Leadership vs Management: Theories, Applications, and Business Context

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the roles of leaders and managers, contrasting their characteristics and responsibilities within an organizational context. It delves into various leadership and management theories, including system, contingency, and situational approaches, and examines their practical applications through examples. The report explores how these theories are applied in distinct situations, such as problem-solving and decision-making, and evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of each approach in a work environment. Furthermore, it examines key approaches to operations management, the significance of operations management within an organization, and how leaders and managers can improve operational efficiencies to meet business objectives. The report also addresses the influence of both internal and external business environment factors on operational management and the decision-making processes of leaders and managers, offering a critical evaluation of these factors and their impact on the business environment. The analysis uses Amazon as a case study to illustrate these concepts.

Management and
Operations
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INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
ACTIVITY 1....................................................................................................................................1
Define leader and manager with comparison of their roles and characteristics..........................1
Difference between two positions with the use of theories and concepts...................................2
Critical analysis of different theories and approaches of leadership with examples..................3
Role of leader and function of manager applying in distinct situations and application of
theories on stated examples.........................................................................................................3
Strength and weakness of approaches to situations within work environment...........................4
ACTIVITY 2....................................................................................................................................5
Explanation of key approaches to operations management and role leaders and manager play 5
Value and significance of operations management in organization............................................6
How leaders and managers can improve efficiencies of operational management for
successful meeting the business objectives.................................................................................7
Factors within business environment which influence operational management and decisional
process of leaders and managers.................................................................................................7
Influence of these factors on business environment...................................................................8
Critical evaluation of application of operations management and factors which influence
business environment..................................................................................................................9
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................10
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INTRODUCTION
Operation management is an area which is concerned with creating and regulating
procedure of production for converting raw materials into finished goods. Therefore,
management and operation is fully surrounded with planning, organizing and supervising
production, manufacturing as well as provision of organization goods and services (Jacobs,
Chase and Lummus, 2014). Amazon is an online business which is engaged in delivering goods
or services across distinct boundaries through internet method. However, main objective of this
association is to manage their operation department in appropriate manner by understanding the
role of leaders and managers. This project is revolving around the eminent role of leader and
function of manager in operation management department and explain with the help of examples.
Moreover, various approaches which is used by leaders in different situations are also outlined in
the project. Along with this, some lights on significance of operation management and influence
of external or internal business environment on production department for understanding how
this will help in attaining set objectives or goals is also given.
ACTIVITY 1
Define leader and manager with comparison of their roles and characteristics
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational technology organization concentrating on e-
commerce, cloud computing and artificial intelligence in Seatle, Washington. In fact, this
business is also known as one of the Big Four or “Four Horsemen” of technology included with
Apple, Alphabet and Facebook because of its market capitalization, innovation, brand equity and
hyper competitive application procedure. Therefore, Amazon wanted to bring some changes in
their managerial position by understanding the roles of leaders and managers with the help of
difference in their characteristics (Alderton and Saieva, 2013).
Leaders are those individual who are having responsibility of managing team or
association for guiding them towards their major aim and objectives. Their main objective is to
lead a team or group of members by assisting them during complex situations, handle large
number of people simultaneously and trying to encourage each and every individual towards
their set objectives or goals. Some of the essential characteristics which is required must have
successful leader which is discussed as follows-
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 Honesty- First thing which must have a good leader is to be very honest towards its work
as well as teammates by treating each and every member in equal manner without
discrimination between each other.
 Committed- It means, leader commitment motivate other also towards their set
objectives and targets because followers always follow their leader and do same thing in
their life.
 Confidence- As a leader, an individual has to take various decisions due to which it is
essential for a leader to have high level of confidence in order to make correct decision.
Managers are those people who are having a capability of managing work in proper
manner by distributing equally between several members. Basically, main objective of manager
is just to allocate work to desired employees on the basis of their skills, talent and eligibility in
order to attain organizational goals. This means, manager is a person who is liable for managing
business activities of whole organization (Kato, 2012). Therefore, an effective manager must
have some of the necessary characteristics that is discussed below-
 Communication- Being a manager, an individual have to interact with all the employees
for allocating their job as well as sometime to deal with suppliers also due to which an
effective communication is most indispensable characteristics of manager.
 Technical skills- Managers of Amazon have to face numerous of technical problems
because company is based on e-commerce only. Therefore, it is essential to have some
technical skills as manager in order to deal with several complex problems.
 Delegation with knowledge- This means, they are responsible for assigning right job to
right person at right time. Along with this, liable for making decision that what things
required to do for adding value and what to delegate.
