Analysis of Leadership and Management in Business Operations Report

This report delves into the critical differences between leadership and management, examining their distinct roles and responsibilities within a business context, specifically using Marks and Spencer as a case study. It explores the application of leadership and management in various situations, including decision-making, risk-taking, and problem-solving. The report analyzes different leadership theories and approaches, such as situational leadership and the contingency model, evaluating their strengths and weaknesses. Furthermore, it investigates key approaches to operational management and the factors that affect it, providing a comprehensive analysis of how leaders and managers contribute to achieving business objectives within the broader operational landscape.

Management and Operations

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
TASK 1 ...........................................................................................................................................4
P1 Different roles and characteristics of a leader and a manager...............................................4
M1 Application of theories and concepts for differentiating between role of leader and
functions of manager...................................................................................................................5
P2 Application of the role of a leader and the functions of manager in different situations.......5
P3 Different theories and models of approaches.........................................................................6
M2 Strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to situations..........................................7
Weaknesses : ..............................................................................................................................7
D1 analysis of different theories and approaches of leadership..................................................8
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................9
P4 The key approaches to operational management and role played by leaders and managers. 9
P5 Importance and value of operations and management in achieving business objectives......9
M3 improvement of efficiency of operational management ....................................................10
P6 factors that affect operational management........................................................................11
M4 how different factors affect business environment wider community...............................11
D2 critical evaluation of application of operational management and factors that affect
business environment................................................................................................................12
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................12
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................14

INTRODUCTION
Operations are the day to day activities that are performed in any business. It is important
that they are managed in a manner by which highest level of efficiency can be achieved and this
process of managing operations is known as operational management (Barratt, Choi and Li,
2011). Mark and Spencer Ltd. Is a company providing clothing facilities. In this report the
impact of the leaders and managers on the operations of M&S will be investigated. Together
with this the best approaches and practices that are required to be used by the company in respect
of operations management will be discussed and for this purpose external factors that affect
operational management will be investigated.
TASK 1
P1 Different roles and characteristics of a leader and a manager.
Marks and Spencer is a British multinational retailer which was founded by Thomas
Spencer and Michael marks in 1884. The headquarters of the company is situated in London.
The company deals in various products which include Food Products, Home products and
apparels (Brandon and Mullan, 2013). The organisational structure which is followed by the
company is a flat structure in which there are limited levels between front line employees and
administrative department. With the help of this structure employees will be motivated and better
decisions will be possible to be made.
In every company it is required that directions are set that should be followed by a group
and the person who is the super head of those directions is a leader. Manager is a person who for
the achievement of goals plans, organises and controls all the processes of the organisation.
Comparison between both is done in the table below :
Basis of comparison Roles and Characteristics of
leader
Roles and characteristics of
manager
Orientation The work of leader is public
oriented which means they
engage the people for
achieving the goals.
The orientation of managers is
towards setting goals and
achieving a particular task.
Focus Their main focus is on leading They focus on managing the

people in order to achieve the
targets.
work and bringing stability.
Responsibilities There main responsibility is to
inspire people to achieve
something.
Their responsibility is to
manage the activities in the
company.
Approach to risk They are ready to take risk. Managers always avoid taking
risk.
Formulation They formulate principles and
guidelines.
They formulate policies and
procedures.
M1 Application of theories and concepts for differentiating between role of leader and functions
of manager.
The difference is described in the table provided below :
Role of leader by applying theories Function of manager by applying theories
Trait Theory : according to this theory every
person is born with some qualities which help
them in achieving success in their leadership
roles which involve intelligence, sociability
and determination and leader will perform his
role by using these traits.
Behavioural theory : this theory does not
considers inborn traits rather focuses on
behaviour of the leader by studying which his
capabilities can be determined and also his
chances of leadership success. It says that
leadership capabilities can be learned.
Human relations theory : according to this
theory it is important that human relations are
maintained for the achievement of the
objectives (Chin, 2010). So manager will be
required to work in order to build good
relations among employees in M & S Ltd.
Chaos theory : this theory says that in any
business change is inevitable and it cannot be
controlled so it will be required from the
manager to be prepared for deaking with the
new changes that will occur and for this
purpose to maintain stability more structure
will be required.

