Analysis of Leadership and Management at Amazon: Report

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of leadership and management within the context of a business organization, specifically using Amazon as a case study. It begins by defining and contrasting the roles and characteristics of leaders and managers, highlighting their distinct responsibilities and contributions to organizational success. The report then examines how leadership and management principles are applied in various organizational situations, considering the impact of changing business environments on decision-making and operational strategies. Different leadership theories and models, such as situational leadership, Goleman's model, system leadership, and contingency leadership, are explored to understand the diverse approaches to influencing and guiding teams. Furthermore, the report delves into key approaches to operation management and its importance in achieving business objectives. Finally, it discusses the factors of the business environment that influence operation management and decision-making by leaders and managers, providing a holistic view of the interplay between leadership, management, and operational effectiveness in a contemporary business setting.

MANAGEMENT AND
OPERATION

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
TASK1.............................................................................................................................................3
P1. Define and compare different roles and characteristics of a leader and manager.................3
TASK2.............................................................................................................................................5
P2. Examine different organisational situations where role of a leader and function of a
manager can be applied. .............................................................................................................5
P3. Different theories and models of approaches of leadership. ................................................6
TASK3.............................................................................................................................................9
P4. Key approaches of operation management...........................................................................9
P5. Importance of operation management in accomplishing business objectives....................10
TASK4...........................................................................................................................................11
P6. Factors of the business environment which has a impact on operation management and
decision making by leaders and managers. ..............................................................................11
CONCLUSION .............................................................................................................................12
REFERENCE.................................................................................................................................13

INTRODUCTION
Leadership and management are the crucial elements in business organisation.
Leadership is concerned with the power of influencing people so that they work in accordance
for the attainment of business goals and objectives. Management is concerned with the
managerial function which is to be performed by the manager of the organisation. Organisation
undertaken in this report is Amazon which was founded in 1994 and deals in cloud computing
and e commerce industry (Algahtani, 2014). It serves various products and services to its
customers like Amazon app, kindle, prime videos, etc. This report will explain the differentiation
between the role of a leader and a function of a manager. This will also apply the role of a leader
and function of a manager in given context. It will demonstrate and appreciation of the roles,
played by leaders and managers in the operation function of the organisation. And later part of
the report will demonstrate the relationship between leadership and management in a
contemporary business environment.
TASK1
P1. Define and compare different roles and characteristics of a leader and manager.
Leader : A leader is a person in an organisation who is responsible for holding dominant
or superior position within its field. They are the people in the organisation who practises higher
degree of control and influence from others. Leaders is responsible for interacting with other
people which will make them clear with the vision and mission of the Amazon and people will
work with full potential for the attainment of business goals and objectives.
Roles of a leader
Provide a vision : Leader of Amazon will be accountable for providing a vision for the
entire team of the organisation. When team members are aware of the vision and objectives of
the business then they are more focussed and understand the role of individual in leading to the
success.
Inspire and motivate : Leaders who are responsible for motivating and inspiring the
team with their action, are successful in producing most effective results (Amanchukwu and. et.
al., 2015). Leaders motivates the people with the help of financial and non financial means.
Delegate and empower : Good and effective leaders are responsible for breaking down
of larger work into smaller tasks and assigning the work to the different individuals according to

their potential and abilities. Thus, this will enhance delegation and empower the individuals to
work for accomplishing business goals and objectives.
Characteristics of a leader
 Positive attitude : Leader is borne with positive attitude which helps to drive the team
and people to work towards the attainment of business objectives and goals.
 Focussed approach : Leader deals with the implementation of a particular vision. This is
concerned with the great leader who are focussed and ensures team work effectively
towards attainment of goals.
Manager : Job of a manager is very crucial in the organisation. The success of the
Amazon is entirely in hands of the manager (Bârgău, 2015). They are the person within the
organisation who direct and controls the actions performed by others. They are accountable for
planning, organisation, directing and controlling the actions of the people within the
organisation.
Role of a manager
Figurehead role : Managers perform the symbolic head where they are obligated to
perform a various number of routine duties of a legal and social nature. It involves daily basis
and routine serious communications.
Liaison role : Manager is responsible for performing the various functions of motivation,
communication and promoting team spirit. This role is concerned with interacting with other
managers outside the organisation to secure favours and information. Furthermore, in this
manager represents the organisation in the matters of formality.
Disseminator role : Manager disseminates the information and collects information from
different sources and through various means (Bolden, 2016). They coordinates some of the
important information directly to the sub ordinates and superiors, etc.
Spokes person role : Managers also perform the role of spokes person when they
represent the organisation outside the organisation. They are required to speak on behalf of the
organisation and transmit information regarding the plans, policies and programs of the
organisation.
Characteristics of manager
 Time management : Managers are highly concerned with managing time so that they
can develop plans for different organisational activities which are required to be

