Analysis of Leadership and Management Roles at Apple Inc.

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Management and Operations –
Scenario 1(Apple Inc.)
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Executive Summary
In terms of business setting, the role of management and leadership fluctuate in a
different way, and the nature of managers and leaders are moreover varied. These are
further influenced by the type of scenarios and changing situations prevailing within the
workplace or business setting. The role of leaders is to guide the overall team, whereas,
managers are required to plan the strategies’ and communicate it to the rest of the
departments. The present report evaluates the roles and responsibilities of leaders and
managers in the respectable and well-known tech giant that is Apple Inc. The culture in
Apple is collaborative due to which the employees of the firm can easily manage to work
at their best level of productivity. With the use of theories such as systems leadership
approach, situational leadership theory, and contingency theory the role of leaders and
managers have been magnified in the section.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Executive Summary......................................................................................................... 2
Introduction...................................................................................................................... 4
Main Body........................................................................................................................ 4
a) The role and characteristics of leaders and managers.............................................4
b) How different situations in the organization affect the role of leaders and functions
of managers..................................................................................................................6
c) Theories and concepts of leadership........................................................................7
Conclusion....................................................................................................................... 8
Works Cited....................................................................................................................10
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Introduction
In the contemporary business scenario, organizations are taking short roads towards
managing the operations and attaining success (Byrnes 2017). Moreover, in this raid
towards success, the major role is played by the managers as well as leaders of the
company. The modern-day businesses are trying to achieve the key objectives by
defining the role of managers as well as leaders so that they can efficiently carry out
their responsibilities. With the help of a range of theories, the situational purpose of
leaders and managers can be defined effectively.
The present writing is based on the role of leaders and managers within the
organization and their contribution in achieving success and sustainability within the
business context. The selected organization to carry out this section of writing is Apple
Inc. It is a popular tech giant and designs devices that are unmatchable in the outside
environment or from competitors. The writing further elaborates the role of leaders and
managers in a different situational context.
Main Body
a) The role and characteristics of leaders and managers
There are many descriptions delivered by researchers that describe the characters and
features of both leaders as well as manager employed within a contemporary
association or institution. One such modern day organization is Apple where the
management is looking forward to expanding the knowledge and understanding of their
leadership and management department so that the firm can foster a long-term success
within their operations. The roles of managers as well as leaders are differentiated with
a minor gap in between. With respect to the same, the approach and values of both the
parties differ on the basis if characteristics and attributes of the same. Considering the
Leadership and Management Programmed for the staff members, the roles and
characteristics of both leaders and managers are distinguished in the below writing:
Manager: The managers within the business entity or workplace are absorbed on
scheming and handling the work at the association for the pre-requisite purposes and
aims of the profession (Calvo-Mora et al. 2014).
Relating to the situation of the cited tech giant that is Apple, it has been acknowledged
that the managers working in the cited firm work or focus to improve approaches and
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policies in context of the workforce or team participants to achieve improved actions or
processes within the workplace in compliance to the customary values as well as
corporate purposes. Managers inside the corporation are dispersed at different stages
or subdivision as to accomplish or perform the responsibilities related to the category of
ground they are employed within the mentioned industry's work. For instance, if there is
an activity which needs to be planned for the betterment of the workforce, then there is
a crucial role played by the managers of the tech giant in order to make it a successful
one in which each employee has participated.
Leaders: The important character of the leader is to educate workers or team members
to function or operate as per the values and ideas of the corporate. For example, the
leaders of the mentioned global corporate that is Apple, Inc., nevertheless, play a
significant part in encouraging as well as controlling the people employed or included
inside the team to execute effectually for the improvement of the corporate. Additionally,
the principal purpose of leaders is to guide others and become a role model for the
supporters or team members (Mohammad Mosadeghrad 2014). Similarly, they are
accountable for collaborating further the material and objective conceded on by the
expert of the association or the cited tech giant.
To present a comparison between the roles and responsibilities of both the parties, a
brief analysis can be presented.
