Analysis of Leadership and Management Theories in Asos.com

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Management and Operations
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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................4
Task-1.........................................................................................................................................5
Introduction............................................................................................................................5
LO1.........................................................................................................................................6
P1- Define and compare different roles and characteristics of a leader and a manager?.....6
M1- Analyse and differentiate between the role of a leader and function of a manager by
effectively applying a range of theories and concepts............................................................7
D1- Critically analyses and evaluates the different theories and approaches to leadership in
a given context........................................................................................................................8
LO2.........................................................................................................................................9
P2- Examine the examples of how the role of a leader and the function of a manager apply
in different situational context................................................................................................9
P3- Apply different theories and models of approach including situational leadership,
systems leadership and contingency.....................................................................................10
M2- Assess the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to situations within the
work environment.................................................................................................................11
D1- Critically analyse and evaluate the different theories and approaches to leadership in
given context........................................................................................................................12
Conclusion............................................................................................................................13
Task 2.......................................................................................................................................14
Introduction..........................................................................................................................14
LO3.......................................................................................................................................15
P4 Explain the key approaches to operations management and the role that leaders and
managers play.......................................................................................................................15
P5. Explain the value and role of operation management in achieving business objective. 17
M3. Evaluate how leaders and managers can improve efficiency of the operational
management to successfully meet the business objectives...................................................18
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P6. Analyse the factors within the business environment that impact the operational
management and decision making by leaders and managers...............................................19
M4. Analyse how these factor affect the business environment and wider community......20
D2. Critically evaluate application of operation management and factors that impact on the
wider business environment.................................................................................................21
Conclusion............................................................................................................................22
Conclusion................................................................................................................................23
References................................................................................................................................24
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Introduction
In this report, the roles and responsibilities of leaders and managers of an organisation will be
covered. This following record would clear out the basic difference between both of these
terms and how they are misinterpreted at times. After going through this report, it will clarify
the job and work of managers and leaders and how can help an organisation to reach its
zenith. Various models and key approaches will also be defined which can help an
organisation to grow exponentially. The roles and responsibilities of not only leaders and
managers but also all the other employees are also discussed.
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Task-1
Introduction
Asos.com is a leading online British company dealing in fashion and various cosmetic
products. It is only because of its leaders and managers which has enabled it to be an
outstanding branding. It will cover various strategies and planning which is being required by
a company to stand apart from other organizations.
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LO1
P1- Define and compare different roles and characteristics of a leader and a
manager?
There are various definitions of the terms leadership and management as given by various
authors. According to Hollingsworth, the team under management focuses on the structures
and systems of the organisation while leaders keep the check on the people associated with it.
A leader examines the versatility of the company while managers look after the consistency
of the company in the current market scenario. It was stated by him leaders of an organization
addressed the “why” of a situation while managers, on the other hand, look after the “how” of
a situation. Magical leadership can be broken down into various stages. In the very stage,
leaders look after the set of circumstance and probability that could be toured (Ukaidi, 2016).
Coming onto the second stage these leaders look after the ways by which they can imbibe
these possibilities in their work culture. In the final stage, they motivate other people to
follow their vision as it will result in the goodwill of the organization.
Asos.com is a leading brand of British dealing in fashion and other cosmetic products. In this
organisation, there is a well-defined duty of both managers and leaders. This organisation has
maintained its name and position in this highly competitive market environment. This is only
because of the strong team under both these departments. It has cleared to understand the
difference of the work under both these areas and is able to manage is effectively and
efficiently.
In Asos.com, the difference in the work culture of leaders and managers are defined as under:
Leaders Managers
They work under proper principles and
guidelines.
They keep a check on policies and
procedures.
Here, leaders believe in encouraging
change.
They focus on maintaining stability.
They mainly look after inspiring and
motivating people
They keep an eye on all the managing
related activities.
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M1- Analyse and differentiate between the role of a leader and function of a manager
by effectively applying a range of theories and concepts.
John Adair’s Action Centred Leadership acts as a complete draft for leadership and
management. There are three main areas where this model mainly focuses on. In a proper
model, these three areas are represented by three circles which are overlapped on one another.
