Analysis of Leadership and Management in Operations at Dwell, UK

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of leadership and management practices within Dwell, a UK-based furniture retailer. It begins by defining leadership and management, differentiating between the two, and exploring the application of Management by Objectives (MBO). The report examines the roles of managers according to Mintzberg, differentiating between hard management skills and soft leadership skills. It further delves into transformational processes in operations management, quality management, including the costs of quality, Total Quality Management (TQM), and the Just-in-Time (JIT) approach. The report then introduces the Dwell organization, detailing its departments, management team background, and strengths and weaknesses of managerial approaches. It highlights the three roles and duties of management, providing examples of leadership styles and transformation processes. The impact of adjustments for capacity management is also considered, along with recommendations for future improvements in management. The report concludes with a summary of findings and references.

Management and
Operations

Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................2
LO1 & LO3......................................................................................................................................2
Overview of company:...........................................................................................................2
Definitions of leadership and management............................................................................2
Difference between leadership and management...................................................................3
Management by objectives (MBO).....................................................................................3
Role of managers according to Mintzberg.............................................................................4
Hard management skills and Soft leadership skills................................................................5
Three Transformational processes in operations management..............................................5
Quality and four cost of quality..............................................................................................6
Total quality management and role of managers in it............................................................6
Just in time approach and waste reduction in operations.......................................................6
Capacity management in operations.......................................................................................7
LO2 & LO4......................................................................................................................................7
Introduction of Dwell organization........................................................................................7
Department including the role................................................................................................8
Background of management team..........................................................................................8
Strengths and weaknesses of managerial approaches............................................................8
Three roles and duties of management in organization..........................................................8
Occasion description as evidence of management strengths..................................................9
Leadership styles....................................................................................................................9
Types of transformation process............................................................................................9
Impact of adjustment for capacity management...................................................................10
Recommendations for future improvements in management...............................................10
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................11
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................12
1

INTRODUCTION
Management can be defined as managing of whole functions and activities of organisation
whereas, operations are concerned with modification of raw material into finished goods both are
interrelated with each other because their main objective is to enhancing profitability of firm.
They both are responsible for re-designing each activity and satisfy the customer’s needs so that
revenue figures and sales of firm can be improved in marketplace. Chosen organisation for this
report is Dwell which is a retailer of furniture products along with based in UK. This assignment
will describe about roles and specialities of leaders and managers along with comparison
between them on the basis of roles and characteristics. In addition, role and functions of leaders
and managers in different organisational context along with impact of business environment
factors on management and decision-making process of leaders and managers will also covered
under this report.
LO1 & LO3
Overview of company:
Dwell is an UK based firm which was established in 2002 with an aim of offering
fulfilling needs of furniture products across the UK nation. Whole activities and functions of
firm are regulated by Aamir Ahmad, Sean Galligan and Dave Garrett who are the directors of
firm. Now company is operating its business operations within 36 outlets across the nation. Net
revenue of firm in previous year is 4.5 million pound which is enough for firm in managing its
small kind operations. Management structure of Dwell is given as below:
Definitions of leadership and management
Leadership: These are the capabilities of leaders who have ability to get contributions for
completing work from its teammates. They plays very important role in improving sales figures
and performance level of employees. In context of Dwell, leaders of company always support
their teammates because of their efforts company have gained high growth and success in UK
market (Ageron, Gunasekaran and Spalanzani, 2012).
Management- It is a function which is done by those individual who have lots of
experience and knowledge and provide maximum support in achievement of goals of
organisation. According to John Kotter, managers are mainly focuses on achievement of goals of
firm and for this; they allot roles and responsibilities to their employees as per their skills and
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capabilities so as to gain maximum outcomes in future. In Dwell, managers provide direction to
their staff members so that goals can be achieved in desired time-frame.
Difference between leadership and management
J. Kotter has made some differences between the functions of leadership and
management which are given as below:
Basis Management Leadership
Meaning This is an art of managing and
organising each functions of
firm so that business activities
can be carried out effectively.
This is a skill which is earned
by some individuals by giving
a lots of time in a specific
activity or field and that is
used by them so as to
accomplish tasks effectively.
Emphasis Management function is
mainly related with managing
and completing each activities
of firm effectively.
Whereas, Leadership function
mainly focuses on encouraging
or motivating employees so
that functions can be carried
out effectively.
Strategy Management function is
mainly related with formation
of strategies.
While, in leadership leaders
have to formulate strategies so
as to complete given tasks.
