Leadership and Management Strategies: Marks & Spencer Report

This report provides an analysis of leadership and management practices within Marks & Spencer. It explores the characteristics of leaders and managers, comparing their roles and responsibilities in various situations, including stability, slow to moderate change, and fast-changing environments. The report details different leadership theories and models, such as situational leadership, contingency approach, and management by objectives, as implemented by Marks & Spencer. Furthermore, it examines key operational management approaches like Six Sigma, Just-in-Time, continuous improvement, lean production, TQM, and queuing, highlighting their importance in achieving business objectives. The analysis also covers the impact of operational management on decision-making by leaders and managers, underscoring the significance of effective operational strategies in attaining organizational goals and objectives, and improving brand image.

MANAGEMENT
AND
OPERATIONS

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
P1 Comparison of different characteristics of a leader and role of a manager.......................1
P2 Role of a leader and the function of manager according to different situation.................2
P3 Various theories and models of leadership.......................................................................4
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................4
P4 Key approaches according to role of leaders and managers in an organisation................4
P5 Importance of operations management in attaining business objectives..........................6
P6 Impact of operational management in decision making by leaders and managers...........7
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION
Management operations can be said as a branch which specialises in customer services. It
requires good communication skills and other knowledge for running a business in an
appropriate manner. In this operational management make plans and strategies according to the
needs and requirements of their customers. A managers set all rules and norms which are
beneficial for their organisation (Brandenburg and et. al., 2014). They have to plan according to
the limited resources available to them like coal, petrol and other things. Managers utilise all
these to make a finished goods, which they can sell and make profits. Marks and Spencer is a
multinational company of UK which deals in retail sector. This report will mainly focusses on
theories, characteristics and approaches which are related to leaders and mangers. This
assignment also involves the methods for achieving goals and objectives of Marks & Spencer.
TASK 1
P1 Comparison of different characteristics of a leader and role of a manager
For an organisation, managers and leaders; both are important former manages all the
task and latter take their team along with them in order to attain their set targets. M&S hires
eligible workers who are suitable and capable in performing their tasks. Leaders and managers;
both make decisions so as to achieve their goals in a specific time period.
Role of Leaders:
Supportive in nature: Leaders of Marks and Spencer take their team members together
so as to achieve their targets. They support an individual if he/she is not doing the tasks properly
which helps them to boost their morale and skills.
Motivator: They are known as great motivators for their employees who assist them to
work effectively. Leaders also tell their team mates about possible path through which they can
attain their objectives (Dobrzykowski and et. al., 2014).
Risk takers: Leaders are the one who implement new ideas and think out of the box.
They take risks for enhancing their business so that it can move in the forward direction.
Role of Managers:
Planning: It can be said as a major work which a manager does and i.e. planning they
plan according to the rules and norms which helps them in gaining their set targets. Hence, they
prepare a blueprint for their future task.
1

Staffing: Managers hire new candidates who are eligible for the post. Thus, HR manager of
Marks & Spencer select suitable candidate for the right job based on their capacities and
knowledge.
Organising: They organise work according to the respected department by which work is
performed systematically without any confusion. Thus, they assign task as per their capacity.
Controlling: Through continuous monitoring of their employees, managers can keep an
eye on them and identify problems in which company has to work.
Characteristics of leaders and managers:
 Managers and leaders; both are essential for a company and somewhat perform same task
for the growth of an organisation (Hajmohammad and et. al., 2013).
 Both aim for attaining targets in a specific time frame. Develop skills and knowledge which their employees can use in the future task.
Difference between Leaders and Managers
Leaders Managers
 Leaders can be said as the best
motivators they enhance the
performance of their employees.
 They can be classified as a great leaders
who boost their team mates.
 Managers of Marks & Spencer organise
the whole work and assign the task
accordingly.
 They recruit individuals who are
capable and eligible for a given work.
P2 Role of a leader and the function of manager according to different situation
Marks & Spencer is a leading company and has around 979 stores across the UK which
includes 615 stores that sell only food items. Approximately, 84,939 people are working in their
organisation and managing them is not an easy task. So, they have hired suitable candidates who
can perform the tasks appropriately. Both; leaders and managers have different work to perform,
leaders plan certain strategies by which they can increase their business and managers manages
the work accordingly so that it can be distributed to all departments equally (Schniederjans, Cao
and Triche, 2013).
2

