Management and Operations: Roles, Characteristics, Theories, and Approaches

This report is based on Marks and Spencer Group plc and discusses the roles and characteristics of a leader and a manager, different theories and models of leadership, and key approaches to operation management. It also examines the impact of business environment on operation management and decisions taken by the leaders and the managers.

Management and
Operations

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
PART 1............................................................................................................................................3
Explain and contrast the roles and characteristics of a leader and a manager........................3
With the help of different situations, apply the role of a leader and the function of the
manager..................................................................................................................................7
Apply different theories and models of Leadership...............................................................8
PART 2............................................................................................................................................9
Elaborate the key approaches to operation management and the role played by leaders and
managers.................................................................................................................................9
Elaborate the importance of the operations management in attaining organisational objectives.
..............................................................................................................................................11
Examine the impact of business environment on operation management and decisions taken
by the leaders and the managers...........................................................................................12
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................13
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................14

INTRODUCTION
Leadership is an ability of a person to guide and influence other people or the
organisations. It is a process which aims at shifting the efforts of the employees towards the
attainment of organisational goals while handling all the problems and competition effectively.
Management is a process of planning, implementing and controlling all the activities of an
organisation to achieve the target of the firm (Marshall, 2019). This report is based on Marks and
Spencer Group plc. It is a London based multinational retailer dealing in home and food products
and clothing mostly with its own label. The report is divided into two parts. Its first part
describes the characteristics and roles of the manager and the leader and their applicability in
different situations along with different theories of leadership. The second part discusses about
the approaches and importance of operation management and the roles of manager and leader in
it. It also mentions the impact of environmental factors on the decision-making process.
PART 1
Explain and contrast the roles and characteristics of a leader and a manager.
Notes- Leader is a person who can see the potential in a thing or operation or a person to
grow or improve and supports people to move towards that growth. It guides and inspires them
to shift their efforts and focus to the organisational goals.

Characteristics of a leader
Aware about themselves and the company- A good leader knows their own and marks ans
Spencer's needs and the manner to achieve them. They makes their teams understand the
importance of their efforts in achieving high level goals (Sungu, Weng and Xu, 2019). It is aware
about its strengths and weakness and use it for the ebnefit iof the company.
Critical and strategic thinkers- An effective leader of Marks and Spencer thinks critically for
its team as well as the organisation by making them clear about their strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities and threats and tries to improve and apply them strategically.
Notes - Roles of a leader
Integrates the organisational goals and the personal goals- It is the duty of the leader of
Marks and Spencer to maintain coordination between the diverse goals of the person and the
firm. They influence them to make efforts towards the targets of the company by their own will
as this can result in attainment of their personal desires like reputation, bonus, promotion etc.
Delegation- Leader of Marks and Spencer performs the duty of delegating the tasks and
responsibilities to its team by letting them know that which person is required to perform what
duty and in what time. They assign the work according to the calibre and skills of the employee
and the type of work.

Notes- Manager is an individual who supervises and manages the whole organisation including
its employees and the tasks. They frame plans for the firm and directs people to implement them.
They control and rectify all the activities which are not according to the mapped idea (Majer,
2017).
Characteristics of Manager
Handles pressure well- It is an important quality which a manager must possess. It is a person
who is accountable to the owners about the targets of the company and work performance of its
employees. A person who is able to keep a check on all the activities while coordinating all these
things well, such an individual can handle pressure smartly.
Strong analytical abilities- The manager of Marks and Spencer can examine and sort the
information and the staff of the organisation with a view to improve the performance of the
organisation and the employees (Brown, Bessant and Jia, 2018).

Notes - Roles of a Manager
Decision making- It is the duty of the manager of Marks and Spencer to take various business
decisions whether it is related to employees, plans, tasks or the holidays. They takes decisions
related to the allocation of resources , negotiation with the staff, suppliers, government etc.
Informational role- Managers of Marks and Spencer are the collectors and distributors of the
information. They receive information like reports, progress in work from the subordinates and
communicate them about the new plans and decisions taken by the higher authorities (Zhang,
Cao and Wang, 2018).
The leader and the Manager of Marks and Spencer have their different roles and
responsibilities which are discussed as follows:
Manager Leader
The manager of Marks and Spencer
formulates the organisational structure and
give orders to the employees.
The leader of Marks and Spencer gives the
direction to the employees aboiut the manner
to fulfil managerial orders.
Managers often seek to avoid any risk and try
to control problems.
Leaders like to take risks with a view to find
out different methods to carry a task.

