A Comprehensive Report on Leadership and Management Roles at M&S

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of leadership and management roles within Marks & Spencer (M&S), a multinational retail clothing company. The report begins by introducing M&S's organizational structure and defining the roles and characteristics of managers and leaders. It then delves into the differences between managerial and leadership roles, examining them through various leadership theories such as behavioral, contingency, transformational, and systems theories. The analysis includes real-world examples of situations at M&S, illustrating how managers and leaders apply their roles to address challenges and drive performance. Different management and leadership theories, including situational, systems, and contingency theories, are applied to M&S's context to explore their impact on growth and sustainability. The report assesses the strengths and weaknesses of these theories and concludes with recommendations for future improvement, emphasizing the impact of managers and leaders on the organization's overall success. Task 2 shifts the focus to operations management at M&S, outlining key approaches, the roles and responsibilities of leaders and managers in this area, and the importance of these approaches in achieving M&S's objectives. The report evaluates the effectiveness of managers and leaders in improving operational efficiency and assesses the impact of external business environment factors on operational management, offering suggestions for future improvements.

Management Operations

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................................................
TASK 1.......................................................................................................................................................................
1. Introduction to M&S and its management structure.........................................................................................
2. Definition of manager and leader and comparison of their roles and characteristics at M&S
...............................................................................................................................................................................
3. Analysis of differences of managerial and leadership roles with various theories...........................................
4. Examples of situations at M&S and examination of managers and leaders roles application..........................
5. Application of different management and leadership theories at M&S for growth and
sustainability..........................................................................................................................................................
6. Assessment of strengths and weaknesses of theories of approach....................................................................
7. How managers and leaders impact M&S and recommendations for future improvement...............................
TASK 2.......................................................................................................................................................................
1. Introduction to operations management at M&S and their key approaches......................................................
2. Roles and responsibilities of leaders and managers at M&S.............................................................................
3. Importance and Value of key approaches for achievement of M&S's objectives.............................................
4. Evaluation of managers and leaders effectiveness in improvement of operational efficiency
...............................................................................................................................................................................
5. Assessment of impact of external business environment factors on operational management
...............................................................................................................................................................................
6. Critical evaluation of impact on M&S's operational management in wider business
environment...........................................................................................................................................................
7. Suggestions on recommendations for future improvements at M&S................................................................
CONCLUSION..........................................................................................................................................................
REFERENCES...........................................................................................................................................................

INTRODUCTION
The planning, forecasting, organising, coordinating and controlling of various functions
of business activities in an organisation is known as management. A group of employees or a
single person is responsible for this continuous and pervasive function. It is dynamic in nature
and aims at achieving goals and objectives with the help of certain rules and principles. While
operations are different functions done which include raw material conversion into finished
products and consists of processing, inspecting, transporting and storing of these items.
For this project, M&S has been selected which is a multinational retail clothing company
and operating globally. It was founded in 1884 and currently has over 900 stores, globally. This
report will compare various roles of leaders and managers as well as their application at M&S. It
will demonstrate an appreciation of the role they play in operations management and understand
their relationship in business environment.
TASK 1
1. Introduction to M&S and its management structure
M&S is a clothing company which sells clothing for men, women and kids as well as
various accessories. It has a multi brand organisational structure that includes managers and
leaders at each department. They consist of finance, production, sustainability, expansion,
communications, human resources, business development and logistics. Their structure is
hierarchical and consists of marketing, finance, operations and human resource management,
which have head managers and leaders along with employees that work in a team under each
department.
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2. Definition of manager and leader and comparison of their roles and characteristics at M&S
Manager:
Managers are individuals of an organisation that are accountable for various management
operations and functions. They are pervasive and their roles consist of making plans, organising,
staffing, controlling and taking important decisions at the company (Schönsleben, 2016). Their
characteristics are:
Knowledgeable
Managers of M&S have an understanding of the industry which they work in. This makes
them knowledgeable about all information that can be beneficial for their company's success and
good performance.