Some of the situational conditions of Marks and Spencer are given below: Situation of stability: If business is going smoothly managers and leaders don't have to
do anything. Marks and Spencer follow some rules and policies which are introduced by
their company; as a result possibility of conflicts between employees has been reduced.
This helps them in creating a healthy environment in work place. Slow to moderate changing situations: For growing their firm in different areas
management should determine new fields where they can expand. Hence, Marks and
Spencer is growing in a slow pace. Fast changing situations: It is a great risk for companies when government make any
changes in their plans or policies. Thus, this have some impacts on their business. M&S
should make sure that they are monitoring the work so that they can make some changes
according to that.
Function of managers in different situations:
As it has been stated in above paragraphs that managers are the one who manages the
whole work in an organisation. Managers of Marks and Spencer are organising the tasks in a
proper manner which is making their company to achieve goals effectually in specific time
period. They are distributing work in various departments according to the capacity of doing any
task by a particular sector (Bartlett and Beamish, 2018). Managers can talk to their superiors if
employees are having any problem regarding working hours or wages. Thus, they are the integral
parts of an organisation without whom work cannot be done in a proper manner. They also assist
company in recruiting suitable candidates for their job so that they can help them in increasing
business across the globe.
Role of leaders in various situations:
Goal oriented: Leaders are more goal oriented. Cannot sit idle unless their work is done
or achieved their targets. They tell employees to push their limits so that they can attain their set
objectives with limited time period.
Boost morale of their team mates: Leaders teach their squad to cope up with all their
problems so that they can make effective decisions. They motivate them to work according to
present scenario which will reduce the chances of mistakes (Hitt, Xu and Carnes, 2016).
3

P3 Various theories and models of leadership
Marks and Spencer has utilised some of the theories which is helping them in growing
their business worldwide. Some of the theories and approaches which have been implemented by
this company are given below:
Situational Leadership: This theory is also known as Life cycle theory of leadership
which was profound by Ken Blanchard and Paul Heresy. Marks and Spencer has adopted this
plan so as to get maximum profits in initial years of their business so that they can gain immense
profit. In this organisation can change their plans according to the present situation in the market.
For example: Producing more commodities which their customers are using more in number
(Pinto, 2015).
Contingency approach: It is somewhat similar to situational leadership in this they work
according to a set plan. Thus, Managers of Marks and Spencer organise their task before doing
or distributing them. They apply appropriate plans for right situation. Supervisors make a
blueprint about the work which has to be done or performed by their co-workers (Contingency
theory, 2016).
Management by objectives: The main aim and objective of Marks and Spencer to
provide commodities as per the needs and satisfaction of their consumers. They provide a clear
vision to their workers so that they can work accordingly.
System leadership: in this kind of leadership styles plans are made in a systematic
manner and managers assign work in proper manner so that a proper system is maintained in an
organisation.
Therefore, M&S has implemented appropriate approaches which are required by the
company so as to enhance their business in current market place (Kauppi, 2013).
TASK 2
P4 Key approaches according to role of leaders and managers in an organisation
Management is a department which operates all activities and it one of the essential
sector in Marks and Spencer. Here, manager's and leader's role is very crucial they helps an
organisation to make strategies which will assist them for their future deals.
Some of the key elements are mentioned below:
4