accomplished within the specified time frame (Bush and. et. al., 2019). Thus, they
manages time accordingly.
 Respect for employees : Managers have a significant level of respect for their employees
and they regularly communicates with them in order to identify any problem faced by
them and taking corrective solutions.
Difference between leadership and management
Basis Leadership Management
Meaning It is the skill which is
performed by the leaders for
influencing and leading other
people in the organisation.
It is the act of humans which is
concerned with the
systematically organised
things and coordinating them
in a effective manner.
Focus This focuses on inspiring and
motivating people within the
organisation.
It focuses on managing and
handling various managerial
activities.
Strategy It follows proactive business
strategy.
This has adopted reactive
strategy of the business.
Risk Leaders are responsible for
taking risk within the
organisation for the
accomplishment of business
goals.
Management of the
organisation is concerned with
controlling the risk which is
directly or indirectly
associated with the company.
TASK2
P2. Examine different organisational situations where role of a leader and function of a manager
can be applied.
Fast changing situation : Business environment is highly dynamic and needs to deal
effectively and efficiently with the changes that are taking place in the surroundings. There are

various external factors which will force Amazon to take quick action and required modifications
and alterations in the policies and programs (Bush and Glover, 2014). For instance, the
customers are highly dynamic in nature and they requires new products and services which are
innovative. For this, the role of leader will be to follow autocratic leadership style in this
contingent situation. This is because it will require less time to take decisions and leader will
take decision on their own without wasting any time by asking sub ordinates or other people of
the organisations. And in such situations, business manager will develop appropriate contingent
plans for availability of adequate funds and building vision and mission for new objectives such
that goals can be accomplished with effective planning.
Slow changing situations : When the surroundings of the business operations and
atmosphere of the country is stable then the Amazon will making slow moves in such a situation.
In this, leader will adopt democratic leadership style because of the stability in the external
business world, they can take decisions by involving participation from the people of the
organisation. It will motivate them as they will feel attentive and respected towards the
attainment of business goals and objectives (Cherry and Jacob, 2016). This will help the leader in
properly identifying and analysing the situations and market demands and produce a product that
will not only compete in the market but will also satisfy the customer needs. In such slow
changing situations, as there is stability in the economic system of the country the business
manager of the Amazon will be able to develop plans by making thorough understanding and
effectiveness of the employees that whether they are capable enough to accomplish the goals and
objectives.
P3. Different theories and models of approaches of leadership.
Leadership is concerned with the ability of the individual who can influence other for
accomplishing business goals and objectives by working with full motivation and potentiality.
There are various theories which will be used by the Amazon and they are discussed below :
Situational leadership : It is an adaptive leadership style, where the strategy encourages
leaders to take stock of their team members and selects the best leadership styles which fits in the
appropriate circumstances. This leadership is flexible in nature and is able to adapt itself in the
fluctuating business environment (Chin, 2015). Furthermore, this is not based on particular skill
of the leader and prefers modifications and alterations in the style of the management which best
fits in the relevant situations.

