Leadership and Operations at Bentley Motors: A Comprehensive Analysis

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of leadership and operations management within Bentley Motors Ltd., a luxury car manufacturer. The report is divided into two parts. The first part examines the organizational structure, roles of managers and leaders, differences between leadership and management, and the application of leadership in corporate situations. It critically analyzes leadership theories such as situational, contingency, and system leadership. The second part focuses on key operational functions like transportation and production, operational approaches, and the impact of the external business environment on decision-making. The report highlights how Bentley Motors utilizes various leadership approaches to address challenges and improve operational efficiencies, offering recommendations for future developments and improvements within the company.

Management and
Operations

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
PART 1............................................................................................................................................1
Introduction to organisation and management structure........................................................1
Roles of managers and leaders along with differences between management and leadership1
Roles of management and leadership in various corporate instances....................................2
Critically analyse the different theories and approaches to leadership..................................4
Conclusions and recommendations for future developments.................................................5
PART 2............................................................................................................................................5
Introduction to key operations of corporation........................................................................5
Details of key operational functions with roles and responsibilities of manager...................6
Key operational approaches to operations management and their value...............................6
Impact of external business environment factors on decision making...................................7
Improvement of operational efficiencies to meet business objectives...................................8
Conclusions and recommendations for future improvements................................................8
REFERENCES ...............................................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION
Operations management can be referred to as the field of management that is indulged in
exercising control and design of manufacturing procedure so as to ensure delivery of quality
output. This process provides aid in redesign of operational systems in a manner such that
effectiveness and efficiency of business operations can be facilitated at all times. The present
project seeks to carry out analysis of operations management within Bentley Motors Ltd. This is
an automotive company engaged in production and marketing of luxury cars. It is a subsidiary of
Volkswagen Group and is acknowledged to be headquartered in England, UK. The report is
divided into 2 primary sections. The first part contains roles of leaders and managers, role of
leadership and management in corporate situations and approaches to leadership. The second
part throws light upon key operations of corporation, approaches to operational management and
impact of business environment factors upon decision making of leader and manager.
PART 1
Introduction to organisation and management structure
Bentley Motors Ltd. is a leading automotive organisation operating domestically within
the confines of United Kingdom. The operations of this entity are spread across over several
countries across the globe. Through the manufacturing and sale of luxury cars, Bentley has
gained a leading position within the global automotive sector. Since its foundation in 1919, the
entity has come up with new and stylish models of cars at rapid intervals of time. As a result of
this, it has a large base of loyal customers who are not willing to shift to alternate brands. To
smoothly carry out its operations, it has applied hierarchical management structure. As Bentley is
home to a large number of employees, specifically over 4000 employees, application of this
structure seems suitable and relevant (THE BENTLEY STORY, 2014). Hereby, the authority as
well as control vests at every level of the corporation. This entity renders authority in the hands
of every individual so that they can manage the personnel under them.
Roles of managers and leaders along with differences between management and leadership
Managers are regarded as the persons who are indulged in scheming and development of
organised business conduct within the premises of an organisation. The role of manager is to
allot the roles and duties to personnel in accordance with their skill set, capabilities and
knowledge base. The manager of Bentley Motors does performance measurement of staff at due
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intervals to determine the least and most productive employee. The deserving ones are thus
rewarded on the basis of same.
Leaders can be acknowledged as the persons who possess the ability to persuade the
behavioural characteristics of employees and direct them towards the accomplishment of goals
and objectives. The main role of leader is instilling a sense of encouragement and empowerment
within employees so as to motivate them in an effective manner. In this relation, the leader of
Bentley Motors undertakes measures and efforts for the long term retention of employees by
acting as a role model for them.
Differences between Leadership and Management
The coordination of leadership and management provides aid to an entity in achieving the
predefined goals and objectives within the due course of time. However, there are some key
differences prevailing between leadership and management which are briefly described as
follows:-
Basis of
Distinction
Leadership Management
Meaning This is defined as the ability of a
person to influence the characteristics
of team in a manner that they get
encouraged to work for the growth of
company.
This can be referred as the ability of an
individual to structurally manage the
activities of a business and facilitating
coordination among personnel.
Focus Leadership has a primary emphasis
upon acting as an idol for the
employees and influencing the staff to
perform in the same way for the timely
attainment of objectives.
Hereby, the main emphasis is upon the
management of operational activities in
an effective and efficient manner to
ensure least deviation from target.
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Roles of management and leadership in various corporate instances
In the modern era, the business environment is recognised to be turbulent. This gives rise
to the occurrence of diverse set of corporate situations, affecting the conduct of operations in an
entity. Hereby, the main role is assumed to be held by leaders and managers who seek to ensure
dynamic cooperation within the lines of company irrespective of any adverse corporate instance.