Six Sigma: This approach is applied for removing defects and make some changes
which includes improvised products. It helps them to use different tools in manufacturing
process. By using this approach M&S has enhanced its productivity which will gradually
increase the sales of a particular commodity. S
Just-in-time: Marks and Spencer use this approach to reduce the effect of cost in their
activities which assist them in utilise their remaining money in other resources which are
important for manufacturing process. Time here is very essential, they have to manufacture
goods in specific time period so that they can distribute it to their retailers (Kerzner and Kerzner,
2017).
Continues improvement: For this Marks and Spencer take feedbacks from their
customers so that they can improve their products and relaunch them. This will assist them in
producing goods which are according to the scenario. Quality of products and commodities come
under this.
Lean Production: In this approach company tries to eliminate all their product waste
which are produced at the time of production. This support them to make good quality products.
Total quality management (TQM): It is one of the oldest hypothesis which is used to
increase the productivity and profitability. Marks and Spencer has implemented this theory for
making good products which customer can use it for a long term. Through this company can
have a good relationship with their consumer's.
Queueing: Marks and Spencer works according to customer's satisfaction which make
them capable of making proper decisions for their business. They manage products in such a
manner by which their cost is constant and through this they create maximum profits (Hristov
and et. al., 2013).
Role of leaders and managers in operational process
Leaders Managers
Leaders motivates their team members so that
they can work properly and achieve their
goals.
Works related to operations are managed by
them. Hence, they organise all activities of
their organisation.
They can make policies which are easy to Divide work to different departments
5

adopt this will create a strong bond between
the employees and supervisors.
according to the working capabilities so that
there is no confusion for them to perform.
Therefore, Marks and Spencer uses all above mentioned approaches which as a result has
enhanced their sales and revenues. This is also assisting them to improve their brand image in
front of their customer's.
P5 Importance of operations management in attaining business objectives
Main duty of operational management is to make right use of raw materials and resources
so that they are not wasted and from them a good quality of products is manufactured.
Customer's needs and satisfaction is kept in mind before introducing nay products. In short
period of time they can make plan and achieve them. Modification in business is very necessary
because to increase growth in their firms they should move according to the changing trends.
There are some of the points which are given below in context with Marks and Spencer (Gao
and You, 2015).
Keep up the quality: Company's first priority should be to provide best quality products
to their customers. M&S has produced such products which has increased their demands and
supply. They are constantly maintaining good relations with their customers.
Reduce wastage: Company should avoid maximum wastages and for this managers
should monitor their employees on a regular basis to see whether all the raw materials are used in
a proper manner or not. They should also make sure that their manufacturing process is not
affected by wastage. This will gradually improve organisation's productivity.
Improve efficiency of workers: Managers are one who handle recruitment process and
they select suitable candidates for their business. By implementing new tools and techniques and
conducting certain seminars and workshops superiors can enhance their employees performance.
All these factors can used for increasing an individuals existing knowledge.
Fine usage of resources: Company should manage and make proper use of all the
resources which are available to them. If organisation are introducing any new commodities
firm should make sure that they are using resources in a limited form (Brandenburg and et. al.,
2014).
Increasing sale: Manufacturing new products with supreme quality will definitely
increase their sales. So, it is essential to know about customer's choice and taste for which
6

company should ask for their feedbacks from consumers. This will help them in introducing
latest commodities it could be in fashion, clothings or beauty products.
Maximising Profit: Marks and Spencer has introduced certain products at very
reasonable rate which can be bought by any person of different sector. Company should make
sure that they are giving superior products and for that supervisors should keep a proper check on
their manufacturing process.
Customer's Satisfactory level: To maintain this level by any organisation they should
manufacture things according customer's needs and satisfaction. This will maintain a healthy
relation between company and customer as well. Gradually this increase customer's satisfaction.
Marks and Spencer must keep all these points in their mind for making a good brand
image of their company. This will gradually have a better impact on people who are buying their
products (Dobrzykowski and et. al., 2014).
P6 Impact of operational management in decision making by leaders and managers
Marks and Spencer operate their business with the help of leaders and managers and their
firm is gaining a better position day by day. They are optimising those rules which is providing
them with better feedback. They ensure that their customers are provided with superior quality of
goods. Company gives better services as compared to other organisations which is making them
better as well. Internal and external factors can have an impact on their business below there are
some of the internal factors
Corporate with social responsibility: It is essential for an organisation to cater the work
and activities so as to identify in which department requires further improvement. This will make
them eligible to compete with their rival companies and make them more better. Marks and
Spencer is giving a tough fight to their competitors who are present through out the world. It will
enhance the responsibility and capacity of the organisation itself and managers and leaders helps
them in introducing new strategies in an effective manner.
Sustainability: Under this category company should make sure that whatever resources
they are using should maintain them. By keeping all these things in mind Marks and Spencer is
providing all goods and services to their customer which are in superior quality. Organisation
should make sure that all their feedbacks are reverted in time so as to maintain their better
relation with their customers (Hajmohammad and et. al., 2013).
7

