Leadership, Management, and Organizational Efficiency at M&S Ltd

This report provides a detailed analysis of leadership and management practices within M&S Ltd, a UK-based retail company. It begins by differentiating the roles and characteristics of leaders and managers, emphasizing their impact on organizational efficiency and market value. The report then explores the various functions of managers at M&S Ltd, including planning, organizing, staffing, and controlling, highlighting how these functions contribute to achieving business objectives. Furthermore, it delves into the application of different management models and theories, such as situational leadership, system theory, chaos theory, and Mintzberg's managerial roles, to evaluate the effectiveness of leaders and managers. The report underscores the importance of strategic planning, resource allocation, employee recruitment, and coordination in driving the success of M&S Ltd in a competitive market. It also examines how these theories and models are applied to enhance the company's performance.

MANAGEMENT AND OPERATION
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Table of contents
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TASK 1
In this assignment, the different roles of the leaders and the managers will be discussed
which ultimately impact on the efficiency of the entire organisation. In the opinion of
Goetsch and Davis (2014, p.12), the leaders and the managers of a company help the same
acquire value in the market in which the company is operating their business. In this report,
managerial operations of M& S Ltd, UK based company which is dealing with retails
products, will be discussed. In order to make the employees effective enough in their
operations, the role of the leaders and the managers of the concerned company will be
evaluated here. Finally, the importance of different leadership style and the theories related
to the management will be analysed with the reference of M & S Ltd.
LO1
P1: The different roles and characteristics of a leader and a manager
Leaders:
In the opinion of Caldwell and Ndalamba (2017, p.4), leaders are the motivating factor within
an organisation as they help the employees of an organisation to perform their job in a proper
way in order to acquire the business objectives of an organisation. In the opinion of Fee
(2014, p.13), leaders acknowledge the other employees with effective communication skill
through which they provide the vision of the organisation to the employees. The main
objective of the organisation is to inspire and guide the team members in order to enhance
performance and the productivity of the entire organisation.
Managers:
In the opinion of Robbins and McFarland (2015, 219), within organisation managers play a
critical role as they manage and organise the work of an enterprise in order to help the
organisation to acquire the desired objectives and goals. In the opinion of Hill et al. (2014,
p.15), to achieve the business objectives the managers of an organisation develops several
policies and strategies to make the employee’s performance effective to acquire the
organisational mission, vision and objectives. In order to judge the efficiency of the
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performance of the employees the managers develops performance appraisal process which
helps the employees to improve their performances.
Comparison between the leaders and the managers:
Through the task of the managers and the leaders is complement each other but there is a fine
line of difference in their tasks. In the opinion of Robbins and McFarland (2015, p.219), the
managers and the leaders try to enhance the productivity of the organisation but they choose
a different way to acquire the same. Managers within an organisation develop the objectives
of the same whereas the leaders guide the employees to acquire those objectives.
Management of an organisation develops policies to provide the instructions of the policies to
the leaders. Leaders inspire and influence the employees to work according to those policies.
Managers need to deal with a group of people whereas the leaders guide their team only.
More preciously, manager innovate several plans for the betterment of the organisation and
the leaders make the implementation of those plans in reality. Leaders within an organisation
motivate the team members whereas the managers provide orders to the employees to
perform their job.
In M & S Ltd, one of the UK-based private retail companies the role of the leader and the
managers can be differentiated in many factors. The managers of the concerned company
develop different business plan order to gain the competitive advantage in the UK retail
market the leaders of the concerned company help use their interpersonal communications
skills to communicate with team members and also to motivate them to perform their task
properly. Both the role of the managers and the role of the leaders are to achieve the pre-
planned objective of M & S Ltd which is to acquire a competitive advantage and brand value
in a competitive market.
LO 2
P2: The various functions of thh maanger
In M & S Ltd the functions of the managers and the leaders are as follows:
Making plans and strategies:
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The managers of M & S Ltd strategise the goals of the concerned company which help the
company to increase their revenues and the selling percentage. “Look at the Label” is one
the strategies which are taken by the concerned company in order to increases the
profitability of the same. At this point, the leaders guide and motivate the employee to
perform their job by communicating with them personally in the accordance of the
managerial strategy.