The Goleman theory of situational leadership
In Goleman theory or model, there are six roles of leaders which will focus on the need
for a manager to alter these six styles according to the different situation in Amazon and they are
discussed below :
 Coaching leaders : This style is concerned with the focus on helping others in the
personal development and job related activities. They work on individual personal
development and this style is best appropriate for the people who are highly flexible and
are aware of their limits.
 Pace setting leaders : These leader set very high expectations for their leaders and the
style is highly suitable for those people who are self initiators and stay motivated.
 Democratic leaders : They are the leaders who acts as a supporting aid for their
followers and gives them vote or power in every business situations (Doh and Quigley,
2014). It further helps in developing flexibility and responsibility within the group.
 Affiliate leaders : These leaders are the ones, who put employees as a greater importance
in every business situations. This style is used when the morale of the employee is very
low and leaders uses praise and utility to develop confidence of the team.
 Authoritative leaders : These leaders are very good and appropriate in identifying and
analysing the problems and challenges which are required to be faced by the
organisations.
 Coercive leaders : These leaders are concerned with guiding and telling their employees
about the work which is required to be performed by them. They have a clear vision
regarding the organisation and the manner in which the business goals and objectives can
be attained.
System leadership : This kind of leadership style, allows the leader in an organisation to
develop the conditions where people at all the levels can work with full potential and at all level
for the productivity. This helps in using important principles relating to the human behaviour so
that Amazon can build models or framework of good leadership, strategy of organisation, system
designs and social process (Donate and de Pablo, 2015). It provides leaders with the supporting
tool which will be useful in predicting and forecasting the behaviour of the people in the
organisation. Apart from this, system leadership is helpful in building effective systems which

will drive productive behaviour and leads to more effective realisation for the purpose of the
organisation.
Contingency leadership : This theory of leadership is related to the effectiveness of the
leaders which is dependent on matching the style of the leadership in a right situation. This
theory inadvertently believes that styles are behaviours which cannot be influenced or modified.
They overlook the effects of the situations on the success of the leader. This leadership builds
significant mistrust and insecurities with leadership intentions and methods. They are highly
organized and are relatively independent (Goetsch and Davis, 2014). Low structured task can be
accomplished by either directive or participative leadership style. There are three relevant factors
which are to be considered under this theory and they are leader member relationship, task
structure and positional power of leadership.
Leadership Strength Weaknesses
Situational This theory is useful in
recognising the flexibility and
creates a comfortable
environment for workers.
Furthermore, it takes into
account different
developmental phases.
It lacks focus on long term
needs of the businesses and
can be ineffective in task
oriented business environment.
And this can also create
dependency on corporate
strategy.
System This maximises the
adaptability of the organisation
to various environmental
changes. Thus, it focuses on
multiple dimensions of the
businesses.
It cannot be practical in every
situation and is time
consuming which can lead to
delay in decision making
process.
Contingency This theory has the potentiality
to forecast the leaders
effectiveness and
organisational variables are
introduced.
This theory lacks the
flexibility and ignores leaders
potential for adaptability.

TASK3
P4. Key approaches of operation management.
Operation management is concerned with the establishment of practices of the businesses
to develop the highest level of efficiency which is possible within the organisation. In this, the
available raw materials are converted into the finished goods and products. It involves various
resources like employees, technology, workforce, etc. This is helpful in handling various
numerous strategic issues and this includes determining the size of manufacturing plants and
methods of project management (Hallinger and Wang, 2015). It entails studying the use of raw
materials and assurance of minimal waste. There are various approaches of operation
management which will be used by Amazon and they are discussed below :
Six sigma : It is a quality control technique of operation management. It is a defined and
disciplined business method which maximises the customer satisfaction and profitability by
stream lining operations, improving quality and minimising defects in organisation. This is a
statistical tools and techniques which emphasises on minimising defects and process variability.
It represents the population deviation which is a measure of the variation in a data and can also
be considered as a measure of process performance. Manager of Amazon is responsible for
measuring, improving and validating the activities of the businesses. Managers will also provide
the specialised information or data which are required by various teams in order to operate
properly. Apart from this, they will also provide expertise which are linked with functional
responsibilities. Leader will be responsible to implement six sigma in the organisation because
of rising cost of raw materials and ever increasing competition. By doing this, leader will be able
to attain efficiency by identification and resolution of product. The leader will further help in
facilitating the project and drafting the initial projects charters.
Total quality management : It is a regular process of eliminating and detecting errors in
manufacturing, streamlining by improving customer experience and assuring that employees are
speedy in process of manufacturing by improving efficiency. This has a primary motive to hold
all the parties involved in the production process which are accountable for the overall quality of
the final products and services (Larson and Gray, 2017). It is an organised approach to overall
organisational management. It stresses on improving the quality of an output by continuous

