Leadership and Management in Operations: A Case Study of Ilford-On-Sea

This report examines the distinct roles and characteristics of leaders and managers within the context of Ilford-On-Sea, a construction company facing operational challenges. It defines and compares leadership and management, highlighting their functions in planning, organizing, and directing. The report analyzes the application of leadership and management in various situational contexts, emphasizing the impact on workforce management and financial obligations. It applies theories such as situational leadership, systems leadership, and contingency theory to address operational inefficiencies. The report assesses the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches, providing insights into improving operational management and achieving business objectives. It also evaluates the factors within the business environment that impact operational management and decision-making, analyzing their effects on the business environment and the wider community, concluding with recommendations for improved leadership and management practices.

Management
operations
(MO)

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
P1 Define and compare the different roles and characteristics of a leader and a manager.........1
M1 Analyse and differentiate between the role of a leader and function of a manager by
effectively applying a range of theories and concepts.................................................................3
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................3
P2 Examine examples of how the role of a leader and the function of a manager apply in
different situational contexts........................................................................................................3
P3 Apply different theories and models of approach, including situational leadership, systems
leadership and contingency..........................................................................................................4
M2 Assess the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to situations within the work
environment.................................................................................................................................5
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................6
P4 Explain the key approaches to operations management and the role that leaders and
managers play..............................................................................................................................6
P5 Explain the importance and value of operations management in achieving business
objectives.....................................................................................................................................7
M3 Evaluate how leaders and managers can improve efficiencies of operational management
to successfully meet business objectives.....................................................................................8
TASK 4............................................................................................................................................8
P6 Assess the factors within the business environment that impact upon operational
management and decision-making by leaders and managers......................................................8
M4 Analyse how these different factors affect the business environment and wider community
.....................................................................................................................................................9
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................11

INTRODUCTION
Both management and operations being interlinked to each other are referred to be some
fundamental elements of strength in the businesses. The present report is based on a scenario of
Ilford-On-Sea which is a privately owned organization dealing in construction projects and is
headquartered in Romford Essex, situated in the east end location of London. It is a small
business enterprise that is largely affected from an economic downturn in the year, 2008. It is
hereby known to face some management related issues that has deeply impacted upon its
business growth and development (Wheelen, Hunger, Hoffman and Bamford, 2017). The below
report has discoursed upon such workforce management related concerns that occurred in the
selected establishment and ultimately ruin its overall agenda. It is thereby important to
continuously monitor the monitoring and controlling the ongoing operations in an enterprise.
This report has clearly defined some key roles and responsibilities of managers and leaders in
effectively handling the undertaken operations of the chosen company. This has in turn
enlightened the difference between these positions that are very much associated to one other.
TASK 1
P1 Define and compare the different roles and characteristics of a leader and a manager
Definition of leadership and management
This is firstly to define the 2 vital terms called leadership and management, where
leadership is referred to be an artistic intelligence of an individual to encourage others for the
attainment of a common or shared goal (Lu, Laux and Antony, 2017). It also defines the ability
of an individual to influence and guide others in a positive direction and make sound decisions
for the welfare of both the organisation as well as the individuals.
Management on other hand is one level higher than leadership where it is a procedural
approach meant for creating effective policies to run the organisation as a whole. Management is
much more concerned about handling the operational requirements of Ilford-On-Sea and depicts
less interaction with people at individual level.
Role of leaders and functions of manager in Ilford-On-Sea
This is to determine a distinct set of leader’s roles and managerial functions in Ilford-On-
Sea, it has been found that management functions consist of below mentioned procedures-
 Planning- This is referred to be one of the most basic function of management that
initiates the entire procedure of planning actions for a timely achievement of set
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organisational goals and objectives (Slack, 2015). It however necessities an active
involvement of all organisational bodies with some other key considerations involving
the accessible resources.
 Organisation- It is referred to be yet another pivotal phase in which the managers of
Ilford- On- Sea will be responsible to ensure a well organised availability of all
required resources. Considering this, there must be adequate capital, raw materials as
well as staff members for a smooth functioning of the overall organisation.
 Controlling and directing- This is one of the most applicable function of a manager to
command others and assure to keep everything on track. It together necessitates the
mangers to integrate with the workers by clearly communicating with them and
directing them for the betterment of their shared goals (Laureani and Antony, 2018).
Also, the employees must be aware of the decisions on which, they are supposed to
work and should willingly contribute in a timely accomplishment of Ilford- On- Sea’s
intended aims.