Management by objectives (MBO)
It is a strategic management model whose main aim is to improving performance of
organisation through clarifying objectives and policies to employees. In addition, it is a planning
or controlling each functions of organisation so that pre-set goals of firm can be achieved
effectively. According to this structure, management and subordinates have to perform their
duties together so that predetermined targets of Dwell can be achieved effectively. In context of
Dwell, company offers latest furniture products to its customers therefore it is important to their
leaders to initiate their employees so that their innovative ideas can be used in production
process of firm which leads the firm towards growth and success in market (Barnard, 2017).
Process of MBO
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Establishing long term goals - It is the first phase of MBO process in which
Management of Dwells have to frame specific goals for long term. For example- managers of
Dwell have decided to improve efficiency of their operations in upcoming five years.
Develop action plans – In this, Managers of Dwell have to frame some plans and
activities regarding the framed objectives like implementing new machinery, recruiting new
employees etc. so that objectives can be achieved successfully.
Take correction plans - In this phase of process managers of Dwell have to monitor
each activity and function which is framed by them. So that, if gap will be found in any activity
then effective measures can be taken for rectifying the problems.
From the above phases, it has been analysed that MBO is an effective strategic tool which
can be used by management of Dwell for achieving high growth and success in marketplace.
Role of managers according to Mintzberg
Interpersonal – This kind of role is directly related with healthy atmosphere of firm in
which managers of Dwells have duty to make effective decisions and strategies by involving the
employees in the functions of firm. So that, healthy atmosphere can be maintained at workplace
which leads the firm towards growth and success in market.
Informational roles: Managers also perform informational roles in which they have to
provide each information to employees for given task so that goals can be achieved successfully.
They have also liability to praise them on the basis of their performance so that their loyalty can
be maintained towards firm (Barratt, Choi, and Li, 2011).
Decisional roles – This role is also played by managers of each organisation because in
it, they have to frame effective decisions and policies so that goals of organisation can be
achieved effectively. In Dwell, their managers plays several roles such as conflict resolver,
negotiator etc. in their workplace so as to manage each functions at workplace effectively.
Trait theory of leadership – This model is based on characteristics of both successful and
unsuccessful leaders which are used by leaders for identifying effectiveness of themselves in
workplace. In addition, this theory includes six kinds of traits such as Drive, desire to lead, self-
confidence, honesty and integrity etc. If these skills are used by leaders of Dwell then they will
not only able in resolving conflicts but also supports their organisation in gaining high
competitiveness in marketplace. Two kind of leadership styles are given as below:
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Autocratic – This style is used by leaders when they have to increase productivity of
operations in less time period. With the help of this style, Leaders of Dwell will be able in
improving efficiency of operations which ultimately leads their organisation in achievement of
their desired objectives.
Democratic – In it, leaders have to provide healthy and free environment to their employees
so that they can perform their duty with full confidence and devotion. In Dwell, Leaders can use
this style for increasing loyalty and dedication of their staff members towards organisation.
Hard management skills and Soft leadership skills
It is very important for the managers to analyse the performance of employees so that
strategies can be formed for achieving desired objectives of organisation. Hard management
skills are very helpful in it because without it Managers of Dwell can’t measure the capabilities
of employees which can leads shortage of employees and resources at workplace. Whereas, soft
leadership skills includes communication, self-motivation, decision-making etc. which should be
effectively acquired by leaders of Dwell so that healthy environment can be maintained at
workplace (Goldhaber, 2013).
Three Transformational processes in operations management
Transformation process is very important and helpful for Dwell in meeting with the current
requirements of customers in marketplace. Management of Dwell can use three kind of process
in it which is given as below:
Redesign process - Complete operation management or part of it may be redesigned to
satisfy the changes. Reside has unique income and products to attract the clients on events in
order that needs and offerings may also need the changes to carry out the work in an effective
way. The inner operations may be redesigned to supply extra state-of-the-art paintings for
customer pride.
Development process – This process should be used by management of Dwell because it
not only helps them in improving efficiency of their working structure but also support them in
gaining competitiveness in marketplace.
Transformation of leadership styles – Leaders of Dwell should change their leadership
styles as per the situations of workplace so that employees remain loyal and motivated at
workplace.
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Quality and four cost of quality
Quality can be defined as the excellence in a product or services as compare to its
substitutes. In Dwell, firm believes in offering quality products to its customers and for
maintaining this they have to adopt four cost in their operations which are given as below:
Cut the cost of operations – More decreasing of cost can remove the quality of product
therefore; management of Dwell should consider this aspect and make investments accordingly
so that quality in their offerings can be maintained in marketplace.