These three areas are as follows
1. Achieving the task which is being assigned
2. Managing the entire team or group
3. Managing individuals
According to this theory, the work of leaders and managers can be differentiated as -
Leaders Managers
The core function of a leader is to set targets
and aims
Managers manage a way in which the set
targets can be achieved on time
Leaders believe in keeping their entire team
enthusiastic and motivated.
Managers look after the company as a
whole.
Another theory is the Behavioural Approach to Leadership. According to it, the importance
of the behaviour of leaders is highlighted. It stated that the behaviour has to be looked upon
first after that comes to all other qualities. Behaviour can be divided into two parts- Task
Behaviour and Relational ship behaviour. The task behaviour means to imply proper
approach required to complete the task while relationship behaviour means to maintain all the
healthy relations with the employees (Solomon and Steyn, 2017).
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D1- Critically analyses and evaluates the different theories and approaches to
leadership in a given context.
There are various theories related to leadership. Talking about Transactional Leadership, it is
defined as a traditional approach which controls the reaction in a particular approach.
According to this theory, leaders make sure that work in being done according to the proper
orders as stated. In this, the leaders also use the concept of awarding and punishing the
employees according to their work. This theory might be helpful in gaining momentary
success while in the long run, it will create a sense of terror among employees. This can
prove to be very harmful to the company in the long run (Solomon and Steyn, 2017).
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LO2
P2- Examine the examples of how the role of a leader and the function of a manager
apply in different situational context.
Talking about Asos.com, the basic work of the leaders and managers, in short, can be
summed up to – Planning, organising, leading and controlling. A great leader or a great
manager is not the one which has already set some pre-defined methods of leading the entire
organisation. But a charismatic leader is considered to be the one where leaders and managers
are well aware of all the latest happenings in the market. They should be adapted to the
changes and should be able to act accordingly as per the need and situation. This comes under
situational leadership (Alkahtani, 2015).
This involves proper planning by observing the current scenario and then systematically
sketching a blueprint for achieving the target and after that leading a proper team to attain the
goal which can help in achieving that goal. And lastly, by controlling all the departments and
keeping a check over them.
Applying situational leadership in the work culture has innumerable benefits. It will keep the
leaders, managers and all the other employees well prepared to face the worst possible
situation. It will enable the team to get ready to face any sort of crisis that too calmly and
boldly. It will eventually turn them masters in their area of business.
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P3- Apply different theories and models of approach including situational leadership,
systems leadership and contingency.
Henry Mintzberg defined six peculiarities that defined the work of managers which is being
practised by Asos.com. According to him, managers are capable to work under high pressure
and can be able to fulfil their work in that stipulated time window. He stated that managers
believe in one on one talks which can of emails or call or meetings. It will completely destroy
any miss-happenings as there will be no miscommunication or spreading of the wrong
information.
Talking about The Leadership Continuum Model Tannenbaum and Schmidt - It tells about
the amount of liberty which is being granted by the managers to the employees. It can have
both a positive and negative impact on the company. It can result in employees working on
their own bars leading to the declination of the company. Or it can increase productivity as all
the employees understand they have a certain responsibility which they are required
fulfilling. This can even help the employees to deal in a certain situation which is new to
them. Thus helping them in building the quality of situational leadership is on the supreme.
The Contingency theory of leadership states that if one problem is being solved by one way
then it is not necessary that next time this same approach will work out. There has to be a list
of all the possible solutions and one has to look for the best way which can help in getting out
from that state of affairs.
Systems leadership can be defined as an environment where the leaders keep all things fair
and positive for their employees. This not enhances productivity but also enables it to
maintain its name and fame in the industry for the long run.
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M2- Assess the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to situations within
the work environment.
Sometimes it is required by the organisation to think out of the box to come out from the
crisis if they are facing. They should not completely be dependent on older models and
theories. (Baron, Agustina, 2017)If a company is under crisis, they generally tend to follow
the older approaches and theories which they have used earlier. And this might lead to the
proper solution of the problem.
So, the crux is there should always be a room for innovative (Al-Anazi & Alghazo,2016)
ideas which they can apply at that very situation. This will help in increasing confidence.
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