The primary role of a manager within the organization is to propose a set of objectives
through which the business or the departments within the workplace can grasp the
knowledge about their roles and responsibilities. On the other hand, the role of leader to
support or persuade those roles or purposes made and planned by the managers so
that they can ensure the feasibility and capabilities of the employees on the basis of
knowledge and skills to perform the given task. Furthermore, the role of managers is to
usually converse the procedures and policies to the particular department leaders of a
variety of subdivisions integrated within the cited tech giant that is Apple Inc (Dubey,
Gunasekaran & Ali 2015). However, the role played by the leaders in this situation is to
communicate the aims and strategies to the team associates so that the objectives can
be fulfilled effectively with the contribution of each employee of the team or organization
as a whole. As a matter of fact, it has been identified that the culture at Apple is highly
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collaborative and its former CEO named Steve Jobs was known as one of the greatest
leaders in the business world, with the help and contribution of which Apple is surviving
till date in this highly competitive market.
b) How different situations in the organization affect the role of leaders and functions of
managers
The position of leaders and the purpose of manager affect in a different way in
accordance with the situations which further makes the business operate as well as
work towards the achievement of certain aims and objectives of the multinational tech
giant that is Apple (Masadeh, Maqableh & Karajeh 2014). It can be further said that
there are a variety of purposes of administration as well as personality and
characteristics of leadership which changes over the course of situations pertaining
within the organization and maintains the expectations of the work demanded by the
particular situation. It has been further evaluated the change in the behaviour and
characteristics of leaders and managers further assists the tech giant that is Apple in
carrying out proper operations and functioning of the management (Calvo-Mora et al.
2014). It has been moreover recognized that with the purpose of improving the
competence of the association for cultivating the brand reputation or reflection of Apple
on top of escalating sales and productivity in the extremely cut-throat environment of the
marketplace, it is necessary to use a variety of themes or approaches.
There are quite a few frameworks or models of management along with leadership roles
as well as capabilities to compact with the circumstances of the corporation and nurture
its operations.
In order to deal with the changing situations within the workplace or in the course of
operations, the conjecture useful to the circumstances relating to the purpose of
managers can be the classic framework that is contemporary theory. This particular
theory will assist managers of the corporation to map out the effectual schemes and
framework for recovering the brand reputation over and above sales and productivity of
the company (Kerzner & Kerzner 2017). It has been additionally identified that the
mentioned business’s managers will become competent enough to comply with the
outside and inside situations integrated within the workplace. According to the
augmentation of modern problems that are prevalent within the market, it can be further
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elaborated that contemporary theory will be helpful in control the in general rivalry
situation.
In addition to the above, in context of the leaders, it can be believed that
transformational leadership style or model can be useful in the course of which
influential leaders can control workforce to fetch modifications in the way of undertaking
things as well as create strategies to make an agreement with various kinds of
situations. This framework defines that the leaders of Apple have to change his or her
approach of undertaking stuff as per the situation or circumstances happening within the
business environment or marketplace or somewhere else.
With the facilitation of this approach, the leader within the mentioned tech giant
business can transform the responsibility or task as per the situation and support the
team individuals to deal with the current issues in the ready for action marketplace (K.
Dibia, Nath Dhakal & Onuh 2014). For instance, if the company is facing issues in the
management of cost and designing of the Apple devices, then the role of managers
here is to make use of contemporary theory and male changes in the strategies and
policies as per the demand and need of the current or existing situation and forward that
plan with the particular leaders within the organization. On the other hand, the leaders
of Apple are required to make a pact with the employees and start working on the new
strategy defined or planned by the managers so that the issues of cost and production
can be resolved. Some of the main issues that can take place in the organization that
Apple can be on the basis of production, finance and resource availability, lack of
worker or employee performance and more. However, to deal with the same, several
theories can be applied.
c) Theories and concepts of leadership
There are a number of theories acknowledged which can considerably assist the cited
business’s managers as well as leaders in holding the operational supervision inside the
firm that is Apple Inc (Jeston 2014).
The main approach acknowledged for the similar is the situational leadership model.