P2 Application of the role of a leader and the functions of manager in different situations.
The role of leaders and managers in different situation can be applied in the following
manner :
Decision-making : the role of the leader is limited to management of the team he is leading. He
is required to work in order to motivate and inspire the members of his group in order to make
them achieve the targets and for that they are required to take decisions in regards to formulation
of strategies that are to be followed by the group (Cho and Dansereau, 2010). Manager is
responsible for the management of all the tasks that are related to the M & S Ltd. He is required
to make decisions for all the aspects of the company and for that it is required that he possess
good skills of decision making as the decisions that are made by him will be for the benefit of
both people and the company.
Risk taking : while performing any activity there will be some amount of risk that will be
present in it. It will be the responsibility of the leader and manager both to look after that risk. As
the leader is managing a team so they will be required to consider the risk that will occur in their
team. Manager on the other hand is managing the whole organisations so all the risks that will
come in the organisation will be required to be considered by them.
Problem solving : this is an important aspect which is required to be taken into account for the
efficient working of the company as problems arise in all organisations and it will be the duty of
leader and manager to identify the problem and formulate the policies according so that the
identified problems could be resolved (Dekker, Bloemhof and Mallidis, 2012). Leader will solve
the problem arising within his team whereas manager is required to look after all the problems
arising in M & S Ltd.
A part from them other situations that should be considered will include team building
and conflict resolution. Leaders will be needed to build a team spirit among his team and
manager among the whole organisation and also the conflicts that will arise in the team and
company should be resolved by leader and manager respectively (Haider and Riaz, 2010). This
will be important as without building team spirit and resolving the conflicts it wont be possible to
achieve the objectives of the company.
P3 Different theories and models of approaches.
Different theories and approaches of leadership are described below :

Situational leadership : In this theory main focus is provided to adapting to the situations of the
organisation due to this reason it is considered as adaptive leadership style (Krajewski, Ritzman
and Malhotra, 2013). In this the leader considers qualities of all the members of his team and
also the variables that are present in the company and on the basis of it choose the best possible
leadership style with the help of which the objectives of M & S will be achieved. It enhances the
skills of all by bringing out the best from them.
System leadership : in this model it is required that an understanding of the system should be
developed and this can be done by examining the interactions and linkages that exits between
various components that are involved in the whole system of the organisation. By this
appropriate leadership will be developed due to which the company will be able to gain
advantage.
Contingency model : according to this model there are various situations which are needed to be
taken into account by a leader so his effectiveness will differ in different situations
(Kuruppuarachchi and Perera, 2010). A leader should possess different skills by which he can
work in different situations by using various theories and approaches and company will be able
to earn benefit due to this.
M2 Strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to situations.
Strengths and weaknesses of different approaches are mentioned below :
Trait theory
Strengths :
 detailed knowledge and understanding of the leader element in leadership process is
given by this theory.
 Potential leader can be identified by knowing traits that make a leader successful. Clarity of this theory makes it easy to be implemented.
Weaknesses :
 it does not specify the magnitude of trait that should be possessed by a leader.
 Most of the leaders does not possess all the traits that are identified.
 No unanimous agreement is present about the traits that are desirable.
Behavioural theory
strengths :

 This theory is simple to understand and easy to put in practice (Lin and McDonough III,
2011).
 It is possible to measure the results and demonstrate the progress on the basis of it. The main principle behind this theory is that rewarded behaviour will be repeated.
Weaknesses :
 It is not always easy to change the mind of people and their behaviour.
 The thoughts and feelings of client are neglected in it.
Human relations theory
strengths :
 In this theory employees well being is considered.
 Improves the relation between employees and managers. Leads to recognition or appreciation of workers which motivates them.
Weaknesses :
 prediction of workplace behaviour is difficult.
 According to this all are considered in one way which means that there is oversimplified
human behaviour.
 Strategies that are prepared are based on predicted behaviour.
Chaos theory
strengths : the major strengths of this theory is that it is widely applicable in modern technology
and science era (Mayer, Kuenzi and Greenbaum, 2010). It can be extremely useful for the
business to conduct a research in this area of communication and management.
Weaknesses : the main weakness of this theory is that they are in due from input parameters that
are chosen. For the purpose of computing parameter, a method is chosen which is based on kind
of analysis done which is mostly complex.
D1 analysis of different theories and approaches of leadership.
The critical analysis of various theories is presented below :
situational theory : according to Morgeson, FDeRue and Karam, (2010) it has been stated that
in this theory assumption is made that leadership is different in each case. It describes the
manner in which all the various styles of leadership are applied at different levels of
development to the subordinates who work there. The development level of subordinates is
required to be identified so that effective leadership can be achieved.