Reliability
Everyone at M&S relies on managers to take important decisions as they are the planners
and coordinators of various functions. Subordinates and senior management depend on them
before starting their work.
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Illustration 1: Hierarchical Structure
(Source: A Visual Guide to Your Company's
Organisational Structure, 2015)

Leader:
An individual that guides and directs employees of different departments, to achieve
goals and objectives, at a senior level is a leader (Hitt, Xu and Carnes, 2016). Their role is to
train, influence and encourage everyone in company to work together and effectively accomplish
their tasks. Some characteristics of leaders are as follows:
Good communication skills
Leaders at M&S are required to communicate with subordinates and colleagues in order
to create understanding and avoid ambiguity while working together. It is important for them to
be good at communicating in order to successfully operate management functions.
Committed
M&S's Leaders are committed towards their work and ensure that they motivate their
subordinates and colleagues to work together with the same commitment and efforts so that goals
and objectives can be achieved.
3. Analysis of differences of managerial and leadership roles with various theories
Differentiation between leader's roles and manager's functions
Leadership Management
Leader’s influence and guide employees by
inspiring and encouraging them through
visions of achieving goals.
Managers generally control employees by
organising and coordinating company's
functions.
Leaders follow a set of guidelines and
principles.
Managers have to abide policies and
procedures of company.
Leadership requires taking risks in order to
achieve goals.
Management is required for the purpose of
minimising and controlling risks.
Behaviour theory analyses how effective each
leader is and how they motivate workers. They
analyse which leader would be suitable for
what department.
Contingency theory states that managers take
decisions based on current situations (Bozarth
and Handfield, 2019). They do not consider
past or future options while taking some action.
Transformational leadership theory states that
M&S leaders connect with subordinates in a
Systems theory analyses various aspects before
making decisions to achieve goals. M&S
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certain manner which increases their morality
as well as motivates them to perform
efficiently (What Is Transformational
Leadership, 2018).
management examines every perspective and
opinion before implementing a course of
action.
They help in building of relationships among
each other which grows steadily.
Managers create organisational structures
through planning and measuring.
4. Examples of situations at M&S and examination of managers and leaders roles application
M&S has seen a fall in sales and revenue in the past few months. For this, they would
like to create strategies that will help to increase productivity of employees, which will lead to
high production of their products (Bromiley and Rau, 2016). M&S wants to increase profits by
year end due to their shortage of earnings during initial months of operations. They have seen a
decrease in performance of employees and lack of coordination and control in various
departments.
Once managers assess the situations and create strategies for increasing productivity,
smooth operation processes, high production and assign them accordingly, leaders begin with
implementing them. They create a vision of how goals and objectives are to be achieved by
employees and inspire them to perform their tasks efficiently and effectively. They inspire
everyone and build a relationship of understanding and trust in teamwork (Kato and et.al., 2015).
Their communication methods of delegating strategies is done in such a way that there is a clear
message and no confusion between subordinates. For example, when technological changes
arise, managers create training and development programs for employees, so that they are able to
adapt to it.
The leaders of M&S guide in executing strategies through determination and efforts
along with application of leadership principles. Their goal is to increase production and
productivity has been achieved and there is an improvement in revenue generation as well as
operating profits. They have trained their subordinates by inspiring them, noting down opinions
and ideas and implementing the best strategies. Leaders have successfully motivated employees
and boost their confidence to work better to accomplish organisational as well as individual
goals. The training and development programs for employees to adapt to technological changes,
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will be implemented strategically by leaders. Their application of leadership and management
roles has proved to be effective and efficient.
5. Application of different management and leadership theories at M&S for growth and
sustainability
M&S's leadership and management with regard to certain theories and models of
approach can explain leaders and managers roles in the organisation (Gao and et.al., 2014).
Given below are situational, systems and contingency leadership theories such as:
Situational Leadership Theory
Managers adapt to an organisation's style of management in this theory. They work
towards blending in with the development plans and leaders analyse how they can influence
employees. There are no specific skills that have to be used, but rather modification of existing
methods of management is done so that everyone can bring out their true potential (Choi, Cheng
and Zhao, 2016). Leaders determine when and how to implement strategies suitable for them as
well as for M&S's growth and sustainability.