However, leaders on other hand had distinct set of roles, that are as described below- Shared vision- A successful leader is known to have a shared vision with common goals
and objectives, to be attained for the fulfilment of timely organisational aims. Setting a
clear vision towards the work is also required to positively influence a set of individuals
working together in a team. Goal setting- This is stated to be yet another vital concern of a leader who is required to
frame an action plan to guide and encourage an individual for attaining some specific
organisational goals (Jones Christensen, Mackey and Whetten, 2014).
Comparing the roles and characteristics of a leader and manager
Basis of comparison Leaders Managers
Roles and responsibilities The leaders are known to
follow the objectives set by
the managers and motivate
others for the same.
The managers are primarily
responsible to set the
objectives.
Communication The policies set and persuaded
by the leaders are then
communicated to the
The managers in the cited firm
are only accountable to
communicate the undertaken
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employees (Monnappa, 2017). policies to the leaders.
Directing The leaders of the quoted
entity and largely accountable
to direct their entire team to
attain the set organisational
goals.
The managers are known to
direct the group that mostly
consists of senior employees
or the workers at leadership
position.
Focus A prime focus of the leader is
to concentrate on developing
the individuals to attain
productive outcomes that
serve the purpose of the
organisation.
The mangers are required to
concentrate on the overall
functioning of the firm rather
than focussing only on the
individuals (Laureani and
Antony, 2017).
M1 Analyse and differentiate between the role of a leader and function of a manager by
effectively applying a range of theories and concepts
This is to differentiate among the role of a leader and function of a manager in Ilford- On-
Sea where the leaders are known to have a people oriented outlook in opposition to the managers
who are more focussed on the work and the procedural functioning of an enterprise. Beside this,
the managers have a significant contribution in fulfilling the functional agendas of the entity in
opposition to the leaders who are known to encourage the workers to a great extent (Heizer,
2016). The managers are known to generate ideas for the improvement of the company where the
leaders in the selected firm are known to implement the same. Lastly, a vital difference among
both exists in terms of guiding where the leaders are known to inspire the workers with a distinct
perception of the managers who are only meant to instruct people to do their assigned tasks, as
directed.
TASK 2
P2 Examine examples of how the role of a leader and the function of a manager apply in
different situational contexts
This is to discourse upon the fact where a leader’s role and manager’s functions directly impacts
upon the organisation and its employees to a great extent. It is with a specific context of Ilford-
On-Sea where they are currently dealing with some severe concerns of handling their workforce
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and make them understand the importance of collective working. This in turn has resulted in a
deficit sense of coordination at the workplace by together affecting their financial obligations in
a negative manner (Goleman, 2017). The reason behind it has been found to be an inefficient
management of workforce in the organization where the employees were found to operate in a
pressurized environment. Under this situational context, the managers are known to make
commands and forcefully get the work done by the employees. However, the leaders on another
hand are known to operate with a cooperative outlook and assist the teammates in supportively
carrying out the work and complete the goal on time.
This is also on referring to yet another situation of executing some new policies at work
where a leader’s attitude may largely differ from that to a manager’s attitude in terms of handling
the state of resistance in the workers towards a newly undertaken rule. Herein, a leader is
expected to react in an affirmative manner and strategically assist the workers in accepting the
change and could also make an effective use of several motivational techniques. However, a
manager on other hand is hereby expected to make it a strict requirement to be fulfilled with a
binding obligation on the workers to follow the same, even with a forceful consent.
P3 Apply different theories and models of approach, including situational leadership, systems
leadership and contingency
This is to apply some effective management theories and models as an approach to resolve
the issues pertaining in Ilford-On-Sea. These conceptual frameworks are apparent to assist both
the managers and leaders in an effective handling of the workforce. Below are some specifically
applied theories and models of approach-
 Situational leadership- This theory is proven to give a flexible outlook to the
organisations. It helps in determining the behavioural nature of the leaders and
managers towards any newly introduced change in the organisation (Chiarini and
Vagnoni, 2015). It thereby helps the employees to follow a similar approach to avoid
resisting from any changed procedure of work. It is usually based on 4 vital
constituents that are as specified below-
o Diagnose- It is a foremost step in which the leader of the cited entity will be
responsible to analyse the entire situation to clearly identify any possible risks
or uncertainty in the introduced system of change.
