Impact of COVID-19 on Leadership and Management Objectives at M&S

This report analyzes the leadership and management objectives of Marks and Spencer (M&S) in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. It begins with an introduction highlighting the impact of the pandemic on the clothing retail sector, focusing on changing consumer preferences. The report then delves into key leadership perspectives, particularly behavioral psychology, explaining how conditioning and reinforcement shape employee actions and organizational strategies. It details the application of transformational leadership at M&S, emphasizing how leaders are fostering change, enhancing employee motivation, and adapting to the shift towards online platforms and digital marketing. The report discusses how M&S has extended home delivery services and adapted to changing customer needs. The conclusion summarizes the crucial role of leaders and managers in navigating the crisis, emphasizing the importance of different leadership styles in modifying employee behavior and understanding human behavior in a changing environment.

Management and
leadership objectives
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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Key theories & leadership perspective............................................................................................3
Leadership styles:.............................................................................................................................4
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................7
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Introduction
The covid-19 pandemic has affected the whole world in different ways. There have been
different situations that are affecting both people individual organisation. Many large
organisations that are part of clothing retail sector have been drastically impacted as people
preferences towards necessities have increased and they are giving low references to other non
essential products (Mendes and 2016). Present report is based on the discussion of how managers
and leaders are playing a crucial role in adapting to situations of new normal in context of the
leading Organisation in the clothing sector that is Marks and Spencer.
Key theories & leadership perspective
Behavioural psychology
Behavioural psychology is a learning theory that is based on the idea of the behaviour was
acquired with the help of conditioning (Dugan, 2017). Conditioning is a process that occurs
because of environment interaction that is delivering that response to environmental Stimuli is
actually shaping the actions of employees and individuals in the organisation. Similar thing is
happening in the present situation of covid-19 where the virus has affected the changing
behaviour of organisation. It is a part of the overall process of transformation that is been applied
by leaders in Marks and Spencer.
Major factors that are being focused in this situation of using behavioural leadership Theory:
1) Learning through acquisition:
It is a Process of conditioning Works By development of association between the naturally
occurring stimulus and environmental stimulus. Now are willing to acquire the process of
changing customer needs and then using the changing customer requirements for the purpose of
adopting new strategies according to required customisation.
2) Consequences affecting learning:
According to behaviourist BF Skinner there is operant conditioning that is a process where
learning takes place with the help of punishment and reinforcement. It usually occurs by
formation of association between certain behaviour and the future consequences of that particular
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behaviour that is learnt by individuals. There are training programs that is organised in Marks
and Spencer to develop the necessary skills required to adopt the changing scenario.
Now Marks and Spencer has extended their home delivery services to our customers are ordering
from a range of 130 Marks and Spencer household and food items by using applications like
deliveroo (Clarke, 2018). It service is costing 4.99 pounds and that is easily available from 142
Marks and Spencer outlets across UK. staff members can functional departments that do not
required much attention are now engaged in the process of delivering timely services to
customers so that they are not easily switching to other competitors like Sainsbury’s who has
adopted the similarly 1 hour delivery services all as stocks of their customers can order a top of
shop of about 20 items and they are also charging a competitive rate of 4.99 pounds as the
delivery fee (Turnnidge and Côté, 2018).
Continuous reinforcement is adopted as a practice where there is rewarding for every single
instance of behaviour of employees.
Partial reinforcement consists of offering a reward after a particular number of responses and
specific period of time has been completed.
There is use of partial reinforcement in Marks and Spencer after a fixed schedule that is a year
ending December 2020 there will be a quarterly check on the performance increase or decrease
and according to their further appraisal compensation benefits of workforce will be decided.
Leadership styles:
There a different leadership styles that are adopted by leaders in order to deal with the changing
scenario of organisation:
1) Transformation leadership: Transformational leadership style is basically a type of
leadership practice where the leaders in organisation are willing to create a change and they are
providing a vision to overall organisation to work towards the needed change. In the present
context of changing scenario and externally and internally organisations are getting affected as
they have to completely bring a drastic change in the way they were functioning earlier before
the happening of pandemic and now after the pandemic has already affected the world. Context
of Marks and Spencer there has been a complete shift in the vein of organisations are receiving
their routine functions. People are not willing to visit the physical stores and this has been the
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major reason why there is complete emphasis on the designing and launching of products on
available online platform.
For marketing activities also organisation has now developed a special team where there will be
more focus on using of digital media sources as a way to attract people towards the new launches
and maintaining the sales of existing products.
In context of Marks and Spencer transformational leadership is serving in order to enhance the
moral job performance and motivation of followers by using a variety of mechanisms that
includes connecting with the followers of developing a sense of Identity self of projection and
developing collective identity of the organisation (Clarke, 2018). The board of directors are
trying to be a role model for the followers to inspire them and increase the level of interest
towards the new projects that are lined up in the new normal conditions. It includes the different
types of digital media campaigns offers and loyalty programs that are developed to engage their
customers who have really lose interest in purchasing the products that they no longer essentially
require.
Intellectual stimulation is another technique that is used by Marks and Spencer where leaders
are encouraging their followers to think for themselves. Leader’s have are becoming more
innovative creative and opening towards development of creative ideas. They are becoming more
what are the mistakes of employees and encouraging them to believe the promotion of growth
and improvement lies with the pr increasing growth of organisation post the pandemic. Leaders
are becoming more supportive for their followers and they are mentoring to allocate the time for
developing potential in order to survive in this changing scenario.
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Conclusion
It can be concluded from the above made discussion that leaders and managers are playing a
crucial role in the changing external environment needs so that employees are able to deal with
the situation of crisis. There are different leadership styles play a very necessary role in this as
their application helps in modification of the employees behaviour and real situations and using
it as a dimensional approach for understanding the requirements of human behaviour.
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REFERENCES
Books & Journal
Dugan, J.P., 2017. Leadership theory: Cultivating critical perspectives. John Wiley & Sons.
Mendes, M., Gomes, C., Marques-Quinteiro, P., Lind, P. and Curral, L., 2016. Promoting
learning and innovation in organizations through complexity leadership theory. Team
Performance Management.
Turnnidge, J. and Côté, J., 2018. Applying transformational leadership theory to coaching
research in youth sport: A systematic literature review. International Journal of Sport and
Exercise Psychology, 16(3), pp.327-342.
Online
Why Covid-19 Might Just Be the Making of Marks & Spencer, 2020 [online], Available
throughhttps://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewbusby/2020/05/20/why-covid-19-might-just-be-the-
making-of-marks--spencer/#1c52cf781b40
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