In relation to Bentley, the role of leadership and management in various business situations is
described as follows:-
Decision making: The main activities of Bentley Motors comprise of designing,
manufacturing, marketing and selling of vehicles in marketplace. To effectively execute all of
these processes, management and leadership needs to work in coordination and cooperation so
that key business decisions can be taken as per the business environment and organisational
requirements. In this relation, the role of manager in Bentley is to identify the needs and wants of
staff members by exercising Decision Theory approach. Further, by making use of authoritative
leadership, the leader takes measures through which such needs can be met. The fulfilment of
personnel needs leads to increment in their existing productivity levels and contribute in
realisation of goals within the stipulated course of time.
Employee engagement: This is regarded as a crucial activity for each and every
company. Hereby, the staff members are made to give their participation in key procedures of
firm with a view to make them feel empowered. In this regard, the manager of Bentley Motors
conducts meetings whereby individuals are given the opportunity to voice their view point and
opinions in front of everyone. This is executed by making use of Group Behaviour approach
whereby the main aim is to manage the human resources effectively. In addition to this, the
leader of respective corporation exercises charismatic leadership and thus, appreciates the star
performers for their extensive contribution to the company. The deserving employees are
rewarded to make them continue to deliver the same output. Thus, leader and manager
collaboratively work to motivate the employees and ensure the attainment of goals.
Technology Update: Technology keeps on advancing with the passage of time. In this
regard, the management and leadership prevailing within Bentley realises the importance of
implementing new production technologies for the design of stylish and innovative cars. Hereby,
the role of manager is to identify the need for providing information to employees regarding the
manner in which new techniques have to be used. The use of interpersonal behaviour approach
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facilitates the manager to build healthy relations with employees and get the desired support
from them. Further, the leader conducts training and development sessions in order to enrich the
personality of employees with essential skills and knowledge to make use of effective production
techniques. Hereby, transformational leadership is used to provide essential information to
employees through which important changes can be brought in times of need. Thus, through
coordination between leadership and management, Bentley Motors is able to deliver performance
as per the needs and preferences of customers.
Critically analyse the different theories and approaches to leadership
There are several theories and approaches to leadership which are employed by an entity
with a view to enhance the functioning of a business. In this regard, some of the approaches
taken into use by the leader of Bentley Motors are described below:-
Situational leadership: This approach was coined by Dr. Paul Hersey. As per this
approach, no leadership style is best. In this regard, the leader of Bentley Motors makes use of
this approach in order to adopt a leadership style which best suits the situation prevailing within
and outside the business environment. This helps in ensuring that the operations of company take
place in a smooth manner without any kind of hindrance. Main advantage of this approach is that
it gives preferences to adoption of most relevant and suitable leadership style. When style is
positive, it directly motivates them and results in enhancement of their productivity. On the
contrary, the demerit of using this approach is that it ignores the long term goal and just
emphasises upon the current business situation.
Contingency leadership: This is a type of leadership approach which distinctly states that
none of the organisational approach suits to every situation which occurs in the company. In case
Bentley Motors plans to adopt this approach, it is essential for the leader to take all decisions by
considering both the internal and external components of corporation. This will facilitate in
execution of organised work within the stipulated time frame. This is regarded as an effective
approach to leadership as it holds power of managing work of the entity in a flexible manner.
Hereby, the major drawback is that constant changes taking place in leadership may raise
complexity at work place as it becomes hard for employees to adapt themselves as per the
leadership at regular intervals.
System leadership: This approach to leadership states that each and every task is required
to be executed in a systematic manner with the employment of right tools for the attainment of
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organisational objectives in an effective manner. In relation to Bentley Motors, it can be said that
leader apply this leadership approach by analysing the market situation and communicating the
same to production team so that they manufacture desired number of units. This provides aid to
an entity in fulfilment of market demands with enhanced productivity. The main advantage of
this approach is that it allows leaders to adapt key changes taking place in business environment.
This leads to attainment of organisational goals and objectives. However, the drawback
associated with this is that bringing changes as per market requirements may lead to decrease in
productivity of employees.
Conclusions and recommendations for future developments
In accordance with the information stipulated above, it can be stated that leader as well as
manager is key to the effective execution of business operations within an entity. Through the
employment of approaches and theories, they aim at facilitating smooth flow of activities. The
role of leader is to influence the behaviour of employees positively while manager assumes the
responsibility of allotting duties to personnel as per their skill set. Thus, it is recommended that
manager and leader of the respective organisation should constantly analyse the business
environment to come up with effective approaches which can ensure realisation of goals in a
timely manner.
PART 2
Introduction to key operations of corporation
Every organisation consists of some key operations without which the entity holds no
meaning and standing. These operations are key to the realisation of goals and objectives within
stipulated course of time. In this regard, the key operations of Bentley Motors are briefly
described below:-
Transportation: The most important operation of Bentley Motors is acknowledged to be
transportation. The vehicles produced by entity reaches the customers and outlets by way of
execution of this activity only. It is when the end product reach the clients that entity can
ascertain the reaction that people have towards the vehicles designed as well developed by them.
