Roles and Characteristics of Leader and Manager in Management and Operations

This document discusses the roles and characteristics of leaders and managers in management and operations. It explores the different theories and models of leadership and their application in the context of Marks and Spencer. The document also highlights the key approaches to operations management and the importance of operations management in attaining business objectives. It provides insights into the impact of leadership in various situations and the relationship between management and leadership in the changing business environment.

Management &
Operations
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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................3
Define and compare the different roles & characteristics of leader and a manager...............3
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................5
P2 Role of leader and function of manager in various situations...........................................5
P3 Different Theories & Models of Leadership.....................................................................5
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................7
P4 Key approaches to operations management and role of leader and manager...................7
P5 Importance and value of operations management in attaining business objectives..........9
TASK 4............................................................................................................................................9
P6 Assess factors in business environment impact on operational management and decision
making....................................................................................................................................9
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................12
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Introduction
Management is set of activities and functions that are assisting an organisation in achievement of
their mission and vision. It includes various function like planning, organizing, controlling so
that overall functioning can take place in a more effective way. Operations are assisting in the
process of improving efficiency and profitability. Presently the report is based on Marks and
Spencer that is a multinational retail brand dealing in high quality of clothes, food products and
home products (Lee and Tang, 2018). There is analysis of the overall role played by leaders and
managers and further its impact on leadership and management according to various theories &
concepts. Further role of leaders & managers is applies in operational context of organisation.
There is evaluation of relationship between management and leadership in the changing
contemporary business environment.
PART 1
TASK 1
Define and compare the different roles & characteristics of leader and a manager
Overview of organisation: Marks and Spencer is a European multinational retail brands that is
having presence across Europe, North America and other developed countries. It is a brand that
is dealing in home products, clothing and food products. It is listed on London stock exchange
and its headquarters are present in London, England UK. They are having presence across 1463
locations as per data of 2019.
Role of leaders:
Developing vision: leaders are setting the overall mission and vision statement of a
organsuiation.
Making decisions: leaders are making various decisions with respect to different activities in the
course of organisational function.
Role of managers:
Allocation of resources: Managers have to perform the role of allocating of resources according
to requirement of different functional departments. This function is related to the improving
overall standards of performance with dealing all the situational changes (Olsen and Tomlin,
2020).
Difference among leaders and managers:
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There are various factors on the basis of which difference among leader as well as
manager is elaborated below:
Dimensions Leader Manager
Goal Focused Leaders are generally creating
the mission and vision of the
organisation. In marks and
Spencer the vision stamen that
is to develop aspiration quality
of products and services is
developed by leaders (Fisher,
Olivares and Staats, 2020).
Managers have to perform their
assigned duties and task
according to requirement of
their superiors. In marks and
Spencer managers are working
towards attainment of the laid
objectives by influencing the
overall workforce so that they
can work according to desired
specifications.
Delegation of roles and
responsibilities
Leaders are generally not
delegating the authority they
are instructing the employees
what has to be done.
Managers have to properly
delegate the responsibility with
it they have to ensure that the
work is being done according
to specifications designed by
the leaders in context of
organisation.
Transformational style: It is a leadership style that is used by leaders in M&S to share the values
and beliefs on which the functioning of whole organisation is based. It provides leaders an
opportunity to further motivate their workforce.
Transactional style: In this style clear instructions are provide to employees that can help them
in having a consistent approach towards achievement of laid objectives (Bromiley and Rau,
2016).
Action centred leadership: It is a style where there is right amount of support and guidance is
provide to employees with regards to application of appropriate leadership theories. In Marks
and Spencer there is managing of groups to enhance their focus on assigned roles.
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Hard and soft leadership skills:
Hard leadership skills are regarded as abilities that are assisting leaders in handling of specific
job responsibilities and duties. It is acquired through vocational training, courses or on the job. It
includes technical skills, marketing skills, language skills, certifications and design skills. That is
learnt by leaders and managers to perform their respective job roles (van Aken, Chandrasekaran
and Halman, 2016).