Remove unessential activities – Unessential activities in business operations can also
increase cost of products so that management of Dwell should monitor each activity of
production so that unessential activities can be removed for increasing quality of their offerings.
Internal failure cost – This is the cost which is related with reframing of production
activities and waste management which should be invested by management of Dwell carefully so
that quality of offerings can be maintained in marketplace.
Appraisal cost – Cost which is invested by organisation for retaining their loyal employees is
termed as appraisal cost. In it, managers of Dwell should provide appraisals and rewards to their
staff on the basis of their performance. So that, employees get motivated and provide supports in
maintaining quality of firm’s offering (De Roover, 2017).
Total quality management and role of managers in it
It can be defined as an important approach which can be used by Dwell for improving
quality of their products and services. Through using this approach, management of Dwell will
not only satisfying the needs of their existing and potential customers but also able in increasing
loyalty of them towards offering of firm. For example – using of advanced machinery in
production process of furniture products will increase quality of offering of Dwell. In which
managers have to organise training programmes for their staff members so that they will be able
in using these advanced techniques in their daily functions. Through this, management of Dwell
will be able in achieving high sustainability and growth in marketplace.
Just in time approach and waste reduction in operations
Management of Dwell is using this approach so as to reduce waste and improving efficiency
of inventory management systems so that products can be delieverd in market place on time. In
addition, this approach is very beneficial for Dwell because through it, in festive decisions when
demand of furniture products is high in market management will be able in satisfying the needs
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and wants of customers effectively. It will also help them in reducing cost of inventory
operations which ultimately leads the firm towards increasing profitability. In this, leaders have
to play the role of motivator for their employees so that they can work hard through using
resources in optimal manner.
Capacity management in operations
Managers of Dwell can use three methods i.e. strategic planning, incentive adjustments and
solving issues for managing capacity in their operations which can be understand by as below:
Strategic planning – This method is very beneficial in order to managing capacity of the
operations such as through maintaining capacity and making investments in advanced
technology company can easily meet current requirements of customers which will leads the firm
in getting sustainability at marketplace.
Inventory blocking – This method can be used by managers when demand of offering is low at
marketplace. For example- in off season when products and services of Dwell are not sold
according the expectations then management should block their stock at their warehouses so that
these inventories can be used when demand of offerings are increased at marketplace (Lehmann,
2015).
Solving issues – Conflicts among the employees can be arising at workplace at any time so
that; management of Dwell should prepare themselves and make effective plans for resolving
these issues. It will prove beneficial for Dwell in terms of their profitability because when
employees get motivated at workplace then they provide more efforts for completing given tasks
which ultimately supports the firm in maintaining capacity of human resources at workplace.
LO2 & LO4
Introduction of Dwell organization
Dwell is a furniture retailer based in United Kingdom. The company was formed in the
year 2002 as a retail store at the city of London. After falling into administration, it was re-
established in July 2013. The company was acquired by British retail group DFS in August 2014.
The company was founded by Aamir Ahmad, Sean Galligan and Dave Garrett with a single store
in Balham 2003. Soon the company grows to the other parts of the United Kingdom. Till the
ending of 2010, company rapidly grow to the locations such as Birmingham, Cardiff, Manchester
and Glasgow.
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Department including the role
I am working as a management intern in my organisation in which I manage the various
type of data regarding the operations and employees. My main role is to assist the HR managers
in developing strategies, hiring of new employees, etc. so that the organisational functions can be
smoothly performed. Human Resource department also serves different department of Dwell by
providing them with the workers having suitable skills and knowledge. Also I help the HR
managers in conveying the policies and strategies to the employees for better understanding.
Background of management team
Managers in Management department of Dwell are highly efficient in their work due to
which they are performing their roles in an effective as well as efficient manner. They are
possessed with suitable skills such as time management, communication skills, interpersonal
skills, decision making skills through which they are providing their maximum efforts to the
organisation for accomplishment of desired organisational goals. These managers are also
confident in their working due to which they took better and proper decisions even after having
risks and complication upon the implementation.
Strengths and weaknesses of managerial approaches
The management department of Dwell is having some strengths due to which they are
utilising the resources in an effective manner. They are properly assigning the roles and
resources to the different department in proper manner so as to avoid the excessive wastage.
Due to this, company is ensuring the production of quality based furniture products which will
enhances the customer satisfaction. They are capable of understanding the market trends due to
which they are developing the strategies accordingly and considering the environmental factors
due to having knowledge and experience. However they follows the autocratic leadership style
due to which employees becomes dissatisfied in time of pressure of work. This will negatively
impact the employees as well as managers as overall efficiency of the department becomes low.