Organise:
In M & S Ltd, the managers collect resources and organise the properly in order to achieve
the objectives of the concerned company. Whereas the leaders allocate those collected
resources according to the efficiency of the employees and guide them in a proper way to
gain the common goal of the company.
Recruitment and staff:
In this function, the leaders and the managers have to contribute their best. In M& S Ltd. the
managers recruit employees by judging the ability of the individual. After the recruitments
and selection process, the leaders of the concerned company allocate the jobs to the
employees based on their efficiency and skill in order to enhance the productivity of the
entire company.
Development of coordination:
In the opinion of Sijbom et al. (2013, p.12), coordination is required to the function of an
organisation in order to acquire effective outcomes. In the concerned company the managers
coordinated with the organisational functions for the betterment of organisational
performance. The productivity of M& S Ltd depends on functions of sales department,
marketing department and finance department. The managers help to develop practices to
coordinate among these departments. The leaders implement the developed practices to
ensure the coordination of the functions of the different departments of the concerned
company.
Controlling process:
In the company M & S Ltd., the managers formulate different strategies and the leaders take
initiatives to implement those strategies in order to meet the business objectives. But this
implementation process needs to monitor and controlled by an experienced supervisor to
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ensure the positive outcomes. Mainly the managers of the concerned company control and
monitor the strategy implementation process and the leaders provide guidance to the
employees so that the positive outcome can be acquired which enhances the performances of
the concerned organisation.
Functions
Planning: planning can also be termed as future ways by which M&S can improve the
quality of their products. The manager must ensure that while planning, these steps have to
be included.
 He will establish the objectives through a systematic approach.
 He will make sure that the accurate establishment of planning premises.
 The manager is responsible for selecting the right approaches or alternative course
of action. He will also make the derivative plan and follow up plan.
Organizing function: The planning function in M&S is followed by the organizing function.
The manager have to perform certain steps which includes;
1. He must identify the activities which are related to the organization so that the
goal and objectives can be achieved.
2. The activities must be organized in the sequential manner so that they will be
able to achieve the goal is the fast time.
3. The authority must be classified, so that each employee should know if they
will face any difficulty then whom they will report. It will make proper
organizational structure.
4. He has to ensure that there is proper co-ordination between the authority and
the person who is responsible for doing the job.
Staffing function: The manager is responsible for recruiting the right staff at the right place,
so that the skills of each individual can be utilized more efficiently.
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Directing function: The manager have to become the team leader and guide his team or direct
them in the most appropriate way. He should encourage all the employees to work harder so
that the goals of M&S can be achieved. He should direct all the employees in the positive
way so that they will remain connected with the company.
Controlling: All the activities in the organization is controlled by the senior manager. He has
to make sure that the activities and processes followed by the employees are accurate and
legal. The products developed must have the highest quality. All other controls like
recruiting, managing and handling the inputs and outputs of M&S is done by the manager.
System theory: This is the most dominant theory used by the organization. The theory can be
closed system or an open system. Any system is the complex part which includes a set of
different elements and forms a complete system. The closed system is not getting affected by
external environment like the government rules and regulations while an open system can
affected by the environmental factors. It is used in investigating both the principles which are
common to the complex entities by using some mathematical tools. This is used in evaluating
those elements which are heavily affecting the business of M&S.
Chaos theory: this teaches us to expect those things which can never happen. The principle
of chaos theory is based on the butterfly effect. Even though, it will take a long time but the
process will be real. The unpredictability is always there. The system is sometimes very
complex because no one can predict what can happen. The system is helpful in increasing the
efficiency and effectiveness of the products because the feedbacks are more, so the company
will be able to identify the needs of the consumers and make certain changes which will meet
their requirements and demands.