The theory defines that the skills, characteristics, and method of functioning of the
leaders very much depend upon the potential and skills of workers for whom the
influential of the corporation is necessary to lead or control for the conclusion of a picky
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task or purpose. This model or theory will considerably facilitate the leaders of Apple to
deal with the altering circumstances in the market or cut-throat environment. The
leaders are required to educate the personnel for budding effectual practices as per the
knowledgeable situation in order to accomplish the endeavour and purpose of growing
the sales as well as a product likeness of the brand.
Systems leadership theory or approach, on the other hand, is useful for the leaders of
the cited multinational tech giant that is Apple to organize or check the efforts of
workers. In conjunction with the same, it helps in efficiently communicating with the
workforce regarding the changes that take place in the market or data about the policies
and processes that require to be taken into consideration. In addition to the same, over
this presumption employees are required to work under the conditions and situation
compulsory by the organization and by means of the set principles or aims of Apple to
accomplish the functioning requirements of the tech giant (Herzallah, Gutiérrez-
Gutiérrez & Munoz Rosas 2014). In addition, it has been identified that the mentioned
brand, for example, can accomplish the purpose of escalating brand responsiveness as
well as recovers the sales and productivity of the industry.
Besides the above, it has been recognized that the contingency approach will be
supportive of the leaders of the business to deal with or reply to the circumstances that
exist in the cut-throat market. Contingency theory will further assist leaders as well as
managers in countering as well as focus on transformations happening in regarding
globalization (Charron et al. 2014).
Some of the issues identified in the above writing that can be faced by Apple in different
business situations are the productivity of employees, finance availability and much
more. The theories can further be helpful in resolving the same.
One of the greatest strengths of systems theory is its adaptability to change in the
environment. With the help of this leaders and managers can work at the best deal with
the changing situations. However, it might not always end up in giving practical or long-
term solutions (Harrison & Lock 2017).
Conclusion
To summarize the entire report, it can be said that leaders and managers both play
different roles within the selected firm that is Apple. The roles and responsibilities of
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both parties depend upon the present situation within the workplace. Furthermore, the
report presents theories such as systems leadership approach, situational leadership
theory and contingency theory that can assist in gathering the required information and
fulfill the aims and objectives.
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Works Cited
Byrnes, WJ 2017, Management and the Art, Focal Press.
Calvo-Mora, A, Ruiz-Moreno, C, Picón-Berjoyo, A & Cauzo-Bottala, L 2014, 'Mediation
effect of TQM technical factors in excellence management systems', ournal of Business
Research, vol 67, no. 5, pp. 769-774.
Charron, R, Wiggin, H, Voehl, F & Harrington, HJ 2014, The lean management systems
handbook, Productivity Press.
Dubey, R, Gunasekaran, A & Ali, SS 2015, 'Exploring the relationship between
leadership, operational practices, institutional pressures and environmental
performance: A framework for green supply chain', International Journal of Production
Economics, vol 160, pp. 120-132.
Harrison, F & Lock, D 2017, Advanced project management: a structured approach,
Routledge.
Herzallah, AM, Gutiérrez-Gutiérrez, L & Munoz Rosas, JF 2014, 'Total quality
management practices, competitive strategies and financial performance: the case of
the Palestinian industrial SMEs.', Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, vol
25, no. 5-6, pp. 635-649.
Jeston, J 2014, Business process management, Routledge.
K. Dibia, I, Nath Dhakal, H & Onuh, S, 2014, 'Lean “leadership people process
outcome”(LPPO) implementation model.', Journal of Manufacturing Technology
Management, vol 25, no. 5, pp. 694-711.
Kerzner, H & Kerzner, HR, 2017, Project management: a systems approach to
planning, scheduling, and controlling, John Wiley & Sons.
Masadeh, RMT, Maqableh, MM & Karajeh, H, 2014, 'A theoretical perspective on the
relationship between leadership development, knowledge management capability, and
firm performance', Asian Social Science, vol 10, no. 6, p. 128.
Mohammad Mosadeghrad, A, 2014, 'Essentials of total quality management: a meta-
analysis.', International journal of health care quality assurance, vol 27, no. 6, pp. 544-
558.
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