The performance measure tools of the managers are also not effective due to which proper
evaluation of performance could not be done (Karnani, 2011).
Three roles and duties of management in organization
The management of the company desires to accomplish the targets described by the higher
authorities by providing the strengths and weaknesses towards the goals. Management
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additionally has the role to hire skilled and experienced employees to simplify the attempt and
cost to perform the work in time. Management group is accountable to finish the objectives of
organization with performance. Management needs to acquire the facts approximately the aid
usage and preparations to aid the organization to decide the long term objectives. The records
forwarded from the management crew is utilized in different departments to prepare the goods
and services. For instance, the manufacturing department uses the assistance of management in
order to provide the preferred capabilities in products. In this way, management has function of
planning on targets of company, controlling on assets to deliver the effects and degree of
performance to decorate the loyalty in services.
Occasion description as evidence of management strengths
During the festival season, sale of furniture and wood products increases which is huge
opportunity for the firms like Dwell. The management of the Dwell also captures such
opportunities so that the sales of the products provided by the company can be enhanced.
However, the management also needs to look out for the concerns and issues of their customers
The management develop suitable strategies for keeping the motivation among the employees so
that they can perform their work with more efforts in order to meet the demand of the market.
Leadership styles
During that peak season or festival season, the managers follows the autocratic and
transformational leadership style in order to manage the work and responsibility. Managers have
used the autocratic leadership style for saving the time in the development of product, they direct
their employees for working their work however they also provides the compensation to the
employees which keeps them motivated. These compensations and rewards are provided under
the transformational leadership style. Managers used their power of knowledge and experience to
take effective decision for the betterment of the firm. They also make the best decisions
according to situations in operations. These both types of leadership styles are assisting them in
achieving the organisational goals of increasing the profit and revenue (Jacobs, Chase, and
Lummus, 2011).
Types of transformation process
Transformation process is used by the managers for overcoming the failures for adopting
the change in the organisation. For bringing the change in the organisational functions and
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employees, managers are providing the work to the employees according to their skills so that
they can finish the work in an effective manner. The managers also provides training to the
employees so that they can understand the change and can adopt it in their working. However it
is not essential that the change always brings better results. It can also negatively impact the
performance of employees due to which managers of the dwell are measuring the performance of
their employees by comparing the result of after and before of change. Through this, they are
ding proper modifications in strategies for bringing more benefit to the organisation.
Impact of adjustment for capacity management
Capacity management in Dwell has resulted in some improvement for the firm in meeting
the changes and trends of the market so that the supply can be provided according to the demand.
However, these modifications has some positive as well as negative impact which is as follows:
Positive impact: The cost of the firm has reduced up to some extent due to reduction in
cost of inventory management and quality audit. Through this, the company provides the
products according to the demand in market so that wastage can be managed (Jacobs, Chase, and
Lummus, 2011).
Negative impacts: However the sudden increase in requirements has impact the
organisational operations and performance. The sudden increase in demands of products and
services of specific kind has influence the work management and cost on operations. The
management also does not consider the employees engagement in development of strategies.
Recommendations for future improvements in management
Dwell is having an effective team of workers which are enough for achieving the
organisational aims and objectives. However the company needs some improvement in several
weak areas so that maximum possible performance can be achieved. Some of the
Recommendations for the Dwell Company are as follows:
Staffing: This process of the Dwell Company is good however the company needs
modification in their recruitment and selection process so that more effective candidates can be
hired in the organisation. The firm needs to use the mental ability test and psychometric test too
in their recruitment process so that the internal capabilities can be determined in an effective
manner.
Communication: The Company does not have proper communication channel through
which the employees from all levels can communicate with each other. Due to not having proper
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communication channel, there is a communication gap among managers and employees at the
workplace. The Dwell needs to develop a proper communication channel through which the
taken decisions of the managers can be conveyed to the employees for their better understanding.
CONCLUSION
From the above discussed assessment, it has been concluded that managers and leaders
both plays very important role in achieving growth and success of firm. Planning and organising
of resources in effective manner always leads the firm in gaining competitiveness in
marketplace. In addition, Management by objectives also supports the managers in framing
objectives according the market trends and demands of customers. Whereas, leaders uses their
different skills and take supports from different styles so as to increase productivity and
profitability.
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REFERENCES
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Online
Five Functions of Management. 2018. [Online]. Available through:
<https://expertprogrammanagement.com/2017/11/five
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