Mitzberg's
managerial roles: According to this, there are 10 roles which are divided into three
segments by M&S. One is information role, second is decision role and third is interpersonal
role. Interpersonal role will further include Entrepreneur, spokesperson and negotiator. All
these are used by M&S to define the relationship between the management and the
employees. Information role includes figurehead role, leader and disseminator. These roles
are used to provide the information regarding the market condition and other activities which
are going on in the organization. The leader bis the one who will tell the news to all the
employees. The decision making role includes Liasion, Monitor, resource allocator and
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disturbance handler. M&S is using all these roles in their decision making process. The
disturbance handler will give them guidance about the current situation. This will be helpful
for the company in making the decision in context with the financial terms or any other term.
P3. Applying different models and theories for proper management of the
leaders and managers
In the opinion of Antonakis and House (2013, p. 33), business organisations structure the
economy of a country. Business organisations are bound to follow certain roles and
responsibilities, which will help them, move on the path of glory and success. Business
organisations are shaped profitable by the members working for the organisation. The leaders
and even the managers of a business organisation can be symbolically equated to the roots of
a business organisation. In the opinion of Antonakis and House (2013, p. 33), the proper and
productive functioning of the managers, as well as, the leaders of an enterprise shapes the
success of the enterprise. The leaders and even the managers of M & S Ltd perform
numerous activities for the growth of an enterprise. In the perspective of Bowers et al. (2016,
p. 96), these roles and the responsibilities performed by the leaders of an organisation, as
well as the managers are analysed and even guided by the help of various models and
theories. In this section such models and theories will be analysed those which are used for
evaluating the functioning of the managers, and the leaders of M & S Ltd. Some of the most
important theories for fulfilling the above mentioned task are the Situational leadership,
system leadership etc.
Situational leadership
Situational leadership is a form of leadership, which is developed or created by Paul Hersey
and Kenneth Blanchard. In this type of leadership the leaders of the business organisation
must at first completely analyse the capabilities and the skills of every employee of the
organisation. The next step that the leaders perform is to structure the activities and tasks in
such a way that the employees are able to present their creativity in those works. Therefore,
the activities in which the leaders mould the situation in accordance to the employees
comfort, so that they can work productively and profitably for the enterprise are referred as
Situational leadership. In the perspective of Bowers et al. (2016, p. 96), this form of
leadership could affect the operations of M & S Ltd positively. Moreover, by utilising this
form of leadership the enterprise will be able to derive best productivity from the employees
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of the enterprise. The employees will also be influenced by the organisation, as they will find
the organisation is giving importance to their perspectives and even thinking for their
betterment.
System leadership
In the view of Carter and DeChurch (2014, p. 482), system leadership is another form of
leadership used by business enterprises. In this type of leadership the leaders of the enterprise
do not structure the situations in accordance to the employees of the enterprise. However, the
System leadership believes that the employees of the organisation must be well informed
about the functioning of the enterprise, so that they may work accordingly. In this form of
leadership the members in the position of leaders, do not much focus on deriving the
capabilities of the working force, whereas they believe on moulding the capabilities and the
skills of the employees according to the needs or the demands of the business enterprise.
Conclusion
The business enterprises are structured profitable by the proper functioning of the leaders and
the managers of the business enterprises. In this section the roles and the responsibilities of
the managers and the leaders are described, which M & S Ltd may undertake for reaching the
pinnacle of success. Moreover, there were discussions on the type of leadership, which M &
S Ltd may implement in the functioning of their organisation to surpass the other
competitors.
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Task 2
LO 3 Demonstrating appreciation of the roles of managers and leaders
Introduction
In the perspective of Cavarretta et al. (2015, p. 16822), the leaders and the managers play
very important role towards the growth of an organisation. In this particular section of the
assignment, a discussion will be conducted on the on the various approaches undertaken by
the business enterprises. Moreover, the management consultant of M & S Ltd will explain the
various approaches undertaken by M & S Ltd for managing the operations of the business
enterprise. At the end of the assignment, the management consultant will also demonstrate a
clear understanding about the relationship, which exists between the leaders and the
managers of the business enterprise leading M & S Ltd on the path of glory and success.