With the help of different situations, apply the role of a leader and the function of the manager.
The manager and the leader of Marks and Spencer, both perform different roles which
are helpful for an organisation in achieving the organisational objectives. They always act
according to the situations and brings out the best solution to the problem. Here are some
situations to understand the role of a leader and the function of manager in Marks and Spencer.
SITUATION-1: Effective application of the communication process.
Marks and Spencer analysed that the organisation is not following the process of
communication properly and this is proving to be harmful for the company. The required
information is not been conveyed to the right person on time, due to which they are not able to
take the corrective actions on time. Also this is proving to be a hindrance in grabbing the
opportunity in the market before competitors. For rectifying this, the firm requires the support of
its manager and the leaders.
Role of a leader-
The leader of Marks and Spencer conveys the policies and plans to the employees. It
makes them clear about the related tasks like manner to perform the activity and the time in
which these tasks required to be completed. They collect the information from the staff at regular
intervals and keep the management updated with it, so that a corrective action can be taken on
time (Cartwright, 2017).
Function of a manager-
It is the duty of the manager of Marks and Spencer to maintain such an environment in
the corporation that the employees of the firm feel free to share all types of information to their
leaders and the managers. They Sshould also be in touch with its staff so that any critical
information can be delivered to them directly and clearly.
SITUATION-2: IMPOROVE THE QUALITY OF THE FOOD ITEMS
Marks and Spencer saw that the quality of the food items produced in its factories is
decreasing gradually which is impacting its sales and profits. So, to maintain its standard, the
company has asked its managers and leaders to ensure the production of quality products.
Role of a leader-
The leader of Marks and Spencer should ensure that the workers of the production unit
are equipped with the required resources. It should analyse the need of training of the employees

and give proper direction to them about the process of production, the desired quality and the
manner to handle the material (Sarabi and et. al., 2020).
Function of a manager-
It is the duty of the manager of Marks and Spencer to frame standards of the required
quality and inform it to the production unit. It analysis the demand of the customers on the basis
of quality and make certain that they are fulfilled. It makes a quality control policy and ensures
that products with low quality are not delivered to the customers.
Apply different theories and models of Leadership
Leadership theories are the explanation of the qualities in a person through which it can
become a leader. It studies the behaviour that can be practised by a person to boost the leadership
abilities. If these theories are adopted and chosen wisely, then they can assist a leader in
enhancing the morale of the employees and helps in directing their efforts to the organisational
goals. Some of the leadership theories are as follows:
 Situational Theory- This theory does not recommend a particular style but asks the
leader to analyse the two important elements- one is its own leadership style and other is
the maturity level of its followers. The leader of the Marks and Spencer needs to analyse
the situation and apply the required leadership style wisely. Along with examining the
condition, they also has to keep in mind that its followers are matured and skilled enough
to understand its style. It makes the environment very flexible (Harms, and et. al., 2018).
There are four elements of Situational Theory:
◦ Telling Leaders-These leaders of Marks and Spencer focuses on framing roles and
objectives. They communicate their orders to their subordinates and ask them to
follow their decisions.
◦ Selling- These leaders of this company make objectives but also invites others for
their suggestions. With a motive to gain cooperation of the team they sell their own
ideas to them.
◦ Participating-These leaders of Marks and Spencer rely on their employees for taking
the decisions. They participate in the process of decision making but the end result is
in the hands of the staff members.
◦ Delegating- The leaders of this group left the tasks on their teams and help their
members only at the time of need. They give minimum guidance to the subordinates.

