with the leaders. Leaders make sure
that all the employees are following the instructions and check that they are completing their
tasks which has been allotted to them from time to time.
Categories Leaders Managers
Characteristics Characteristics which are required in
a leader are confidence, creativity,
positive attitude, communication,
ability to delegate work, commitment
and honesty. In order to lead and have
a command on employees it is very
The Characteristics of manager are to
have communication, time
management, delegation, experience,
knowledge, reliability, leadership and
organizing. These factors will help the
managers to make the organization
1

important for leaders to have these
characteristics. Positive attitude and
motivated leaders in Unilever help the
organization to achieve their goals
and objectives (Garza-Reyes and
et.al., 2017).
reach their goals and objectives for a
long run in market. Managers of
Unilever have these skills therefore
they are having a good competitive
advantage in market for themselves.
Roles and
responsibilities
Solving the conflicts which are
coming up in Unilever and motivating
the employees if the functioning of
the leaders so that there is a better
functioning and efficiency in
organization. The internal
environment of the company is
maintained by leaders so that there is
a growth in productivity.
Unilever managers play a very
important factor in the organization
and one of the function of managers in
the company is to make right decisions
for Unilever so that the functioning of
the company can be maintained.
Difference between leaders and managers
Differences Leaders Managers
Roles To have a systematic working
process the leaders must have a
strong grip on the employees so that
the work can be completed on time
(Carter and Price, 2017). Leaders
have to make sure that they are
matching the expectations of the
management which is to make the
work get completed on time. Having
experience can make the leaders
match that expectations which is
present in the leaders of Unilever.
Managers set the objectives and
decision-making is also done by them
for the organization. In order to
achieve the goals the managers have
to make sure that everyone is doing
the work. Unilever has responsible
managers which is why the company
is having a competitive advantage in
market.
Control risks A failed step is a path to successful Managers do not want to take risks
2