Leadership and Management in Operations: A Case Study of Barclays Bank

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MANAGEMENT AND OPERATIONS
1

CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................. 5
ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE......................................................................................................6
LO1.................................................................................................................................................7
P1 DEFINE AND COMPARE THE DIFFERENT ROLES AND CHARACTERISTICS OF A LEADER AND A
MANAGER..................................................................................................................................7
M1 ANALYSE AND DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN THE ROLE OF A LEADER AND FUNCTION OF A
MANAGER BY EFFECTIVELY APPLYING A RANGE OF THEORIES AND CONCEPTS........................9
LO2............................................................................................................................................... 12
P2 EXAMINE EXAMPLES OF HOW THE ROLE OF A LEADER AND THE FUNCTION OF A
MANAGER APPLY IN DIFFERENT SITUATIONAL CONTEXTS......................................................12
P3 APPLY DIFFERENT THEORIES AND MODELS OF APPROACH, INCLUDING SITUATIONAL
LEADERSHIP, SYSTEM LEADERSHIP AND CONTINGENCY.........................................................14
M2 ASSESS THE STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO SITUATIONS
WITHIN THE WORK ENVIRONMENT.........................................................................................15
LO3............................................................................................................................................... 16
P4 EXPLAIN THE KEY APPROACHES TO OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT AND THE ROLE THAT
LEADERS AND MANAGERS PLAY..............................................................................................16
P5 EXPLAIN THE IMPORTANCE AND VALUE OF OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT IN ACHIEVING
BUSINESS OBJECTIVES..............................................................................................................18
M3 EVALUATE HOW LEADERS AND MANAGERS CAN IMPROVE EFFICIENCIES OF
OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT TO SUCCESSFULLY MEET BUSINESS OBJECTIVES....................19
LO4............................................................................................................................................... 21
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P6. ASSESS THE FACTORS WITHIN THE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT THAT IMPACT UPON
OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT AND DECISION-MAKING BY LEADERS AND MANAGERS.........21
P7. ANALYZE HOW THESE DIFFERENT FACTORS AFFECT THE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT AND
WIDER COMMUNITY................................................................................................................23
CONCLUSION............................................................................................................................... 25
REFERENCES.................................................................................................................................26
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TABLE OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Barclays Logo.................................................................................................................. 5
Figure 2: Organization Structure of Barclays.................................................................................6
Figure 3: Mintzberg’s Managerial Roles.......................................................................................10
Figure 4: Factors Affecting Operational Management and Decision Making of Managers..........22
4

INTRODUCTION
Operations Management is a widely used practice which involves administration of all the
activities of an organization so that the maximum efficiency could be generated (Hitt et al.,
2016). This assignment has been made in context to the role of leaders and managers in
Barclays Bank through the assistance of which the organization has successfully enhanced their
operations and service quality and aim to generate sustainable long-term returns to their
stakeholders. Operations management has helped the bank to strategize their operations so
that they utilize their resources to the maximum potential and attain the ultimate aim of the
organization (Haksever and Render, 2017)
Barclays is a multinational bank which was founded in 1690 and is headquartered in London,
UK. The global bank has four major businesses which are Investment Management, Wealth
Management, Personal Banking and Corporate Banking. The organization creates opportunities
for its customers to rise and believes that they rise along with their customers. Barclays has
been successfully providing solutions to its clients and believes in making long term growth. The
firm is well known for development of outstanding leaders in the world.
Figure 1: Barclays Logo.
[Source: Barclays, 2019]
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ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE
Barclays Group is a listed corporation under the name of Barclays PLC and has two major
Subparts, Barclays Bank PLC and Barclays Bank UK PLC, which function alongside but
independently from each other as a component of Barclays group. Both Barclays Bank PLC and
Barclays Bank UK PLC follow the same organization structure where they have Chief Executive
Officer Mr. Jes Staley and the board of directors governing then. Below them, they have their
varied business and business support officers managing them. Barclays has a brief gap between
its top and lower level of management. Due to this structure, Barclays relishes the easy
communication system and a highly motivated workforce. The organizational structure of
Barclays is as follows:
Figure 2: Organization Structure of Barclays
[Source: Barclays, 2019]
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CEO
Barclays
Bank PLC
General
Manager
Senior
Manager
Employees
Senior
Manager
Employees
Barclays
Bank UK PLC
General
Manager
Senior
Manager
Employees
Senior
Manager
Employees
Board of
Directors

