Leadership and Management Strategies in Sports Direct: A Report

This report provides an in-depth analysis of leadership and management practices within Sports Direct. It begins by identifying and distinguishing essential leadership and management theories, perspectives, and debates, including trait theory, transformational leadership, and contingency theory, and discusses their application within the company. The report explores how leadership and management enabled Sports Direct's growth, emphasizing the roles of managers and leaders in formulating strategies, fostering a high-performance culture, and driving expansion. It further examines the significance of team working principles, change procedures, and ethical considerations within the organization, highlighting the importance of effective teamwork, change management strategies, and ethical decision-making. The report concludes by summarizing key findings and offering insights into the overall effectiveness of leadership and management within Sports Direct.

Management and Leadership Perspectives

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
1. Identifying and distinguishing essential theories as well perspectives and debate their
application in sport direct............................................................................................................1
2. Recognising the way leadership and management enabled sports direct to grow from a
single store to its current size......................................................................................................2
3. Analysing the way team working principles and theories underpin the effective leadership
as well as management style.......................................................................................................3
4. Identifying the way sport direct effectively facilitate change procedures .............................4
5. Recognising the ethical as well as value based considerations and challenges has sports
direct company encounter...........................................................................................................4
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
Management is defined as the procedure which involves getting things done through
other. It also involves several other activities such as planning , organising , directing and
controlling people as well as their activities. The objective of sports management is to assist
leaders in identifying the appropriate techniques for improving their performance. Leadership is
defined as the procedure of by which a person directs and motivates subordinates to more
focussed towards achievement of target. Leadership is also considered as a relationship between
followers and those who inspire as well as provide direction for them. It involves emotional ties
and commitments. Managers and leaders in an enterprise works together in order support firm in
dealing with business issues and achievement of objectives.
The purpose of the report is to identify and recognise important theories and perspectives
related to engagement and leadership. It also has focus on identifying the way these theories as
well as concept can be applied in Sport direct.
1. Identifying and distinguishing essential theories as well perspectives and debate their
application in sport direct
Leaders as well as mangers in an organisation has high power as well as potential to
transform risk into opportunities.
There has been debate on the traits of a leader in the contextual of sport direct. According
to the trait theory of leadership few personality attribute have the ability to determine the success
of a leader. Trait theory can be applied within the sport direct. A person can and do emerge as
leaders across a different situations and tasks. There is important as well as direct relationship
between leadership and various skills such as adjustment,conscientiousness,
intelligence,openness to experience, self-effacing and extroversion. These are some qualities
which assist leader in become effective , popular and successful in their professional life. On the
other hand Stephen Zaccaro, a researcher of trait theories, argues that effective leadership is
derivable from a coordinated combination of social capabilities, dispositional tendencies and
cognitive abilities, with each set of traits adding to the influence of the other. According to the
theory proposed by Stephen Zaccaro leaders in sports direct required to poses some specialised
abilities as well as competencies such as creativity,honesty,interpersonal skills, problem-solving
abilities etc. He also perceives that leaders are those persons who have high decision making and
influencing power (Frick and et.al., 2014)
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There are many leadership styles which can be adopted by leaders for managing people
and their performance at workplace. As per the perception of Burns, transformational leadership
is when leaders and followers helps each other in achieving progress to a higher level of morality
and motivation. On the other hand, Bass clarified the explanation to stress that transformational
leadership is distinguished by the effect it has on followers. According to the contingency theory
no individual mental profile or set of traits links straight to effectual leadership. Whereas
Fiedler’s contingency model of leadership concentrates on the interaction of leadership style and
the situation. In context of sports direct, leader is required to adopt he full-range theory of
leadership. As this is an essential component of transformational leaderships which helps in
improving motivation and enhancing workers morale by connecting the employee’s sense of
identity to a task. As per the view of Sue Blane y, self awareness is the quality which helps an
individual in becoming effective leader (Daft,2014)
2. Recognising the way leadership and management enabled sports direct to grow from a single
store to its current size.
Leadership is progressively defined as well as judged in terms of complex global socio-
economic, environmental risks and opportunities
Managers and leaders workers together to manage people and operations at workplace.
Role of manager is to formulate effective plans and strategies for driving firm towards success.
Manager in an organisation plays important function in inspiring people to work for the benefit
of company and aid in resolving various business problems. These are those people who create
as well as maintain effective working culture and environment at workplace which further
enables business entity to maintain focus on target. Leaders are those people who motivates their
subordinate to improve their performance as well as increasing their participation in several
business activities. These people also support manager in the formulation of various short as well
as long term plans for business. Leaders assist business entity in developing the highly talented
as well as skilled workforce which allows firm to foster growth by developing and offering
innovative products or services. Manager develops high performance culture within an enterprise
which supports organisation in retaining existing workers and attracting new employees.
Managers in an organisation constantly strive to build trust and remove barriers to allow
employees to grow and to promote continuous improvement in business performance (Collinson,
and Cook, 2013)
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The manager and leaders in an enterprise work together for betterment of workplace.
They put integrated efforts for identifying the needs of company and demands of workers.
Manager and leaders takes high initiative to fulfil the requirement of internal as well as external
stakeholders. These people have high potential to support firm in overcoming critical as well as
complex situations. Discussions between manager and leaders provide a platform for growth