Difference between two positions with the use of theories and concepts
Manager and leader is two different positions in an organization by performing distinct
roles and responsibilities at workplace. For example; manager is responsible for managing whole
organization whereas leader is responsible for only its teammates. However, various theories and
approaches are identified which is used by managers and leaders differently. Basically, there are
mainly there types of theories are determined that is used in these two position such as; system
approach, contingency approach and situational. All the three concepts are applied by leaders
and managers in different manner by considering necessary facts or figures.
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Managerial position- A person who is manager needs to follow system approach in
order to follow each and every norms, policies, rules and regulations of organization while
performing their job. In fact, sometime manager get responsible for designing new provisions at
workplace by analysing the currents situation in order to control any major nuisance such as;
mark the late comers in office as a defaulters. Therefore, manager of Amazon company is fully
surrounded around system approach because this association is one of the most successful brand
by connected with large number of customers which enforce managers to follow the company
rules for maintaining its goodwill at marketplace (Ward and et. al., 2010).
Leadership position- Leaders are mainly focussed towards their set targets due to which
they have to be ready with various sudden plans and contingency situations for handling instant
risk that might be faced by them while performing their job role. In fact, leaders are having
various types of teammates which are different from each other in various terms due to which it
is essential for leaders to deal with situation accordingly. As a result, this shows that this position
is somehow follow situational leadership in order to act according to the circumstances.
Critical analysis of different theories and approaches of leadership with examples
According to Baldwin, 2010 an individual or leader has to follow various leadership
approaches as per the situation and act accordingly. However, there are almost three types of
theories which are used by leaders in distinct situation. It helps an individual in various manners
as well as leaders get succeeded in attaining their set objectives or goals by satisfying needs and
demands of final users. Along with this, these theories aid leaders in handling several complex
situations in better manner without getting afraid by that. For example; situational approach is
most suitable theory that is used by leaders in complex circumstances for resolving the problems
in better manner (Allen and Ridgway, 2010).
Role of leader and function of manager applying in distinct situations and application of theories
on stated examples
Amazon is dealing across international platform by offering qualitative and trustable
goods or services to domestic as well as foreign customers which helps them in establishing their
positive goodwill at marketplace. Therefore, leaders and managers of this firm needs to prepare
for various situations and use the theory according to change in circumstances for handling it in
better manner. Thus, various situations which incurred at workplace is discussed as follows-
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 Problem solving- Leaders and manager both faces various problematic situation where
they get confused what to do or follow. In such type of circumstances, leaders always
play its role for solving the situation anyhow with the use of contingency approach
because major role of leader is just to resolve the situations. On the other hand, manager
will definitely go for systematic approach to resolve the problem and try to solve the
problem with the help of organizational policies because managers also consider as an
example of company’s rules and regulation as few norms are set by them only (Song and
Parola, 2015).
 Decision making – Leaders make their decision on the basis of situation which shows
that they go for situational approach whereas managers always make judgement by
considering organization rules and regulations which shows that they are surrounded with
systematic framework.
Hence, these examples shows that both of them are act differently in a same circumstance
because of having distinct position and follow distinct path in attaining organization goals or
objectives in a defined time frame.
Strength and weakness of approaches to situations within work environment
There are three types of approaches are identified which are different from each other and
having certain strength or weakness that is discussed as follows-
System approach-
Strength Weakness
 Protect the rules and regulations of an
organization.
 Maintain professional environment at
workplace.
 Organization norms and rules restrict
an individual to act accordingly which
might influence the productivity of an
organization.
 Sometime it becomes an obstacle in
the success path of individual.
Contingency approach-
Strength Weakness
 Resolve the complex situations  Requires sharp mind and maximum
time for implementing contingency
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instantly.
 Gives immediate direction to the
leaders for handling the circumstances
accordingly.
plan.
 Not easy to handle by everyone as
expertise people requires (Omansky
and Kanner, 2014).
Situational approach-
Strength Weakness
 Helps in dealing with various types of
circumstances.
 Handle each and every situation of an
organization.
 Breaches the organizational policies
and norms.
 Might disturb the environment.
ACTIVITY 2
Explanation of key approaches to operations management and role leaders and manager play
Covered in PPT
Value and significance of operations management in organization
Covered in PPT
How leaders and managers can improve efficiencies of operational management for successful
meeting the business objectives
Covered in PPT
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Factors within business environment which influence operational management and decisional
process of leaders and managers
An organization is influenced by internal and external environment which are
interlinked with each other in various manner. In fact, fluctuation in single element affects
other due to which an organization has to analyse business environment while performing any
business activities for minimizing the probabilities of mistakes. Thus, some of the essential
factors of business environment which affects the operational management and judgement
process of leaders and managers are discussed as follows-
Internal environment- There are number of elements identified within business
environment which affects the operational management such as; employees, suppliers,
stakeholders and consumers. In fact, employees are responsible for managing business
operational activities in order to attain set objectives due to which if there is change in
employee’s behaviour an organization can automatically get affected by it. Along with this,
leaders and managers have to make decision by consulting staff members in order to minimize
the probabilities of conflicting situations and make rules by considering employee’s choices or
preferences. Supplier, shareholders and customers are also playing eminent role in decision
making process of leaders and managers because these members are also part of company and
their opinion also matters a lot. Hence, these elements automatically influence the business
operations and its management because company needs to act according to their shareholders,
consumer choices as well as suppliers (Zeng and et. al., 2013).