Systems Leadership Theory
Determination of leaders and their roles is done in this theory. There is clarity in complex
areas which enables leaders to create proper strategies through systematic approaches. It deals
with determining external environment as well as relations with employees (Grant, Wong and
Trautrims, 2017). This helps leaders to guide and influence everyone even in dynamic
situations. It will help in growing and sustaining of M&S's performance. It leads to creation of
effective systems and increase in growth with the help of principles regarding human behaviour
and understanding.
Contingency Leadership Theory
There is no leadership style that can be the best according to this theory. Organisations
have to scrutinise systems in order to choose an action which will lead to employee satisfaction
and growth of M&S. Mangers and leaders are supposed to deal with each task differently by
applying different approaches. This theory generally deals with leader member relationship and
their interaction with each other, task structure defines how leaders set up their tasks and
positional power shows the power of managers over employees (Anand and Gray, 2017). After
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the analysis of situations with regard to above contents, it is decided whether the leadership style
chosen will be effective or not.
6. Assessment of strengths and weaknesses of theories of approach
Situational Leadership Theory
Strengths Weaknesses
It has an easy and simple application as
managers know the basics of this theory and
can work accordingly.
This theory may not be understood by every
manager, regardless of their experience.
Emphasis of connections between employees
and managers is done through value of each
other.
It gives importance to priority needs of an
organisation, which increases the chances of
forgetting about long term goals.
This includes flexibility in leaders as
employee's productivity decreases when strict
rules are prescribed in an organisation.
Not all managers can adopt flexibility as they
already possess certain skills that is hard for
them to change.
Systems Leadership Theory
Strengths Weaknesses
It gives importance to different dimensions of
management.
Relationships have to be determined due to
interdependence.
It is dynamic in nature but can be easily
applied.
Delay in decision making may occur due to
impracticality.
Decisions are taken uniformly. This theory does not analyse any contingencies
or business functions.
Contingency Leadership Theory
Strengths Weaknesses
Contingency theory is reliable and valid due to
its long existence in organisations.
It is a complex theory when put into action.
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This is flexible as employees do not keep
expectations from leaders with regard to
efforts.
Complete lists of implementation for certain
situations is not provided, which makes it
inefficient.
7. How managers and leaders impact M&S and recommendations for future improvement
Managers perform functions planning, organising, controlling and coordinating, on the
other hand, leaders put these strategic plans into action so that organisational goals and
objectives are achieved. Leaders and managers of M&S can use these theories to ensure that their
goals and objectives get accomplished which will help in growth of company (Bromiley and
Rau, 2016). Management can assess the situation and find strategies to increase production of
products as well as productivity of employees. Role of managers in analysis of task performance
by subordinates, examination and evaluation of various processes along with creation of
marketing strategies has to be done. With the help of this, decisions can be taken and strategic
plans can be created and assigned to leaders so that they implement the strategies which will lead
to achievement of organisational goals. Improvements can be done with the implementation of
suitable strategies so that employees work together and increase their productivity which will
ultimately provide high profitability at M&S as well as their growth and prosperity in the future.
TASK 2
1. Introduction to operations management at M&S and their key approaches
M&S key operations include manufacturing of clothing and accessories which attracts
customers to purchase from them in order to satisfy their needs. They aim at optimally utilizing
resources is the best possible way as well as meet standards of the company. They plan amount
of inventory required, their designs for new clothing lines and how they are to be supplied
(Schönsleben, 2016). Employees are trained so that company's goals and objectives are achieved
effectively and efficiently.
Six sigma management is a key approach of M&S's operations management where in
strategies are created for the purpose of improving output through utilization of high quality
management methods. These include analysis of disciplined and statistical data that help in
continuously improving production of products and services. It gets rid of any defects that occur
in the process. Assignment of teams are done and they are provided with projects that are well
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defined. They are trained to perform statements thinking at different levels so that employees are
well aware of advanced statistics and project management (Hitt, Xu and Carnes, 2016). All of
them work together to ascertain and accomplish goals and objectives as well as successfully
measure, communicate and coach subordinates to adapt to six sigma culture.