LO1
P1 DEFINE AND COMPARE THE DIFFERENT ROLES AND CHARACTERISTICS OF A LEADER
AND A MANAGER
Leader
A leader is a person who guides his followers in a certain direction through which the
organizational goals could be achieved (Northouse, 2018). Leaders are visionary people who
influence people to work in a team.
Manager
A manager, on the other hand, is a person who directs the people working for him. Managers
operate as a support system for the employees of the organization. They control and manage
the activities for the attainment of the organizational goals (Tucker, 2017). It is often being said
that a leader can be a manager but it isn’t always possible for a manager to be a leader.
With context to the organization, we can distinguish leaders and managers and the roles and
functions performed by them.
POINT OF DIFFERENCE LEADER MANAGER
Definition A leader is a person who develops
visions of Barclays and leads by
setting directions.
A manager is a person who
manages and controls the
employees of Barclays.
Purpose The major purpose of the leader in
Barclays is to influence and inspire
people to attain growth (Antonakis,
2017).
The major purpose of the
manager in Barclays is to plan
and monitor the proper
accomplishment of goals
(Murphy and Murphy, 2017).
Development Barclays requires leaders for the
development of ethical principles
Barclays requires managers for
the development of strategies
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and procedures. and techniques. (Block, 2016)
Functioning Leaders in Barclays function over
trust and faith of the employees
(Cannella and Georgakakis, 2017)
Managers in Barclays function by
governing and directing the
employees.
Characteristics Leaders in Barclays have
characteristics to foresee and
visualize possibilities of a better
future (Murphy and Murphy,
2017).
Managers in Barclays have
characteristics to plan and
control the working of the
employees (Tucker, 2017)
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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.
For the sustainable success of an organization, the role of leaders and managers is very
important. To understand the roles and functions performed by managers and leaders of
Barclays, the theory of Mintzberg’s Managerial Roles has been applied and studied. Henry
Mintzberg introduced the theory stating the three major managerial roles that are performed
by the leader and manager of an organization, which are further classified into several different
roles (Kumar, 2015). The application of Mintzberg’s Managerial Roles Theory on Barclays is as
follows:
 Interpersonal Roles
The leaders and managers of Barclays successfully managed to maintain the interpersonal
relationships in the exterior as well as the interior environment of the organization which
can be differentiated in the following:
 Figurehead
The managers and leaders of Barclays have represented themselves on behalf of the
organization in both internal and external ceremonial activities. This includes visiting
customers, attending dinners with dignitaries, attending functions of subordinates, etc
(Mintzberg, 2015).
 Leader
The leaders and managers of Barclays create a positive working culture in the
organizational environment and motivate employees to strive hard for not just the
organizational growth, but for their personal growth as well.
 Liaison
This role includes interaction by the leader/manager in the external network. Leaders
and managers of Barclays have established a healthy relationship with their compeers
and colleagues outside the organization and within the different departments of the
firm.
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Figure 3: Mintzberg’s Managerial Roles.
[Source: Mintzberg, 2015]
 Informational Roles
Barclays have ensured that their leaders and managers have gathered the right information
by the right time so that the right decision can be taken. Following are the detailed
informational roles performed by the managers of Barclays:
 Monitor
The managers of Barclays scan the internal and external environment and gather all the
relevant information to the organization and suggest possible solutions to the problems
or changes required (Kumar, 2015).
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Managerial
Roles
Interpersonal
Roles
Figurehead
Leader
Liaison
Informational
Roles
Monitor
Disseminator
Spokesperson
Decisional
Roles
Entrepreneur
Disturbance
Handler
Resource
Allocator
Negotiator

 Disseminator
Through this role, the managers of Barclays transfer significant information to the
employees or subordinates and make efficient use of it.
 Spokesperson
The managers of Barclays act as a spokesperson on behalf of the organization to deliver
the relevant information to the external environment.
 Decisional Roles
Decision-making role has been successfully performed by the managers of Barclays at
different levels in various ways, which are as follows:
 Entrepreneur
As an entrepreneur, leaders of Barclays have developed and instigated innovative ideas
and required changes (Kumar, 2015). They have also managed to implant the idea and
concept of change in the minds of employees.
 Disturbance Handler
The leaders of Barclays have dealt with unexpected situations in the corporation and
taken corrective measures to handle them.
 Resource Allocator
The efficient allocation of resources has been done by the managers of Barclays to
ensure the right resource is available at the right place, at the right time and in the right
quantity (Mintzberg, 2015).
 Negotiator
The leaders of Barclays smartly negotiate with the requirements on behalf of the
representative. For example, negotiating with an outsider on behalf of Barclays,
negotiating with the top level management on behalf of the middle/lower level
management, etc.
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LO2
P2 EXAMINE EXAMPLES OF HOW THE ROLE OF A LEADER AND THE FUNCTION OF A
MANAGER APPLY IN DIFFERENT SITUATIONAL CONTEXTS.
There are various types of situations faced within the organization. The managers and leaders
of Barclays have managed different types of situations and circumstances. For every different
situation, there is a different solution proposed. Mostly, the generation of a solution isn't the
only thing required but its proper implementation is also significant (Chhotray, 2017). This
section comprises of a variety of situations that have been faced by Barclays and their
managers and leaders have adopted various styles and approaches of management to control
them.
There are several sets of situations that Barclays has gone through, the first of which is the
situation related to performance. Here, three types of situations occur. The first situation is a
slow-moderate situation or chaos situation, where the employees lack clarity in objectives and
goals. In this situation, the managers of Barclays study the environment and identify the root
causes of the problem. After a detailed study, they develop a solution through which the
problem is resolved and keenness of employees for working hard is maintained.
The other situations related to performance are a stable situation and the high-performance
situation. In stable situations, Barclays tries to motivate the employees to strengthen their
abilities and strive hard for growth (Chiu et al., 2017). In high-performance situations, the
managers of Barclays try to maintain the motivation in the employees and influence them to
emphasize the better opportunities held by the future.
Another set of situations that occurs is the lack of a communication system in the organization.
Barclays have ensured that they establish an efficient communication system so that the
employees of the organization are not restricted to communicate with the higher level of
management regarding their problems and needs (Robin and Raveleau, 2017). Establishment of
an effective communication system also helps the employees to understand the expectations
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