Managing Operations: Roles and Characteristics of Leader and Manager

UNIT 4
MANAGING OPERATIONS

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................................3
LO1.............................................................................................................................................................3
P1 Define and compare different roles and characteristics of leader and manager..................................3
LO2.............................................................................................................................................................5
P2 Examine how role of a leader and function of a manager apply in different situational context.........5
P3 Apply different theories and models of approach includes situational leadership, system leadership
and contingency.......................................................................................................................................7
LO3.............................................................................................................................................................9
P4 Explain key approaches to operations management and role that leaders and managers play............9
P5 Explain importance and value of operations management in achieving business objectives............11
LO4...........................................................................................................................................................12
P6 Assess factors within business environment that impact upon operational management and decision
making by leaders and managers...........................................................................................................12
CONCLUSION.........................................................................................................................................13
REFERENCES..........................................................................................................................................14

INTRODUCTION
Management and operations is concerned with the various managing functions i.e.
planning, organizing, directing and supervising the different activities like manufacturing of the
goods and services, production, supply chain management so that it easy to become a successful
and get the effective and efficient results in an appropriate manner. Both leader and manager
play a prominent role in organizing and motivating the employees to get the desired outcomes.
This report is based on understanding the term management and leaders with their roles and
characteristics with their comparison. It also inculcates leadership theories and per the perception
of organisation and in their second part of report it focus on the operations management that will
play an important role in firm and it also includes various approaches that can be shown below.
This report is based on Jaguar that is the British car manufacturing company that deals globally
and headquartered in England, UK(Adebiyi, Oyatoye and Amole, 2016).
LO1
P1 Define and compare different roles and characteristics of leader and manager
Leadership: It refers to an art of encouraging individuals or as group of people for achieving the
common goal. It is both a research and a practical skill that helps in guide the other person for
getting the desired results.
Leader: It defines an individual that contains the effective style of leadership for motivating
people in a group for achieving the common goal. A leader is responsible and accountable for the
outcomes that are carried out by individuals or a team mates(Akalin, Huang and Willems, 2016).
Roles of leader
 Vision provider: The major role of a leader is to provide a clear and understanding
vision to their followers so that they can achieves the targets in an effective way. In
Jaguar leaders see the vision and provides the clear direction as per the set vision i.e.
sustain in the market for a longer period of time so that teams can be work and fulfilling
the objectives.
 Encourage and boost morale: It is the role of a leader to encourage every individual
and boost the morale so that every employee is work with full productivity and gives the

efficient results. In case of Jaguar leader boost their follower’s morale in financial and
non financial terms so that they will encourage towards achieving the goal as per the set
vision(Baxley and et. al., 2016).
Characteristics of leader
 Influence: A leader can influence other person that helps in effectively complete the
work with more cooperation. In this a leader of a Jaguar has power to convince their team
members so that they can achieve their task in an effective way.
 Effective communicator: It is the essential feature of a leader that they convey all their
rules and guidelines as per the vision to their followers in a timely manner. In Jaguar
leader can transfer their vision in an effective way so that team members understand very
clearly and eliminates the adverse effects.
Management: It is an art of managing, controlling, handling and directing the workforce within
the organisation for earning high profits and longer sustainability of organisation.
Manager: A manager refers to a person who is responsible for motivating and supervising their
workforce for controlling the organisation process. In case of Jaguar manager focus on their
employee’s performance and direct them for effective results(Cook and Billig, 2017).
Role of manager
 Resource allocator: A manager is responsible for allocate the task to their employees so
that they perform their work effectively and productively. In case of Jaguar, manager can
delegate the resources and responsibilities to those workers can effectively work an gives
the proficient results.
 Establishing policies: formulating the responsibilities, policies and guidelines are the
major role of managers. In case of Jaguar, manager can issues policies and ensure that
there employees are working effectively in an ethical manner.
Characteristics of manger
 Effective interpersonal skills: Managers have a variety of skills that they have effective
communication skill, have ability to organize, control all the activities so that employees