 Contingent Theory- This theory is similar to the situational theory. It focuses on
analysing the environmental variables that determine the best style of leadership that can
be implemented to a situation. As per this theory, a particular type of style cannot be
applied to all situations and the leader of Marks and Spencer is required to maintain a
balance between the need and the behaviour by choosing the best style in a different
situations. It sets the environment comfortable to perform. There are 3 elements of
Contingent Theory:
◦ Situation- At very first, the leader of Marks and Spencer analyse the situation on
various grounds like its seriousness, urgency, type, depth, people involved and its
impact.
◦ Leadership Style- After this, a leader analysis various types of leadership styles on
the basis of the situation and chooses the best out of them.
◦ Establishing a relation between the situation and the leadership style- At last, the
Leader if Marks and Spencer creates a relation between the chosen style and the
situation by framing a framework of the method to apply that style.
 System Theory- It focuses on the skills and capabilities that can help a leader in
changing the system of the organisation and creates such an environment in which all the
employees can work with full potential at all levels. This type of leadership can be
applied by the Marks and Spencer to develop organisational capabilities. It describes the
manner, how a leader can tackle a problem which an organisation or a person is unable to
solve. They link the resources with the demand and make a way with different ideas and
expertise.
PART 2
Elaborate the key approaches to operation management and the role played by leaders and
managers.
Operations management is a practice of building maximum efficiency in the production
process of an organisation. It ensures that there is a higher level of profits by reducing the cost of
production (Becker and et. al., 2017). It handles various issues like analysing the size of plant,
methods to be used in production, inventory levels etc.
Some of the approaches to operation management are mentioned below:

 Total Quality Management(TQM)- It is an approach which focuses on the long term
success of the product or service by satisfying the customers. This is a continuous process
which aims at detecting and eliminating all the errors in the various activities of business
like improving customer experience, supply chain management, training to employees,
manufacturing which either wastes the time or resources and increases the cost of
production (Zheng and et. al., 2021.). This framework focuses on creating such an
environment where the employees tend to improve the process of construction and the
experience of the customers continuously. The manager of the Marks and Spencer frames
a plan to control the quality of the product by researching all the aspects of process of
production. The leader takes the charge of implementing the plan successfully by
communicating the staff about the necessity to implement quality plan and directing their
actions towards the plot.
 Lean Production- This approach works on the idea of reducing or eliminating all those
activities, whether related to materials, labour or time, which are not adding value to the
product in order to improve the efficiency of the process and increase profitability. This
technique also aims at reducing the time gap between the manufacturing process along
with decreasing the time taken by the customers and suppliers to response for the query
or the deal. It is a constant effort made by the management from the designing till the
distribution of the final product (Li, McCauley and Shaffer, 2017). The manager of the
Marks and Spencer frames the whole process of production and keep analysing the waste
activities during the procedure with a view to eliminate these actions. The leader of the
company ensures that the process is being implemented properly and motivate the
workers to eliminate all the unwanted tasks which are under their control.
 Kaizen Theory- This theory states that improvement is brought up by the employees at
regular intervals and at all levels of the company. It is a methodological approach which
focuses on continuous improvements rather than bringing the change in a single day. The
phenomenon motivates the management to involve staff in the decision making process
by taking feedback from them about the problems and opportunities in the process and
asking them to generate innovative ideas for the havocs. It makes a team environment
and improves the production procedure regularly which makes the working environment
more efficient and effective. The manager of Marks and Spencer observes the whole