Stakeholders: Stakeholders are very necessary for any organisation because they are the
one who invest money in any commodity. If Shareholders or investors don't get appropriate
return than they will take their money back. Thus, it can be said as they are the investors. Their
views are taken into consideration by organisation before introducing any product. Provides
funds to different firms as per their requirements. Some of the factors depends on external and
internal which includes banks, big institutions, board members etc. Government can also come
under this because they make policies which firms has to follow for their future goals.
Intrapreneurship: This factor is important in relation with Marks and Spencer, it can be
state as a behaviour of entrepreneurs how they work with big companies. Supervisors are the one
under this who implement new policies and strategies which assist them to direct their employees
for better work performance (Schniederjans, Cao and Triche, 2013). Information provided by
them are as per the current trends which their staff members has to follow for work properly. So.
Company should make sure that their employees are working according to the norms and
regulations. They are implementing innovative ideas which are giving a broader perspective to
their supervisors for making effective decisions.
Thus, all these factors helps Marks and Spencer in making proper strategies which are beneficial
for their organisation.
CONCLUSION
From the above report it can be concluded that leaders and managers are important and
work accordingly in their different fields. They both have contrary roles and style of doing any
task. Managers manage the whole company according to the task assign to them and leaders lead
their team from front they motivate their team members so that they can achieve goals in specific
time frame. Other than this they should motivate co – workers to push their strength so that they
can perform all their difficult task effectively. Marks and Spencer have used some of the theories
which helped them in making proper decisions for future plans as well. This assist managers to
make proper plan which will aid them in reducing wastage.
8

REFERENCES
Books & Journals
Brandenburg, M. and et. al., 2014. Quantitative models for sustainable supply chain
management: Developments and directions. European Journal of Operational
Research. 233(2). pp.299-312.
Dobrzykowski, D. and et. al., 2014. A structured analysis of operations and supply chain
management research in healthcare (1982–2011). International Journal of Production
Economics. 147. pp.514-530.
Hajmohammad, S. and et. al., 2013. Reprint of Lean management and supply management: their
role in green practices and performance. Journal of Cleaner Production. 56. pp.86-93.
Schniederjans, M. J., Cao, Q. and Triche, J. H., 2013. E-commerce operations management.
World Scientific Publishing Company.
Bartlett, C. A. and Beamish, P. W., 2018. Transnational management. Cambridge University
Press.
Hitt, M. A., Xu, K. and Carnes, C. M., 2016. Resource based theory in operations management
research. Journal of Operations Management. 41. pp.77-94.
Pinto, J. K., 2015. Project management: achieving competitive advantage. Prentice Hall.
Kauppi, K., 2013. Extending the use of institutional theory in operations and supply chain
management research: Review and research suggestions. International Journal of
Operations & Production Management. 33(10). pp.1318-1345.
Kerzner, H. and Kerzner, H. R., 2017. Project management: a systems approach to planning,
scheduling, and controlling. John Wiley & Sons.
Hristov, A. N. and et. al., 2013. Special topics—Mitigation of methane and nitrous oxide
emissions from animal operations: III. A review of animal management mitigation
options. Journal of Animal Science. 91(11). pp.5095-5113.
Gao, J. and You, F., 2015. Optimal design and operations of supply chain networks for water
management in shale gas production: MILFP model and algorithms for the water‐
energy nexus. AIChE Journal. 61(4). pp.1184-1208.
Online
Contingency theory. 2016. [Online]. Available through:
<http://www.leadership-central.com/contingency-theories.html>.
9