On other hand soft skills are the combination of communication, people skills, personality traits,
career attributes, mindsets that is leading towards performing practically the functions by
managers and leaders in organisations.
TASK 2
P2 Role of leader and function of manager in various situations.
In different business situations there are some specific roles that are played by leaders and
managers. This situational context in case of marks and Spencer is explained as below:
New product launch: In these managers of marks and Spencer are working towards new product
launches in order to capture a larger share of market.
Role of leader: In this the leader is playing the role of showcasing the new product. Leader is
playing role to share their vision related to such new launches.
Function of manager: In case of new product launching campaigns managers are working
towards formation of strategies that can assist them in working towards developing of marketing
and promotional campaigns (Torlak, Demir and Budur, 2019).
Crisis Management: crisis management is a process by which a organisation is dealing with
some of the unexpected and disruptive vents. In case of present scenario of Marks and Spencer
the situation of COVID is one such aspect that has affected the present sales and operational
functioning of the organisation.
Role of leader: the leaders are working towards changing the overall strategy of marks and
Spencer when there has been plans to cut 950 jobs reeling from this pandemic. The leader has
also stated that the cut is representing 1.2 percent of their workforce.
Function of manager: The manager in this situation of crisis has to work towards
implementation of strategy in such a way that there can be
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P3: Different Theories & Models of Leadership.
Role played by managers and leaders in Organisation has to be according to the working
style. There are many leaders who used to follow an autocratic style where leaders used to make
all the decisions without focussing on the view points of subordinates. But with time there has
been involvement of staff members in different decisions that has to be taken by the leaders in
context of organisational functioning. In case of marks and Spencer this approach is applied in
context of various situations as mentioned below:
Situational approach – in this approach the leaders and manages of marks and Spencer are
working towards making proper decisions with regards to various situational context.
Strength: the major strength of this theory is that leaders are playing a role where they have to
deal with the high production cost in the present situation of pandemic to maintain the
profitability levels.
Managers have to negotiate with their suppliers of raw materials so that further cost can be
maintained according to specifications.
Weakness: this theory is not applied in case of all situations such as when there is eed to work
on new product development in Marks and Spencer.
System approach: In this theory leaders and managers in Marks and Spencer are working
towards creation of a positive working environment so that employees can feel motivate to work
according to laid objectives.
Strength: In marks and Spencer leaders are working to performing function of creation of vision
and mission. That is focus towards building up of aspiration quality that is accessible to their
customers in terms of quality, service, value, trust and innovation. All this aspects of system
theory led towards leaders to create of high value in organisation functioning.
Weakness: this theory has a weakness in marks and Spencer that many times managers are not
able to implemented a proper system that is mainly because of lack of coordination and
understanding between various business departments which creates non achievement of overall
objectives.
Contingency approach: It is an approach where management is working towards using of an
appropriate style of management that is depends on a situation. In this there is need to work
towards adopting a particular style that is efficient and reduction of rigidity in overall functioning
of the organisation.
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Strength: In Marks and Spencer leaders are working by focussing on an assumption that there is
no universal approach and they can change their approach according to a particular situation.
Weakness: In marks and Spencer, it is affected by factors such as organisation size, operational
activities, differences in use of resources, adoption of technology. So there are instances where
there is no presence of flexibility that may lead to high amount of environmental contingencies
in the organisational functioning.
Application of Chaos Theory and Management by objectives:
Chaos theory is a basic management theory that is based on developing focus of management on
initiatives and entrepreneurial activities. In marks and Spencer there is need to develop
understand of various business changes that are part of external environment so that policies can
be applied effectively in business.
Management by objectives is applied in marks and spacer where it is used as a model by leaders
to work towards improving the organisation performance by defining of vision and mission to
ensure clarity among the whole workforce. These goals can be achieved if there is proper
agreement between employees and management. MBO is a strategic model that is adopted by
managers to improve the organisation performance by clearly defining of objectives that has to
be agreed by employees and management.