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o Adapt- Herein, the assessed situation will be adapted with a prime role of the
leaders to support the workers in easily accepting the change with a coordinated
outlook towards the achievement of set organisational goals (Burns, 2014).
o Communicate- At this particular phase, the leaders will tend to communicate
the significance of the undertaken goals to the workers by together explaining
the way in which, the change will meet the undertaken objectives. It is one of
the most important steps where a clear communication will lead to build a
strong relationship between the workers and the management.
o Advance- This is the last step in which, the leaders will be focussed on
administrating an effective functioning of all applied measures to control any
deviation from the planned approach that may not lead to expected outcomes.
 Systems leadership- This is referred to be a system based approach in which the leaders
possess a strict outlook towards the work and get it done rigorously, as per the
instructions or set policies (Certo, 2018). It thereby represents a disciplined approach
of the leaders towards the teammates and necessitates them to enforce a dominant or
autocratic style of leadership.
 Contingency theory of leadership- This being another effectual theory of leadership
also depicts a situational approach towards the work that in turn necessitate the leaders
to accordingly change their behavioural attitude. There exist certain behavioural
factors namely skills, abilities, flexibility and preferred leaning styles of the leaders to
adopt as per the need of a particular situation. Herein, the leaders may adopt a strict or
a lenient approach for handling the teammates.
M2 Assess the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to situations within the work
environment
This is to determine the above discussed approaches to handle distinct situations at work in a
specific setting where all 3 theoretical models that consist of both benefits and drawbacks, as
specified below- Situational leadership:
o It is a behavioural theory that is assistive in terms of analysing distinct behaviour
of the workers and handles them accordingly and easily manages any newly
introduced change (Lu, Laux and Antony, 2017).
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o It is often discouraging when ignoring the significance of practicality and hinders
in managing any resistant state of the employees. Systems leadership:
o A foremost strength of this theory is its collaborative nature.
o Although, there together exists a vital drawback where the leaders are often
required to adopt a strict approach to handle the workers for the attainment of set
goal which may also demotivate them (Goleman, 2017). Contingency theory of leadership:
o This is also proven to give favorable outcomes in accordance to the situation.
o Its flexibility is often risky in terms of handling resistant workers who are not
willing to accept any favorable change, at any cost (Slack, 2015).
TASK 3
P4 Explain the key approaches to operations management and the role that leaders and managers
play
This is to discourse upon the key approaches of operation management that is largely
focused on systematic operations of a business for its smooth functioning. It comprises with
various effective measures to assist the organisations like Ilford-On-Sea to increase their
efficiency with a special concern of improving the deficient areas that needs to be improved.
Below are the approaches to operations management with description of the roles played by
leaders and managers in each of it-
 Six sigma approach- It is basically a quality driven approach in which, both the
leaders and managers are required to assure a systematic functioning at the
workplace by avoiding any defects. Its roles are primarily divided in 2 vital segments
namely initiative leadership and project leadership that further breaks down in 6
distinct roles of deployment leader, champion, master black belt, black belt, green
belt and yellow belt (Laureani and Antony, 2017). It is thereby recommended to the
quoted entity to apply the six sigma black belt that consists of modern leadership
competencies. Also, it tends to develop the leaders in terms of selecting right set of
talent and assists in framing clear and promising paths with additional coaching and
training materials. Hence, it is considered to be a vital tool for emergent leaders.
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 Total quality management (TQM) approach- It is referred to be yet another effective
measure through which, the administrative department of Ilford-On-Sea can achieve
long term success by satisfying their customers. Although, this needs the managers
and other concerned bodies to formulate effective policies to improve the procedures,
products, services as well as the currently adopted culture of the work setting
(Heizer, 2016). It is basically to adhere to the 8 well defined principle of TQM, as
specified below-
1. A customer centric approach.
2. A vital involvement of all employees to collectively participate and
contribute in the attainment of shared organizational goals.
3. A process centric outlook is required to be adopted by the leaders and
managers of Ilford-On-Sea.
4. An integrated system to connect distinct functional requirements and
specialisms.
5. A strategic as well as systematic approach towards accomplishing the goals.
6. An intended outlook towards bringing constant improvement.
7. A fact based process of decision making is needed.
8. Open and effective communication to interact freely.
P5 Explain the importance and value of operations management in achieving business objectives
A prime objective of Ilford-On-Sea is to efficiently manage their operational aspects of
work to handle the workforce in the best possible manner. This necessitates the leaders and
managers to focus more upon the undertaken policies of human resources management and build
a supportive environment that helps all to work in a cooperative manner (Head and Alford,
2015). Operation management is basically defined as a process which includes some important
functions of planning, organizing, directing as well as controlling the undertaken procedures of
production and manufacturing, etc. It is a prime responsibility of the operation manager to assure
that all services are being delivered on time where the hired workers are successfully converting
the raw materials in finished goods. Below are some specific importance and value of operations
management-
 It is significant in terms of enhancing the overall productivity of the enterprise.