System leadership theory : as stated by KuruppuarachchiMüller and Turner, (2010) it has been
analysed the in this theory the concept is that in order to achieve effectiveness of leadership it
will be required that the whole system that is followed in the organisation should be studied in
detail and than the theory which is to be applied should be selected.
Contingency theory : as per the views of Salahuddin, (2010) it has been depicted that in this
theory both leaders personality and situation are required to be given the due importance. In this
two styles are identified which are task motivated in which accomplishment of task is considered
and relationship motivated in which importance is given to interpersonal relationship.
TASK 2
P4 The key approaches to operational management and role played by leaders and managers.
In case of operations management there are basically two approaches that are identified
which are dynamic approach and system approach (Schyns and Schilling, 2011). The approach
which can be changed according to the plan and situations is referred to as dynamic approach.
This approach is used when it is proposed that changes may occur and as this is not a fixed
approach so leaders prefer to use it in that situation. It is also applied by managers when there
exists certain aspects that keeps on changing in the organisation. In order to evaluate the market
elements system approach will be used. By using this approach the profitability of M & S Ltd
will be affected together with the other market elements. Leaders play an important role in
operations management as while working with their team leaders manage the day to day
operations so that it can be analysed that all the work that is done is done in proper manner and
no problems are faced in carrying out various operations and if any problem is detected than
required changes are made by the leader in his team on group basis or individually as may be
needed. Managers are required to look after all the operations that are conducted in the
organisation so that no problem can arise in smooth functioning of the company. This is because
if any problems will be detected and they are not solved than company will have to bear losses
due to it. So it is required that these approaches should be undertaken in order to achieve the
required objectives.
P5 Importance and value of operations and management in achieving business objectives.
In order to achieve the success and objectives it is required by every company to follow
operations management (Sheu, 2010). Mark and Spencer has also received the advantage of

using it as it has been able to achieve the effectiveness and also the goals that have been set were
also achieved. By performing this system it will be possible for the company to reduce the risk
that is involved in every function performed as by it the activities will be required to be done in
correct and sequential manner. More efficiency can be achieved by its performance as by the
help of it material and labour can be converted into goods and services. The work and actions
performed by all organisations are different from each other so the process of operation
management that will be followed by all will also be different. The importance of operational
management is that in this human resource is used which helps in attaining the objectives of the
company that have been set and also the goals of human resource are fulfilled. With the help of
best resources that are available it helps in achieving the goals in required time and also by
efficient utilisation of resources the risk factor involve in it is also reduced by which there will be
an overall development of the company. In order to achieve the targets it is required that M & S
Ltd should use operations management.
M3 improvement of efficiency of operational management
The efficiency of operational management can be improved by following these
approaches :
1. Lean production : in this approach the main focus is given on reduction of waste by not
compromising on quality (Shondrick and Lord, 2010). There are various aspects involved
in business which include designing, production and distribution and this approach can be
applied in all. Therefore leaders and managers should follow this approach in order to
improve the efficiency of operational management.
2. Total quality management : the efficiency of the management can be increased by
creating a strong customer base which can be achieved through customer satisfaction in
long term. This can be achieved by using total quality management approach in which
focus is given on improvement of processes, products, services in which the work is
carried out. The cycle which is carried out in this referred as PDCA cycle which means
plan, do, check and than act accordingly to improve efficiency.
3. Just in time approach : this approach is used by the company in order to reduce the
waste as in this the goods will be received as and when they will be required in the
process of production. By the use of it the cost of inventory will be reduced and thereby