P4. Explaining the major approaches to operation management of
managers and leaders
In the perspective of Cavarretta et al. (2015, p. 16822), Operational management is a kind of
business practices or functioning undertaken by the business enterprises for the development
of the organisation. A business organisation comprises of various elements those who work
towards the growth of the organisation. The elements are the employees of the enterprise, the
leaders of the enterprise and even the managers of the enterprise. In the opinion of Chuang et
al. (2016, p. 524), the operational management refers to the process performed by the
business oriented enterprises in order to extract complete productivity from the members
working for the business organisation. Moreover, Operational management focuses on
increasing or enhancing the productivity of the business enterprise, whereas utilising
minimum amount of resources. In the perspective of Colbert et al. (2014, p. 351),
Operational management also functions towards the proper management of the managers of
business enterprise, as well as, the leaders of the business enterprises, so that the company
may function profitably. The major approaches towards management are explained here.
Some of the approaches of management of the leaders of an organisation are as follows:
Deriving out great mentors
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This is the first approach, which M & S Ltd must undertake in order to improve the
leadership quality of an organisation, so that the organisation performs profitable and leads to
the economic growth of the country. In the perspective of Luo and Liu (2014, p.1725), the
leaders are the most important elements existing within a business enterprise those who
influence the other employees of the organisation to work productively, as well as, profitable
for the business organisation. Therefore, the enterprise must work towards finding proper
mentor among the other members of the organisation, so that they may perform the task of
motivating the other staffs of the business enterprise.
The objectives of the organisation must be made clear to the leaders
In the perspective of Manley and Titchen (2016, p.24), it is very important to note that the
members linked with any company will not be able to work productively and efficiently for
the organisation, until they are acknowledged with the objective of the business organisation.
Therefore, the business enterprise must focus on providing proper training to the leaders of
the enterprise, so that the objective or the goal of the organisation is clear to them. Once the
objective is clear to the leaders, they could create their own vision about the growth of the
enterprise and work on it.
In the perspective of McCleskey (2014, p.117), another important methodology utilised by
the business enterprises to manage the functions of managers and leaders of organisation
involves incorporating the Six Sigma methodology. Six Sigma methodology is beneficial as
it focuses on improving the activities or functions performed by the leaders of a business
organisation. The Six Sigma methodology forces the leaders to undertake the process of team
work. The effort that a leaders shows while maintain a whole team projects its efficiency.
Similarly, M & S Ltd could also utilise such approaches for the cause of operational
management of leadership. Similarly, various approaches are also undertaken for managing
proper functioning of managers of organisation.
Key approaches of OM
Six sigma
This is the process for improving the operational management quality. It will be done
by reducing the errors, defects, so that the cost will be reduced and it will save more time.
DMAIC is the tool used for six sigma.
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Define: The requirements and needs of the consumers have to be defined clearly.
Measure: M&S have to measure the methods by which they can identify the changes which
are needed to be done.
Analyse: Proper analysis have to be done for finding out the root cause of the problem. The
changes have been made according to that so that the requirements can be met.
Improve: The process have to be improved, so that the goals can be achieved in the faster
way.
Control: The control on the process is must, so that the goal can be achieved.
The main key to six sigma is using standard methodology, executive leadership and keep
measuring, managing and improving the processes.
Lean production: It is the term used in manufacturing the products by keeping the process of
manufacturing environment friendly. Lean production is done by eliminating the waste,
maximizing the flow, minimizing the inventory, meet the requirements of the consumers,
make the products in the right way from the first time. This is first time used in Toyota
production system.
Queuing theory: The queuing theory is the mathematical way of representing the waiting
period. It will include all the processes of arrival, service processes, the number of servers,
number of system places and total number of consumers. This theory is used for developing
highly efficient system which is used in reducing the waiting time of the consumer and
increase the number of consumers which can be served by M&S.
Management approaches
Total quality management: It is also known as total productive management used to describe
the management approaches which are used for long terms to fulfil the consumer's needs and
demands. Few principles of TQM, which are as follows;
It is based on the aim of focusing on the consumers needs and demands. The
employee involvement will be full. It can also be considered as the process centred approach.
The system used is very integrated one. Strategic and systematic approaches have been used
to achieve the goals and objectives set by M&S. The decision making is based on the facts
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