Management and Operations: Leadership Theories and Application

This report provides a detailed analysis of leadership and management within the context of business operations, using Morrisons UK as a case study. It defines and compares the roles and characteristics of leaders and managers, differentiating between their functions by applying various theories and concepts, including situational, systems, and contingency leadership. The report examines how these roles apply in different situational contexts and assesses the strengths and weaknesses of various approaches within a work environment. Furthermore, it explains key approaches to operations management, emphasizing the importance of leadership and management in achieving business objectives and improving operational efficiencies. The impact of the business environment on operational management and decision-making is also assessed, analyzing how different factors affect the wider community. The report references Mintzberg's managerial roles and Fayol's principles of management to illustrate the functions and responsibilities of managers and leaders.

MANAGEMENT AND OPERATIONS

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................2
TASK 1..............................................................................................................................................3
P1- DEFINE AND COMPARE THE DIFFERENT ROLES AND CHARACTERISTICS OF A LEADER AND
A MANAGER.................................................................................................................................3
M1- ANALYSE AND DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN THE ROLE OF A LEADER AND FUNCTION OF A
MANAGER BY EFFECTIVELY APPLYING A RANGE OF THEORIES AND CONCEPTS........................4
P2- EXAMINE EXAMPLES OF HOW THE ROLE OF A LEADER AND THE FUNCTION OF A
MANAGER APPLY IN DIFFERENT SITUATIONAL CONTEXTS.........................................................8
P3- APPLY DIFFERENT THEORIES AND MODELS OF APPROACH, INCLUDING SITUATIONAL
LEADERSHIP, SYSTEMS LEADERSHIP AND CONTINGENCY...........................................................9
M2- ASSESS THE STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO SITUATIONS
WITHIN THE WORK ENVIRONMENT..........................................................................................10
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................12
P4- EXPLAIN THE KEY APPROACHES TO OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT AND THE ROLE THAT
LEADERS AND MANAGERS PLAY................................................................................................12
P5- EXPLAIN THE IMPORTANCE AND VALUE OF OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT IN ACHIEVING
BUSINESS OBJECTIVES...............................................................................................................13
M3- EVALUATE HOW LEADERS AND MANAGERS CAN IMPROVE EFFICIENCIES OF
OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT TO SUCCESSFULLY MEET BUSINESS OBJECTIVES.....................15
P6- ASSESS THE FACTORS WITHIN THE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT THAT IMPACT UPON
OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT AND DECISION-MAKING BY LEADERS AND MANAGERS.........16
M4- ANALYSE HOW THESE DIFFERENT FACTORS AFFECT THE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT AND
WIDER COMMUNITY..................................................................................................................18
CONCLUSION.................................................................................................................................19
REFERENCES...................................................................................................................................20
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INTRODUCTION
The term management and leadership can be defined as the organizing and leading activities of
managers and leaders. The major purpose of this assignment is to understand the differences
between managers and leaders in the context of their roles, traits, characteristics and
functions. Different approaches and theories of management will be discussed in order to
ensure the efficiency of organizational operation. Different functions of the managers and
leaders will be explained in the report that also includes situational and contingency leadership
approach. Further, the significance of operation management will be described that helps in
accomplishing the goals or objectives. The chosen organization for this assignment is Morrisons
UK.
Morrisons is the fourth largest supermarket chain of UK that was founded in 1899 by the
William Morrison. The company has overall 498 stores in several locations in the UK with the
approximate revenue of GBE 16.317million. It provides food and beverages, fashion clothing,
accessories, books and magazines and the CD or DVDs. The numbers of employees are
approximately 132,000; who are working with the organization and helps in achieving the goal.
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TASK 1
P1- DEFINE AND COMPARE THE DIFFERENT ROLES AND CHARACTERISTICS OF
A LEADER AND A MANAGER
MANAGER-
A manager is a person who can organize, coordinate, control and monitors the business
operations efficiently. It can also be described as an individual, who is widely responsible to
make an effective decision for the success of an organization and then directs the path to the
employees with proper monitoring of services (Yabuki, 2016). A manager can lead the functions
of different departments by setting goals and allocating the working criteria to different team
members accordingly. Basically, Manager carries four types of management functions that
include planning, organizing, leading and controlling.
LEADER-
A leader has the capacity to lead others with the appropriate motivational tactics for
accomplishing certain goals or objectives. The leader of the company easily makes plans and
influences the others with the directed path of manager towards gaining competitive
advantages. The leaders of an organization simply believe in the goal satisfaction that is based
on the working criteria and motivational level of followers.
LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT-
Leadership is the ability to lead others while management comprises of the monitoring and
controlling of the business operations (Antonakis and Day, 2017). The basic difference between
the management and leadership is that the leaders do not hold the management position.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MANAGERS AND LEADERS-
AREA OF COMPARISON LEADERS MANAGERS
TRAITS The leader is positive,
motivated, self-directed and
Managers are more likely to
be disciplined, confident,
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persuasive. patient and committed to
working.
ROLES AND
RESPONSIBILITIES
The leader is responsible to
encourage people and shows
the appropriate path to the
employees and staff
members, directed by the
managers (Reim, et al. 2016).
The main role of the leader is
to create a vision and
influencing people towards
accomplishing goals or
objectives.
The manager is widely
responsible for controlling
and monitoring of the
business operations. Planning,
coordinating, decision making,
the functioning of the work,
monitoring of services are the
major role of the manager.
AUTHORITY AND POWER They have the power to lead
others.
They have the authority to
make decisions.
M1- ANALYSE AND DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN THE ROLE OF A LEADER AND
FUNCTION OF A MANAGER BY EFFECTIVELY APPLYING A RANGE OF THEORIES
AND CONCEPTS
ROLE OF THE LEADER-
Some of the following roles of the leader are-
Visioning and leading the way- a leader is able to create an inspiring vision and directs the
appropriate path to their followers towards gaining success.
Empowering and energizing- he inspires and motivates the people through different activities
so that they can easily communicate and share their views with the full support (Anderson, et
al. 2015).
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Encouraging teamwork- a leader involves every follower in the decision-making process and
then encourages them effectively so that they can do their work in a proper manner. he also
able to guide them with the proper monitoring of operations.
FUNCTION OF THE MANAGER-
Following the functions of the manager are described below-
Planning- in this stage, planning and mapping of the goal is to take place where the manager
decides the strategy for the future growth and development of an organization.
Organizing- after making a decision, they are more likely to organize the team members and
resources for the attainment of goals or objectives (Burgoyne, 2012).
Staffing- they direct the people and also recruits new members for the growth of the
organization. They also provide the required resources and gives training to the people
accordingly.
Controlling- the major function of the manager is to control and monitor the business
operations effectively.
HARD MANAGEMENT AND SOFT LEADERSHIP SKILLS-
Hard management skills are incorporated with the coercion and inducement. The hard power a
resource majorly comprises of the hiring, firing, bargaining, negotiation, intimidation,
manipulation etc. it refers to the capability to manage and organizing the structures by
implementing the strategies (Haimes, 2015).
Apart from that, soft leadership quality includes personal abilities or characteristics that the
leaders have possessed. A personal leadership soft skill includes communication, emotional
intelligence, clear vision, positive nature and so on.
MINTZBERG MANAGERIAL ROLES-
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The manager plays a vital role in different situations and the overall functions of managers can
be understood by the Mintzberg theory; who categorized the roles and responsibility of
manager in three components such as interpersonal, informational and decision roles (Heizer,
2016). There are overall ten major roles that the manager can play and these roles come under
these categories.
Interpersonal roles-
 The figurehead: in this role casual and informal duties are to be considered.
 The leader role: in this role, the manager works like a leader and motivates their team
members.
 The liaison role: in this criteria, the manager works between the top management and
subordinate staff.
Figure: Mintzberg Managerial Role
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[Source: https://relivingmbadays.wordpress.com/2012/06/28/27/]
Informational roles-
 The recipient role: the manager monitors the performances and gathers data.
 The disseminator role: when information or data has been collected then it passes to
the subordinates.
 The spokesperson role: manager communicates the informational goals and the
performances criteria to the staff members.
Decision roles-
 The entrepreneurial role: the manager continuously seeks out for the new ideas and
approaches for the betterment.
 Disturbance handler: here, the manager works on the basis of a problem solver
(Hopkin, 2017).
 The resource allocator role: manager allocates the different roles and responsibilities
among the team members.
 The negotiator role: he works according to negotiate with the different people for
resolving any kinds of issues.
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P2- EXAMINE EXAMPLES OF HOW THE ROLE OF A LEADER AND THE FUNCTION
OF A MANAGER APPLY IN DIFFERENT SITUATIONAL CONTEXTS
As it has been already discussed that how leaders and the managers play their certain roles
towards achieving the predetermined goals or objectives. The functions of the manager can be
understood by the Fayol’s theory that describes five basic functions of the manager such as
planning, organizing, commanding, controlling and the coordinating
FAYOL’S PRINCIPLE OF MANAGEMENT-
The management principle developed by Fayol are majorly based on the fundamental truth that
serves as a guideline for the decision making process. Basic 14 principles of Fayol’s theory are-
Division of work- different areas of expertise level has been categorized in these criteria in
which work is allotted to the members according to their knowledge and experiences that can
be helpful in increasing the efficiency (Kerzner, 2013).