PART 2
TASK 3
P4 Key approaches to operations management and role of leader and manager
Six sigma approach: it is regarded as a methodology where there is needs to focus on team
efforts. In marks and Spencer managers are working towards reduction of defects and wastage in
overall operational process. Leaders are working towards managing of teams and motivating
them to enhance quality of their work.
Lean production: it is a theory that is related with cutting down of all unnecessary procedures.
Lean production is assisting marks and Spencer in managing of cost. Leaders are working
towards increasing focus of workforce and managers to implement the systems that can lead
towards removal of aspects that are leading towards unnecessary increasing of cost.
Total quality management: TQM is a effective method that is assisting managers of a
organisation to improve their overall quality of their product & services. Leaders in this context
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have to make sure that there is proper adherence to quality by sharing the overall vision to their
workforce. That is leading towards managing of the brand image of M&S for their customers.
Managers in this regards have to use this concept as a part of operations management so that
there is achievement of the laid quality standards with reduction of defects possibilities.
Operations management is regarded as a process that includes various activities that have to be
performed b employees in an organisation for the purpose of working towards their laid gaols. In
Marks and Spencer there is need to focus on key approaches of operations management so that
there can be smooth functioning of overall organisation. Some of operational functions are
mentioned below:
Transformation of raw material into finished goods: In this marks and Spencer are working
towards transformation of raw materials into final products (Haksever and Render, 2017).
Process design: In this function there is designing of an effective process that can lead towards
optimum utilisation of available resource with the organisation. Such as leaders in marks and
Spencer are playing role of creating an operating model that can lead to driving of significant
efficiencies by exploiting of new technology. Managers are working towards simplification of
process design to ensure timely completion of different functions of process.
Logistics and inventory management: in this there is need to maintain inventory in such a
manner that there is optimum utilisation of resources and there is minimum amount of inventory
so that there is no piled up stock of inventory.
In this leaders in marks and Spencer are working to ensuring that there is proper determination
of some stocking levels according to past sales. Managers have to work towards implementation
of such levels in various functional departments.
Control and distribution system: In this function efforts are made towards laying down of
proper controlling and distribution system to monitor overall functions that are performed across
different departments. In marks and Spencer Leaders are using techniques such as 360 degree
feedback to take regular feedbacks of employees and evaluate their performance level. Managers
are performing function to analyse the setbacks in set standards of performance and actually
archived levels so that measures can be taken to deal with the deviations.
Capacity management: this function is related with managing the overall capacity of
organisation to produce according to their present level and way further expansion can be done.
In Marks and Spencer, leaders are working towards enhancing the sustainability capacity with
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increasing their supply base. The focus is on making business more profitable and resilient.
Managers are working to ensure that there is delivering of innovation and quality with increasing
the overall capacity of production.
P5 Importance and value of operations management in attaining business objectives
Operations management is determined as various business activities that are adopted for
the purpose of creation of high value in an organisation. Operations management is also used for
attainment of business objectives (Jabbour, Song and Godinho Filho, 2020). It assists an
organisation in creation of most effective way of achieving their laid objectives. In marks and
Spencer there are several operational functions that are part of operations management and some
of which are mentioned below:
Effectively supervise: operations management process in Marks and Spencer is assisting towards
supervising and managing of overall production process and service delivery. It is assisting
managers and leaders in laying down of respective performance standards further there is
measurement of actually achieved performance based on such laid standards.
Higher customer and employee satisfaction: effective process of operations management in
marks and Spencer is leading towards managing of their customers. It ensures that there is right
treatment that is offered to employees and customers with respect to laid objectives.
Reduction of operational cost: there are some of the effective techniques that are part of the
overall process of operational management that is assisting in the way extra cost can be easily
managed in the organisation. It includes techniques of lean management which is a very effective
technique to reduce the overall associated cost in the organisation (Dogru and Keskin, ., 2020.