Lean management is another key approach of M&S's operations management. This
includes determination of long term methods of operating business functions so that there is
constant improvement in the work done. Tasks are performed systematically so that any changes
that are required can be done in order to achieve effectiveness. This approach aims at helping
managers gain a vision and identify goals of company. They try to minimise wastage of effort,
cost and time by getting rid of unnecessary steps and creating proper structures for business
process. Managers set targets and re-evaluate them regularly to ensure that employees are
working towards the right track (Bozarth and Handfield, 2019). They try to enhance their skills
as well as others by holding meetings with employees and analysing areas of improvements.
Total Quality management (TQM): This approach is followed by M&S with a motive to
maintain the high working standard at the workplace. This aids in boosting the overall efficient
of the company and also assist in attaining the business objectives. Also, TQM supports in
gaining continuous improvement to company by involving its employees at different level. M&S
makes the process centred so that each set of activities is completed in desired manner. Based on
it, required decision is been taken by the management. Below figure highlights the TQM
approach of M&S.
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Figure 1: Total Quality Management
(Source: Jacobs and Chase, 2017)
Just in Time (JIT): This is yet another crucial operation management practise that been followed
by M&S with a motive to reduce the inventory overhead. Through JIT, company procures the
raw material as and when it is required and doesn’t keep high inventory. From this, risk of
wastage of material also gets reduced and it helps company in utilising the space for other
fruitful process.
2. Roles and responsibilities of leaders and managers at M&S
Operations managers are responsible for measuring the performance of production and
maintenance of quality. They have to create marketing strategies so that they are able to attract
new customers. With the help of research and development, finance and human resource,
managers are able to combine all the functions so that goals and objectives of M&S are achieved
successfully. Leaders are responsible for implementing all the strategic plans so that the chain of
supply functions smoothly. They lead subordinates by guiding them on how products have to be
distributed to each store and ensure that their stock is updated and delivered on time (Kato and
et.al., 2015). Managers and leaders work together to increase productivity so that revenue
generated is high and employees work effectively towards earning large amounts of profits.
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3. Importance and Value of key approaches for achievement of M&S's objectives
Operations management plays an important role at M&S, which generally consist of
looking after the manufacturing process and production of clothing and accessories. Managers
have to ensure that these products are delivered successfully and on time. With the help of key
approaches, managers are able to perform work efficiently and can measure performance of
employees so that they can train anyone, if required. Leaders ensure that there is less wastage of
resources and raw materials are converted into finished goods with proper design as planned in
the beginning. They bring together all the various functions of M&S so that their ultimate goals
and objectives are achieved. Managers assign tasks systematically so that it is easier for
subordinates to effectively cooperate and work together. They are able to increase their skills by
learning new techniques and tools of lean and six sigma management (Anand and Gray, 2017).
Their supply chain consists of a proper structure which is very valuable for them. It starts with a
logistics operations that allows timely delivery to clients and customers. A team is created by the
managers and leaders guide them accordingly. They create new strategies regularly so that they
maintain productivity while growing their business.
4. Evaluation of managers and leaders effectiveness in improvement of operational efficiency
Operational efficiency can be achieved with proper implementation of strategies by
leaders, which have been created by managers of M&S. They can analyse past records of inputs
and outputs so that they are able to determine how much time, energy, employees and money is
required for generating needed profits. Managers can improve operational efficiency by
recruiting the right people for work. They have to hire and let leaders train employees so that
they are able to grow and operate systems effectively. Increase in productivity can be rewarded
by managers, through various incentives, which will motivate the staff to put in more efforts
towards operations. M&S has to ensure that they use updated technology so that there will be no
hindrances in production and manufacturing process. They can adopt new and different methods
of operations by reviewing their customer's satisfaction of their products and services (10 steps
to improve operational efficiency, 2018). With the application of these techniques, M&S's
leaders and managers can ensure that their organisational objectives are successfully and
efficiently achieved.
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