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 It takes care of all operational requirements of organisations like Ilford- On- Sea
and ensures fulfilling the exact needs and demands of the customers.
 It is together known to assist in an optimum utilization of the available resources in
minimal investment (Stead and Stead, 2015).
 It also helps the organisation to come up with inventive ideas to be applied at
minimal possible costs and provide quality service to the clients.
 It is one of the best ways to generate maximum profits and earn huge revenues with
assistance of a systematic flow of the business operations.
M3 Evaluate how leaders and managers can improve efficiencies of operational management to
successfully meet business objectives
This is to evaluate the way in which the leaders and managers can enhance the efficiencies
of operational management to successfully meet out the objectives. Herein, both leaders and
managers are required to have a shared vision towards a timely attainment of the set
organisational objectives (Certo, 2018). Also, a reinforced communication system to clearly
circulate the ideas is necessary to build a cooperative environment at work. Lastly, the
employees should be involved in the process of decision making to generate more innovative
ideas that should be implemented with a willing consent of each of the workers. This will lead to
an effective implementation of the ideas by together resulting in productive outcomes by the
employees.
TASK 4
P6 Assess the factors within the business environment that impact upon operational management
and decision-making by leaders and managers
There exist 2 distinct environmental factors that largely influence the undertaken decisions
of an organisation. It is with a similar context of the present undertaken firm that is also affected
by both internal and external environmental factors and impacts the decision making process
with a prime involvement of both leaders and managers. These are as referred below-
 Leadership and management style- This is a foremost factor that largely influences
the undertaken decisions of the cited entity. It is for instance if the appointed leaders
and managers of Ilford- On- Sea are using an autocratic style of leadership, then it
depicts a strict imposition on the employees to follow the undertaken policies (Pyzdek
and Keller, 2014). Democratic style of leadership on other hand provides a flexible
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approach to the employees towards the work by also involving them in the decision
making process and regard their opinions that largely inspire the workers.
 Customer’s demand- This depicts an external factor where the changing requisitions
of consumers in today’s dynamic marketplace directly impacts on the decisions taken
up by the leaders and managers to fulfil their exact taste and preferences.
 Organisational structure- This depicts the hierarchy of the organisation where a top
to bottom approach leads to create a gap between the lower and middle or upper level
employees (Kerzner and Kerzner, 2017). It necessitates the leaders and managers to
take decisions first and then impose the same on the lower level employees.
 Competitors- It is referred to be yet another concerning agenda where contenders are
always apparent to influence the decisions made by the leaders and managers in
Ilford-On-Sea. This is due to the fact where the decisions taken over here should be
enough competent to beat such an intense state of competition in the market.
 Macro and micro environmental factors- This determines the involvement of business
stakeholders in the business who are known to directly influence the decisions
undertaken by both the leaders and managers in the quoted entity (Laureani and
Antony, 2017). It is because the stakeholders must be benefitted from each and every
decision taken up by the associated organisational bodies.
M4 Analyse how these different factors affect the business environment and wider community
This is to evaluate the above undertaken factors that are known to impact upon the decision
making policy of Ilford- On- Sea. All of these factors are duly linked with each other and has a
direct relationship with the undertaken case study (Goetsch and Davis, 2014). Herein, customer’s
demand, competitors and macro environmental factors depicts the external business environment
of the cited enterprise. Whereas, the micro environmental factor, organisational structure and
leadership or management style depicts internal factors of the business.
CONCLUSION
The above report has summarised some key aspects of handling the key operational
considerations of a chosen company that was already facing certain management related issues.
It has also drawn some vital concepts of management and leadership by depicting certain number
of differences as well as similarities among them. Also, the significance of operations
management has been discussed to understand the way in which, the external environmental
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factors tends to impact upon the overall management of an organisation’s operation. It is
however with a major concern of affecting the decision making policies of the enterprise with a
discrete role of both the managers and leaders.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
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Certo, S.C., 2018. Supervision: Concepts and skill-building. McGraw-Hill Education.
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Saddle River, NJ: pearson.
Goleman, D., 2017. Leadership That Gets Results (Harvard Business Review Classics). Harvard
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Head, B.W. and Alford, J., 2015. Wicked problems: Implications for public policy and
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Lu, J., Laux, C. and Antony, J., 2017. Lean Six Sigma leadership in higher education
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Online
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