Authority and responsibility- power and authority are given to the management for making
decision and works according to the enhancement of effectiveness.
Discipline- it is the core value part in accordance with the vision and mission of conducting such
a framework that helps in running the operation smoothly.
Unity of command- it means that the employee receives order and take the responsibility of
manager for leading the work and reducing issues.
Unity of direction- it is all about the unity, direction and focus that can be linked with the
particular objectives (Kruse, 2013).
Subordination of individual interest- it majorly indicates the personal interest of an individual
for doing the work.
Remuneration- in this stage the employees should be motivated and productive in attaining the
goal. There are two basic types of remuneration such as non-monetary and monetary.
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The degree of centralization- the management authority should be balanced properly that
referred to the decentralization.
Scalar chain- it defines a clear line on the authority level that is concerning with the reports and
outcomes.
Order- the staff members should have the knowledge to use resources for smoothing of
functions.
Equity- the manager must control and monitors the services equally. They should treat their
employees equally and fairly (Kruse, 2013).
Stability of tenure of personnel- it represents the deployment and managing of services that
helps in reducing employee turnover.
Initiative- the staff members should be allowed to express their thoughts and views towards
making new plans or decision.
Esprit de corps- it contributes to the development and growth of the organizational culture that
can create mutual understanding.
Moreover, the managers and leaders of the Morrisons play the vital role for organizing and
leading the things that help in empowering the staff members and employees towards
accomplishing the goals or objectives (McCleskey, 2014). They applied several approaches
according to the different situational context and make plans for enhancing the productivity as
well as effectiveness accordingly.
P3- APPLY DIFFERENT THEORIES AND MODELS OF APPROACH, INCLUDING
SITUATIONAL LEADERSHIP, SYSTEMS LEADERSHIP AND CONTINGENCY
Situational leadership- this model of leadership theory has been developed for understanding
the organizational behaviour. It is task-oriented and the successful leaders are more likely to
adopt this approach for improvising their performances criteria and influencing others towards
accomplishing certain goals or objectives. It is the fundamental concepts that the leaders of
Morrisons have been applied this theory for improving the performance of employees and staff
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workers that can also help in building the strong relationship among them as well as create a
healthy environment (Yabuki, 2016). By creating healthy or positive working culture, the
managers and leaders of the Morrisons can develop the morale among the employees and staff
members; by which they can easily do their work towards accomplishing goals and gaining
competitive advantages.
System leadership- system leadership theory within the Morrisons majorly based on the
monitoring and controlling of the organizational services. The managers and the leaders firstly
make plans and then communicate with the employees and staff members effectively towards
making strategies for accomplishing goals and objectives. It helps in reducing complexities and
issues within the workplace.
Contingency leadership theory- the contingency leadership theory is laid emphasis on the
characteristics or personality traits of leaders and managers. Basically, it is based on the leading
style in the situation that clearly defines the traits and characteristics of leaders. It also helps in
reducing many of the problems and issues (McCleskey, 2014). It is majorly important for the
focus on the aspects of a leader-led situation that has been applied in the different situational
context towards accomplishing goals or objectives accordingly.
M2- ASSESS THE STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF DIFFERENT APPROACHES
TO SITUATIONS WITHIN THE WORK ENVIRONMENT
The situational leadership approach referred to the various kinds of styles that the leader has
been applied within the organization and for developing the strategies towards accomplishing
goals or objectives. There are overall four leadership styles such as directing, coaching,
supporting and the delegating. These come under the situational leadership approach based on
the followers accordingly (McCleskey, 2014). The model of situational leadership is timeless and
repeatable that can helpful for improvising the performances of an individual as well as creates
the common goal.
STRENGTH OF THE SITUATIONAL LEADERSHIP APPROACH-
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By applying the situational leadership approach within the organization might be helpful for
creating common interest among the people. It sets the standards for improvising the
performances of an individual. It is accountable for multi-directional working criteria that
influence the employees or staff members for their certain work; so that they can easily do
their work in manner towards gaining competitive advantages (McCleskey, 2014). It helps in
accelerating the [ace and quality of employee development that allows the leaders or managers
to effectively drive the behaviour towards creating a healthy environment and interpreting the
strategies accordingly.
WEAKNESSES OF SITUATIONAL LEADERSHIP APPROACH-
Apart from the benefits, there are several weaknesses of the situational leadership approach
that can affect the quality standards and decreases the rate. It may create confusion and there
is an inconsistency on the entire working criteria. It might be coercive and persuasive.
Sometimes the leader loses his credibility and trustworthiness with the staff members and
employees.
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