External factors- Changes in political norms, rules of legitimate bodies or any
emergence of advanced technology enforce an organization to act accordingly. In fact,
somehow these changes help an association in protecting them from fraudulent activities.
Along with this, enforce an enterprise in managing business operation by using modern
technology in order to cope up with current changes.
Hence, it has been understood that all the factors are interlinked with each other due to
which changes in single factor within business environment affects another in significant
manner. Along with this, it become essential to managers and leaders to act according to the
modification for managing business operations in better manner for attaining set objectives or
goals in a defined time frame by satisfying customer needs.
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Influence of these factors on business environment
All these factors affects an organization and its environment in several manner as well
as in widen community which is discussed as follows-
 Change in political norms, rules and regulation enforce manager to modified their
organizational policy as per current requirement.
 Legal provisions enforce an organization to apply the new Acts while running their
business operations in order to minimize the probabilities of mistakes.
 Change in consumer choice and preferences enforce Amazon to come up new trends
and modified their products or services for satisfying consumer needs and demands.
 Emergence of advanced technology encourage company to use modern method of
promoting business in order to cope up with current change as well as to fulfil the
requirement of wide community.
Hence, it has been understood that all the above factors of business environment
enforce an organization to modified their current things for act according to implemented
change. As a result, these modification aids an enterprise in attaining their set targets in a
defined time frame by satisfying consumer needs and demands .
Critical evaluation of application of operations management and factors which influence
business environment
According to Zeng and et. al., 2013 operation management is one of the most
indispensable aspect for Amazon because all the products and services designed at this section
only in order to seek the attention of desired consumers. This means, that all the application
must apply on operational management of an organization for maximizing the sales
performance of an enterprise by satisfying clients’ needs and demands. On the other hand,
modification in single factor enforces an enterprise to change their other organization things
shows that there is a direct relationship between various factors of business environment with
operation management (TQM – Total Quality Management – Definition, Principles &
Importance, 2018).
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CONCLUSION
From the above report, it has been summarized that leaders and managers are playing
very crucial role in operational management by managing each and every activities in better
manner. Along with this, it has been understood that it’s not easy to be a successful leader and
manager because they are having numerous of roles and responsibilities towards success of an
organization. In fact, various approaches are used by them for act according to the situation and
time for maintaining the professional environment at workplace. Moreover, it has been
understood that change in single factor affect another in various manner which shows that
company is fully influenced by external and internal surrounding.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Jacobs, F.R., Chase, R.B. and Lummus, R.R., 2014. Operations and supply chain
management (pp. 533-535). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
Alderton, P. and Saieva, G., 2013. Port management and operations. Taylor & Francis.
Kato, K., NEC Corp, 2012. Operations management apparatus, operations management system,
data processing method, and operations management program. U.S. Patent 8,225,144.
Ward, J and et. al., 2010. HP transforms product portfolio management with operations
research. Interfaces, 40(1), pp.17-32.
Baldwin, J.S., Allen, P.M. and Ridgway, K., 2010. An evolutionary complex systems decision-
support tool for the management of operations. International Journal of Operations &
Production Management, 30(7), pp.700-720.
Song, D.W. and Parola, F., 2015. Strategising port logistics management and operations for
value creation in global supply chains.
Omansky, A.H. and Kanner, J.L., Autodesk Inc, 2014. Systems and methods for construction
field management and operations with building information modeling. U.S. Patent
8,732,125.
Brandon, C.J. and Mullan, P.B., 2013. Teaching medical management and operations
engineering for systems-based practice to radiology residents. Academic radiology, 20(3),
pp.345-350.
Chevalier, P and et. al., 2015. Revenue management for operations with urgent
orders. European Journal of Operational Research, 240(2), pp.476-487.
Slack, N. and Brandon-Jones, A., 2018. Operations and process management: principles and
practice for strategic impact. Pearson UK.
Zeng, J and et. al., 2013, January. Operations simulation of on-demand digital print.
In Conference Anthology, IEEE (pp. 1-5). IEEE.
Online
TQM – Total Quality Management – Definition, Principles & Importance. 2018. [Online].
Available through< https://cleartax.in/s/total-quality-management>
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