improvement in the internal process of the organisation. It further gives an assurance that all the
employees work towards the attainment of business objectives and goals. Managers of Amazon
are responsible and play a crucial role in initiating and implementing the procedures and
programs of the organisation. It is the responsibility of the manager to allocate appropriate
budget for TQM and act as an essential factor in every business organisation. Leaders act as a
pivotal change agent in TQM because they are responsible for developing quality across the
whole firm. Leaders also serve as bench head for the process of TQM because they develops the
models and principles of TQM process within its operation department.
P5. Importance of operation management in accomplishing business objectives.
Operation management is the procedure which efficaciously design, arranges, consecrate
and controls resources which are produced for the companies goods and services. With the help
of operation management, the individual working in Amazon is able to effectively manage
several attributes of the operations (McCaffery, 2018). It is a vital component of manufacturing
operation which provides an assurance of strong operation management process. Therefore, it is
very crucial in the Amazon so that business objectives can be attained effectively and efficiently
and they are discussed below :
 It pertains relatable governance for every commercial enterprise or businesses regardless
of their existence of the operation. Planning, organizing, staffing, monitoring controlling,
directing and motivating are its important components. Operation management is
compulsory for companies so that they can handle the regular and ever day action of
human beings smoothly. With its help, an organization is capable to form good use of its
resources like labour, raw material money and other resources.
 It is crucial that Amazon concentrates on improving the whole of the fruitfulness. The
ratio of stimulant to output signal is termed as productivity. It yields a measurement of
the efficiency of the administrator as well as the employees. Since the field of study
concentrates on exploiting the accessible resources in the foremost accomplished manner
to attain ending goals, so it improves the total productivity.
 This is the direction of the assorted business organization human activity which proceeds
within the Amazon and contributes in devising the goods to line up with customer’s
necessities. Operation management is the intuition of an organization as it controls the

entire operation. If the products are successfully catered to the needs of the customers
then, they will be distributed at a speedy rate.
 Previously, everyone considers that the operation management was not that essential for
the Amazon, but later on, it was determined that in reality, it is very important for the
running of the organization (Noe and. et. al., 2017). It was analysed that the
manufacturing of raw materials to form the goods and marketing them along with
administration of sales is incumbent and this is finished efficiently by carry off the
operations.
TASK4
P6. Factors of the business environment which has a impact on operation management and
decision making by leaders and managers.
Business environment is highly dynamic in nature and there are various factors which
have a strong impact on the success of the Amazon. These factors are concerned with various
internal and external in nature. Internal factors are those, which affects the operations of the
management of the Amazon from inside or within the organisation while external factors are
those which affects the Amazon from outside forces and they are generally uncontrollable.
Internal factors
Corporate social responsibility : It is the self regulating business model which helps the
company to be a socially viable. If a company is engaged or involved in CSR activities then it
means that it is functioning in manner which will enhance the society and environment. It is a
broad concept and is concerned with boosting the morale of the people that will help employee
and employers to feel more connected. Amazon is one of the top companies all over the world
which is involved in contributing to the sustainability. Its various sustainable programs are
related to supporting local communities with the help of Devise Donation Program which
facilitates donations of electronic devises and gift cards to schools (Renz, 2016). And there are
several other programs programs which are related to the use of recyclable materials, energy
consumptions and savings, etc. This will have strong impact on decisions taken by leaders as
they will have to train and motivate the employees so that they can generate innovative ideas and
managers will make decisions regarding the various programs and allocation of budgets for those
programs.

External factors
Stakeholders : They are the people who are directly or indirectly associated with the
operations of the organisation and are highly concerned about the operations of the company. In
Amazon, the primary stakeholders are customers, without whom the business cannot sustain. It is
very important to maintain the customer happy by satisfying all their demands and needs. The
decisions of manager and leaders will be related to the pricing, convenience of services, security
of the money transactions etc. For this, the manager has devised the strong information and
technology software and that software is used by leader who assures the safety and security of
the transactions.
CONCLUSION
From the above report it has been concluded that leaders and managers are two different
elements who have different set of roles, responsibilities and characteristics. Without effective
management and leadership skills, no organisation can attain success. Leaders and managers
have different roles in different organisational situations, that is either fast changing or slow
changing but they both perform different roles in different situations. There are various
leadership theories which are used by leaders like system, contingency, etc. The operation
management approaches are used by the businesses so that they can improve the efficiency and
minimises the wastes.