Enhancing product quality: it is one of the crucial functions that are performed as a part of
operational management function in marks and Spencer. In this there is continuous checking of
reliability and durability of products. It also leads towards providing of a competitive advantage
to marks and Spencer with resects to its other competitor brands.
TASK 4
P6 Assess factors in business environment impact on operational management and decision
making
Some of the aspects that are part of contemporary business environment are discussed
below:
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Corporate social responsibility is a regarded as various self regulatory business practises tat are
aimed at contributing towards dealing with various societal goals of activist, philanthropic,
charitable, engaging and supporting of various ethically oriented practises.
Relationship between leadership and management: in marks and Spencer leaders are working
towards taking of responsibility to various stakeholders such as employees, customers, suppliers,
local communities by doing business in a responsible way. Managers are working towards
making timely donations and implementing the activities that are part of overall vision. They are
focussing towards dealing with issues of climatic change, industrial waste management and
sustainable raw material management.
Culture: Culture in Marks and Spencer that is focussing on a customer driven culture, where
there is development of efforts to work towards improvement of customer service. In this the
leaders are working towards creation of a culture where there is employing of right people and
training them in case of need. Managers in marks and Spencer are enhancing the process of
creating a positive culture at workplace so that employees can be motivated enough to work
towards their job roles and responsibilities in a efficient manner.
Value: marks and Spencer leaders are working towards creation of superior value products. They
are driving towards creation of values that includes quality, innovation, value and trust as core
aspects (Chapman and Ellinger, 2019). Managers are willing to work towards enhancing
commitment to deliver best services to their customers.
Ethics: Ethics are related to working towards dealing with all the ethical issues that may arise in
an organisation with regards to workers rights, human rights. Managers in marks and Spencer is
performing functions of responsible marketing so that there is proper implementation of proper
rules & procedures. Leaders are working to ensure that there are no controversies that are
affecting the established brand image of marks and Spencer in a negative manner.
Sustainability: it is related with adoption of sustainable business practises that is not
harmonizing the external business environment (Gibson and Parkman, 2018). Leaders and
managers are working towards implementation of a five year “eco plan” that is aimed at
reduction of energy use by 25 percent and also offsetting the Carbon dioxide emissions.
Stakeholder relationship process: it is a way by which managers and leaders are working
towards organizing, monitoring and further improving the overall relations established with other
stakeholders. In Marks and Spencer there is systematic identification of stakeholders by analysis
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of their expectations and needs by proper planning and implementation of activities to increase
the level of stakeholder engagement.
In M&S there is timely integration of necessary insights by managers. It is driving of
improvements so that there can be integration of transparency in the process of Plan A strategy
according to priorities set by leaders.
Stakeholder engagement and entrepreneurship: It is defined as a engagement process in terms
of procedures, solutions that are to be developed in the macro and micro environment (Erjavec
and Trkman, 2020). The marks and Spencer there is focus towards developing the spirit of
entrepreneurship that can lead towards integration of the innovation and creativity in various
organisation functions. In this role played by leaders is to focus on the concept of
intrapreneurship where employees have to be motivated enough to develop some new innovative
ideas in respect of Marks and Spencer achieving a higher competitive advantage. The main aim
of managers is to enhance the process of using a participate style of managing were each
individual is given a opportunity to present their view and ideas with respect to different
decisions.
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Conclusion
From above mentioned aspects it can be concluded that managers and leaders are playing a
very effective role in the success of a business organsuiation. There is a collaborative functioning
that is taking place with the combined efforts of both leaders and managers. There are some of
the key approaches that are part of operations management and assisting leaders and managers in
enhancing the functioning of organisation. Further it assists in process of managing the elements
of changing contemporary business environment.
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REFERENCES
Books & Journal
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Fisher, M., Olivares, M. and Staats, B.R., 2020. Why empirical research is good for operations
management, and what is good empirical operations management?. Manufacturing & Service
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Bromiley, P. and Rau, D., 2016. Operations management and the resource based view: Another
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