increasing the efficiency of operations in M & S Ltd. For the achievement of this it will
be needed that accurate forecasts of demands should be there.
4. Continuous improvement : in this approach focus is provided on continuous
improvement and for the achievement of this it is required that continuous examination of
the operations should be performed so that the problems can be identified and then
eliminated. For this changes will be required to be made to reduce the defects and thereby
increasing the efficiency.
P6 factors that affect operational management.
There are various factors that have an impact on the operational management of M & S
are described below :
 Corporate social responsibility : it is one of the factor that affects the whole social
system and due to this reason it is the responsibility of every organisation to consider the
effect of it on all levels (Tayur, Ganeshan and Magazine, 2012). Every business holds
certain obligations which are beyond the economic and legal aspects. For the
achievement of this it is required that contribution should be made so that companies
which are more useful to the society are consolidated and together with the society,
company will also be benefited by it. The aspects that will be included in it are dealing
with the workers or investors or can say with all people.
 Business ethics : it is the duty of the management to plan the way in which activities will
be performed on say to day basis. It is required that proper business ethics are followed as
then only leaders will be able to guide the employees which will help the employees in
taking correct decisions. With the help of it not only the employees but also mark and
Spencer will be benefited. By following ethics company will be able to establish and
retain its reputation in the market and also stability will be created in the organisation.
 Stakeholders : the impact of stakeholders will be that they have the power by which they
can get the company to do anything. There are assumptions according to which it is
considered that actions of company are beneficial to the society. For this purpose it will
be required by the managers to identify the stakeholders and for this purpose practices
will be developed so that they could be understood and can be directly contacted so that
their impact can be identified and dealt with.

M4 how different factors affect business environment wider community.
The factors such as corporate social responsibility, business ethics and stakeholders will
have a great impact on the Mark and Spencer and also on the society. As every business has
some amount of social responsibility so it is required by it to spend some amount of its earning in
such activities that will be beneficial for the society. By doing so not only the society but also
organisation will be at receiving end as due to this public will get connected with it and will avail
the services of the company. By following business ethics the trust of the employees as well as
customers can be achieved which will help in increasing the efficiency on one hand as
employees will be encouraged and on the other hand customers will feel safe and will not go to
other suppliers thereby creating an advantage for the business (Zhang and Bartol, 2010). The last
factor is the stakeholders, they are those who have all the rights over the company and can force
them to undertake any actions whether by will or threat. Shareholders will work according to
them and sometimes it happens that due to their actions there is a great impact on the market
which is required to be identified and dealt with by the company in an effective manner so that
its impact on the business together with the society can be reduced.
D2 critical evaluation of application of operational management and factors that affect business
environment.
As stated by Yang, Hong and Modi, (2011) it has been depicted that the application of
operational management is essential for every organisation as by this effectiveness and efficiency
can be achieved by attaining the objectives and goals that have been set. In order to achieve this
it will be required by the management to follow certain approaches that will help the company.
Some of such approaches are total quality management, just in time approach, lean production
and continuous improvement. In the application of these approaches there will be certain
problems that will have to be identified and solved so that the approaches could be applied in the
most effective way possible. There are certain factors that not only affect the working of the
company but will also affect the society as a whole. If the company will work in an unethical
manner or use certain products that will be harmful for the environment than it will affect the
society and also because of it company will be affected as the trust of people on the company
will not remain intact and will create a wrong impression. Due to it company will not be able to
achieve its objective in the most profitable manner that could have been possible otherwise. So it

is required by mark and Spencer to consider all these factors in its working so that there effect
can be eliminated and it can achieve the objectives.
CONCLUSION
From the above presented report it can be concluded that leaders and managers are very
important for any organisation as without their support it will not be possible for the company to
achieve the targets in an effective manner. There are various theories that are applied by them to
achieve their targets. There are various other approaches that are used and factors that affect the
company and society as whole are identified and measures are taken to correct them. It can be
concluded that without management operations can never be performed with full efficiency and
so mark and Spencer will apply this in its business.

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