Production- The manufacturing process is yet another crucial operations pertaining to the
confines of Bentley Motors. In this regard, the entity ensures that the designing and development
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of cars is done by making use of high quality raw materials as well as equipments. This results in
entailment of maximum satisfaction from customers.
Promotion: For maintenance of high brand value and positive image within market place,
Bentley Motors undertakes marketing and promotion measures so that awareness about the new
as well as old offerings of company can be made among the people.
Details of key operational functions with roles and responsibilities of manager
The operations functions form the core of an enterprise as they give a direction to the
overall working taking place within the confines of an entity. In this regard, the main role is held
by the manager who ensures that the activities take place as per the targets and least deviation is
seen to occur. The roles and responsibilities of manager of Bentley Motors while implementing
the above explained operational functions are described below:
Transportation: In relation to this operational function, the role of manager of Bentley
Motors is to make sure that the end product reaches the customer in a safe manner within the
promised delivery tenure. This helps in gaining satisfaction from customers and retaining them
for a long term.
Production: With respect to manufacturing, the primary role of manager within Bentley
Motors is to make sure that production has adequate raw materials to effectively design and
develop vehicles which meet the preferences of customers. This provides aid to the respective
auto-maker in delivering vehicles of satisfactory quality.
Promotion: In this respect, the primary role assumed by manager is to determine the right
marketing channel and promotional tools in order to develop a connect with customers and retain
them for a long period of time. This operational function helps in creating a positive image of
company in the minds of clients and making them a part of the loyal base of customers for the
organisation.
Key operational approaches to operations management and their value
Operations management provides assistance to an entity in executing design and control
of business activities with an aim to enhance the current performance. This results in
maximisation of profits. Through the execution of operations management approaches, Bentley
Motors can gain customer satisfaction and ensure development of high quality offerings.
Following approaches are taken into use within the confines of Bentley Motors:-
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Total Quality Management (TQM): This is an operational approach which put due
emphasis upon enhancement of quality of organisational offerings. This is a customer centric
approach where the main aim of leader and manager of Bentley Motor is to ensure constant
improvement for entailment of high satisfaction from clients. Through the execution of this
approach, the respective auto-maker aims at ensuring the development of high quality vehicles
that can effectively appeal to customers.
Six-Sigma: This is acknowledged to be a statistical and data driven approach that
provides aid to an entity in inflating the exiting performance of business system by eliminating
the defects. This approach is applied within the confines of Bentley Motors with the sole motive
of involving the employees for the detection of defects at all the levels and ensuring the delivery
of high quality offerings. As a result of this, the revenues and profits of company get increased.
Just in time: This is one of the most important operations management approaches as this
seeks to manage the stock of an entity through the alignment of raw material orders as per the
demand of customers in market place. This means that raw materials are procured and put into
production process instantly with no lead time. This approach provides aid to the management of
Bentley Motors in eliminating the cost associated with storage of inventory.
Impact of external business environment factors on decision making
Various external factors affect the strategies formulated by leaders and managers of an
organisation. They affect decision making in the following manner:-
Political factors: These include government rules and regulations which affect the
companies operating within a country. Managers of Bentley Motors forms company policies
after taking into the laws and regulations that exist in the country while the leaders ensure that
these policies are strictly followed by the employees like The sex discrimination Act, 1975.
Economic factors: These includes economic factors of a country such as inflation rate,
foreign exchange rate, interest rate etc. The managers of Bentley Motors are influenced by these
factors to set price of vehicles while leaders ensure that efficiency of all the processes are well
managed to control cost of production.
Social factors: These are the social factors of a country such as demography, culture,
lifestyle etc. Managers of Bentley Motors try to bring innovation in the products by providing
funds to research and development team while the leaders ensure that the funds are utilized in an
appropriate manner.
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Technological factors: These are the technological advancements that rapidly take place
in a country. Managers of Bentley Motors come up with unique and innovative designs and
features in vehicles while leaders help in training the employees so that they become capable of
using the new technologies.
Improvement of operational efficiencies to meet business objectives
Manager of Bentley Motors uses Just in Time approach to use available resources in
effective manner. Here, manager gives command to production team to manufacture vehicles
according to market demand. Managers also train employees in effective manner so that they
develop quality products. It will support the entity in gaining competitive advantage at
marketplace, leading to attainment of organisational objectives. In this regard, manager of
company also formulates those strategies that do not hold any chance of criticism at market.
Conclusions and recommendations for future improvements
Six Sigma and Just in time approach are identified as most effective approaches that
support business associations in utilising resources of company in effective manner. Usage of
TQM approach allows company in offering high quality of products to customers. It also aids in
improving its brand image among customers. It is recommended that the leader and manager
must carefully execute their roles and responsibilities in order to gain competitive advantage in
market place.
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Online
THE BENTLEY STORY. 2014. [Online]. Available Through:
<https://www.bentleymotors.com/en/world-of-bentley/the-bentley-story.html>.
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