process at regular intervals and asks the employees about their observations. On the basis
of these observations, it plans the corrective measures and the leader of the company
makes sure that the plan is being implemented properly and motivates the employees to
feel free to give their suggestions (Brawley, 2019).
Elaborate the importance of the operations management in attaining organisational objectives.
Operations management is a practice of planning, controlling and supervising the process
of production to bring efficiency in an organisation. It holds the responsibility of managing the
whole procedure of manufacturing while ensuring that all the resources are being used
judiciously and they are able meet the demand of the customers. This department of Marks and
Spencer manages the process and the workers in a such a way that each and every step of
production is efficient enough to add value to the product and satisfy the customers along with
yielding maximum profits. Importance of operations management is discussed below:
 Increase in Revenue- An efficient operations management team of Marks and Spencer
focuses on enhancing customer satisfaction by eliminating all defects from the product
while manufacturing it. It increases the reputation of the firm and buyers will be ready to
pay higher price for the quality goods. This will also attract new customers towards the
product which ultimately increases the revenue for the business.
 Competitive Advantage- Operation management performs the duty of managing the
internal and external environment within the company. This unit of Marks and Spencer
keeps itself updated with the new technology for production and the change in the
demand and choices of the customers. This helps the organisation in providing quality
and preferable goods to the consumers which gives them a competitive advantage and an
outstanding position in the market (Feron, Monti and Müller, 2018).
 Reduction in the cost of operation- Marks and Spencer's operational team can reduce
the cost involved in the process of manufacturing by eliminating all the wasteful tasks
which just adds the cost and not the value to the product. This will also bring efficiency
in the procedure which will reduce the cost related to the time wastage in the process. It
will helps in eliminating the manufacturing of the defective or surplus products. Lower
cost will mean a lessor need of investment and increase in profitability.
Operations management is very important for the organisation to stand out the
competition. This department of the firm ensures that the customers are being delivered a quality

product which makes it certain that the customers do not shift to any other brand. It is also
beneficial for the company as this department makes sure that the organisation is following all
the rules and regulations so that it can avoid any penalty or punishment and works in a lawful
manner (Aranchiy and et. al., 2020). This will help the business in attaining the objective of
higher profits and increase in sales.
Examine the impact of business environment on operation management and decisions taken by
the leaders and the managers.
Business environment refers to the group of all internal and the external factors that
directly or indirectly impacts the working of an organisation. It comprises of the customers ,
employees, organisational culture, suppliers, economy and many more. The members of Marks
and Spencer has to keep an eye on the changes occurring in these factors so that they can take an
advantage of any alteration happening in these factors. Few of the internal and external factors
are discussed below:
Internal Factors
The internal environment of an organisation are those which are present inside the
organisation and effect the management system of the business. These are in the control of the
authorities and they can easily manage their strengths and weaknesses. For example, culture of
the firm, owners, board of directors, company's mission and vision, unions etc.
 Capital- It is a factor which can give company the power to expand and can restrain it
from moving forward. The managers and the leaders of Marks and Spencer had to take
any decision by keeping in mind the availability of the capital resource with the company
as they cannot bring out any idea which is not in the budget of the firm.
 Mission of the company- Mission statement of the firm is the base around which the
whole organisation works. The management of the Marks and Spencer had to work in
accordance with the objective of the work and cannot take any decision which do not
help in attaining its mission (van Stiphout and et. al., 2017). The leader of the company
clears the target of the company to the employees asks them to work according to these
objectives.
External Factors
External factors are not in the control of the organisation as they are outside the
jurisdiction of the firm. It is very much essential to be vigilant while dealing with this type of

atmosphere so that one can take advantage of the prevailing opportunities and combat the threats
on time.
 Economical Factors- These factors are the variants of the economy that directly affects
the working of a business. The operational team and the management of Marks and
Spencer has to look upon the changing policies before taking any decision so that it do
not perform any violation in the firm (Schaltegger and Burritt, 2018). The leader also
motivates its subordinates to work according to the rules and regulations.
 Social Factor- These are the trends, choices of the customers, population etc. which
affects the sale of Marks and Spencer directly. Its management team has to assess this
factor before taking any production decision as producing any style which is outdated or
not liked by the customers can result in big loss in the form of decrease in sales. The
leader directs its team to modify the designs as per the orders of the managers.
CONCLUSION
It can be concluded from the above report that the leader as well as the manager of the
firm, both are equally important. On the one hand, a manager is responsible for making different
plans and policies, on the other, a leader make sure that they are implemented in the organisation
in an effective manner. Both of them perform different but aligned duties in different situations.
There are various theories like contingent which gives direction to the leaders that how they can
lead their followers so that the employees and the activities can be managed effectively. The
management team including the leaders also has to follow some approaches of operation
management so that it can bring efficiency in the production process and satisfy its customers.
Along with this they also had to take such decisions so that the internal and external environment
cannot affect the organisation adversely.

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