beyond formal training programs (Barrick and et.al., 2013) It supports manager as well as leaders
in making proper training arrangements for employees. Leaders or manager in sports direct
company has supported firm in converting risk into opportunities. Both leaders and manager in
cited business venture has worked together and formulated effective expansion strategy for
supporting firm in expanding business operations. These people also have developed effective
business as well as marketing plans which has supported business entity in increases sales and
profitability. Leaders and manager in sport direct company has supported business entity in
bringing positive as well as drastic improvement within in an enterprise as well as business
system which has allowed organisation to foster growth and achieve success. Manager and leader
in sports direct company has Created a culture of continuous learning which has assisted
employees as well as organisation in improving their performance (Avolio and Mhatre, 2012)
3. Analysing the way team working principles and theories underpin the effective leadership as
well as management style.
Team works plays important role in driving an organisation towards success. It also
supports an enterprise in achievement of business goals and objectives. Team approaches and
principles are used by the manager and leaders to promote group work and reduce the stress level
on workers. It has been identified that change is more effectively managed in a diverse culture
and that policy implementation is best achieved when groups of people work together to achieve
consistency of practice. Manager or leader in sports direct company required to create teams that
serve a variety of functions and aim, both in the formal structure of the business as well as in the
more casual social networks. However, working in a team and managing people as well as their
groups is very complex task. Leaders or managers have high potential to fulfil their
responsibilities (AlMazrouei and Zacca,2015) These people supports team members in
identifying their roles as well as responsibility, helps workers in completing the task in
systematic manner. People working in a group are required to be managed properly. This is
because the majority of workers in a team are unskilled when it comes to handling co-operative
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relationships, so the pervasive habits might lead to competition, withdrawal, secretiveness, lack
of trust,fighting for resource when working with others. Leaders or managers decisions have
direct effect on the motivation as well ass morale of employees (Hakanen and van Dierendonck,
2013)
4. Identifying the way sport direct effectively facilitate change procedures
Manager a swell as leaders in business entity has supported an organisation in developing
the understanding about the need as well as importance of change. These are the important
stakeholders who have force company to bring change and implementing the same at workplace.
Manager and leaders in an enterprise has developed the suitable strategy as well as plan for
facilitating change. Manager has fulfilled their responsibility by communicating the objectives as
well as other related information about change to employees. This activity has supported
business entity in gaining support of workers in implementing successful change at workplace. It
also has helped firm in eliminating several barriers which can occur in the procedure. With the
support of leaders , managers and employees sport direct effectively facilitate change
procedures. Manager or leader in an organisation has planned the appropriate training
arrangement for employees which has allowed employees to make their significant contribution
in change management process (Lee and Lawrence, 2013)
The company has made major changes in the operational system. The another
improvement has been made in business plans , policies and system. Changes has also been
made in business structure. As due to centralised business structure, there has also been delay in
decision making procedures , business entity has to bear short and some long term losses which
has direct impact on the growth of company. As organisation was facing high employee turnover
issue. Manager has planned to make improvement in working conditions as well as culture.
Leader or manager in business venture has adopted the strategy to involves worker in the
procedure. As they perceive that this will work as motivational techniques and will support
employees in feeling that workers are value assets for a company. This strategy will encourage
workers to participate in change management process (Krogh, Nonaka and Rechsteiner, 2012)
5. Recognising the ethical as well as value based considerations and challenges has sports direct
company encounter
Manager or leader in an organisation wants to bring positive change at workplace but
without effecting the ethics, employees moral as well as valuer of business. Decision related to
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bringing change at workplace is very critical. As this factor has direct as well as significant
impact on the firm sustainability, success and growth. Ethics has taken centre phase in the
management of business. The fundamental values of individuals, groups, and an enterprise have
an important effect not only on company but also on society as a whole. It also has great
influence on brand reputation as well as customer perception about company. Managers today
are usually quite sensitive to issues of social responsibility and ethical behaviour because of
pressure from the public, from interest groups, from legal and government concerns (Iqbal, 2013)
Manager has to face many challenges as well as problems in meeting the deadlines and achieving
the performance targets. Recently the legal authority in United kingdom had adopted policies
which duty-bound its constitutional parts to involve users as well as employees on an equal
status or terms in service change and improvement initiatives. These norms have been
formulated by government on the basis of the fact service users as well as employees are
manipulated by company in order to fulfil its objectives., an organization’s ethics are embedded
in its culture and its culture is reflected in its ethics which might get impacted by the change
within an organisation. This factors are of great concern as it has great influence on employee
behaviour as well as performance at workplace. The another challenge that manager or leaders
have to face is related to implementation of plans or change at workplace. As some of the
employees in an enterprise may not support the unknown change (Kaur,2015)
It is required by manager in sports direct company to adopt more ethical approach for
managing their business. Manager in sport direct company should not force workers for
supporting change. As this factor can have adverse impact ion the relationship of leader or
subordinate.
CONCLUSION
It has been concluded from the report that leaders as well as manager have significant
role to play in an organisation. They are those people who have high power as well as potential
to bring positive as well as drastic improvement at workplace. Leaders and manager have
strength to support firm in overcoming difficult situations. Assignment has successfully
explained the several leadership styles. It has also demonstrated the several ways by which the
leaders or manager can contribute to the company effectiveness within in ethics and values.
It has been suggested to manager in sport direct company to adopt transformational
leadership style. As this will help them in converting risk into opportunities. The another
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recommendations to manager or leaders in an enterprise they should adopt learning attitude and
get update themselves about the latest tends.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journal:
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