Leadership Styles, Theories and Operations Management at M&S

This report provides an analysis of leadership and operations management within Marks and Spencer (M&S), a British multinational retailer. It defines and compares the roles and characteristics of leaders and managers, examining how these roles are applied in various situations within the organization. Different leadership theories, such as situational leadership, system leadership, and contingency theory, are discussed in the context of M&S, highlighting their practical applications. The report also explores key approaches to leadership management, including traits, functional, and behavioral approaches. Furthermore, it emphasizes the importance of operations management in achieving business objectives and identifies factors affecting the business environment. The analysis offers insights into how effective leadership and operations management contribute to the success and competitive advantage of M&S.

MANAGEMENT
AND OPERATIONS

Contents
INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................3
TASK 1......................................................................................................................................3
P1 Define and compare the different roles and characteristics of a leader and manager for
M&S.......................................................................................................................................3
P2 Examine how role of a leader and the function is applied in different situation of M&S 5
P3 Different theories and models in M&S.............................................................................6
P4 Key approaches to Leadership Management....................................................................7
P5 Importance of Operations Management in achieving Objectives.....................................8
P6 Factors Affecting Business Environment.........................................................................9
CONCLUSION........................................................................................................................11
REFERENCES.........................................................................................................................12

INTRODUCTION
Managing operations is one of the most important tasks in the organization as with
proper management of operations, the organization can effectively achieve the goals and
objectives. Besides this, the organization in this case is required to adopt the strategic and
tactic approach which can help in developing competitive advantage. This report will focus
on the M&S organization which is a British multinational retailer and it is headquartered in
Westminster. The organization was established in the year 1884 and now it has expanded its
operations in several other countries. The report will focus on the roles and characteristics of
the leader and difference in their working. Further, different leadership theories will be
applied in M&S for effective functioning of the organization. On the other hand, the stress
will be laid on factors which impact the business environment and further solutions will be
suggested to resolve the issue. Last but not least, the report will also emphasize on the
importance and value of the operations management which can help in attaining in the
business goals.
TASK 1
P1 Define and compare the different roles and characteristics of a leader and manager for
M&S
The managers as well as leader both are important for the organization and especially
for the retail store. The role of the leader is to guide the employees as well as the role of the
manager is to manage the work which is performed in the organization. M&S is one of the
leading retail chains so it has several operations which are widespread; in this case it becomes
necessary for the lead to lead their team (Krajewski and et.al., 2013). Leadership and
management have different roles as well as characteristics but in case of leader it has the
responsibility of all the employees who are under them. The leaders are the individual who
influence the employees to achieve the goals and the targets. On the other hand, the managers
are the one who manages the working of whole of M&S.
BASIS LEADER MANAGER
Definition They are the one who provide
direction to the individual and
they guide in carrying out the
On the other hand, in case of
manager his work is to control
as well as direct the whole

task in M&S. It is responsible
only for the team,
organization. He is the one who
allocates the work to the
manager in M&S.
Focus The focus on the leader is on
attaining the goals and
objectives. They focus only on
their team members which
they are leading as well as
guiding (Jing and Avery,
2011)
The focus of the manager in
M&S is on developing the
coordination between the
individuals so that the task can be
accomplished in an appropriate
manner.
Decision making process In the decision making
process, the leader are
sometimes included in the
decision. But in case of
democratic leader if any
decision is made for their
team, then he includes all the
team members in the decision
making process.
The mangers are included in
every decision of M&S. The
reason is that they are the one who
know the actual position of the
organization and even the situation
in which the firm is carrying out
its operations.
Power The power is given to the
leader of M&S by their
followers. If he has good
followers then the power is in the
leader hand.
Power is in the hands of
managers by default because
the position only has given
power to him to coordinate and
manage the activity of M&S
(Mülle and Turner, 2010).
Personality The personality of the leader
is charismatic and he has the
power to influence the
behaviour of the employees.
They are very sharp in their
thoughts as well as inspire the
people to achieve the goals
and objectives on time. On the
Managers are the one who are
calm in nature and their focus is
on maintaining and
coordinating the activity of the
M&S. The personality of manager
can be defined as persistent so that
they can effectively manage the
target and attain the result.

other hand, their
characteristics are that they
motivate the employees to
achieve target effectively.
Risk The leaders are considered to
be the risk taker, they always
chooses the difficult path and
always takes the risk to attain
them (Hallinger and Heck,
2010).
They can be considered as the
risk averse because in M&S
they follow the rules and
regulations of the organization
which is made by the firm.
P2 Examine how role of a leader and the function is applied in different situation of M&S
M&S is the retail organization so there are various different functions and the role
which the leader and the manger are required to be applied in situation. For assisting the team
in for achieving the goals and objectives in the M&S, the leader role is to positively handle
the situation and effectively communicate the targets which are required to be achieved by
the firm. Besides this, there are situation, in which the conflict arises between the members
because of the difference in thought process. At that time, the role of the leader is important
in M&S, because he is the one who is responsible in resolving the conflicts effectively. He is
required to identify the reason as why the conflict has been raised (Kuruppuarachchi and
Perera, 2010). Further, in the retail organization, situation comes when the motivation of
employees is minimum. Further, the role of the leader is to motivate the employee of the
team. It has been seen that the de-motivate employees does not provide effective services in
the organization. Further, another role of the leader is to adopt the appropriate leadership
style which is suitable for the situation. This will help the individuals to effectively function
in the team.
There are some of the situations in M&S, where the role of the manager is to balance
the situation so that they can effectively attain the objectives. The function of the manager in
the M&S is to maintain the healthy environment in the organization. If the environment is not
good then it create dissatisfaction among the employees and due to this reason, there will be
delay in the operations of the management (Kark and Shamir, 2013). So in case if any
situation arises, then it is the function of the manager to balance the environment of the
organization. Besides this, function of the manager in the organization is to provide quality

goods and services to the customers. If any of the complaints come from the customer
regarding the quality of the product, then it is the responsibility of the manger to manage
them. The manager is liable to ensure the quality of products to the customers. In this, case
the function of the manager is to monitor the activities of the employees so that they can
provide quality services to them (Kim, Kumar and Kumar, 2012).
P3 Different theories and models in M&S
Models and theories are the medium through which the organization can effectively
carry out the operations. As the competition is increasing in the retail sector, it has become
important to adopt the theories which can guide their employees.
 Situational leadership- This leadership style works according to the situation and the
circumstances which arise in the organization. In M&S different situation arise and
the leaders have to adapt themselves according to them. In this type of leadership
style according to the situation, the work is assigned to the team members. in case of
M&S, if the objective has to be achieved early then the leader do not consider their
team member in the decision making process as it changes its leadership style
(Antonakis and House, 2013). Further, if the leaders have time, then it focuses on the
ideas and suggestions. It is advantageous because as the leaders are mature they adopt
themselves in the situation and overcome the issue. Further, it has been witnessed that
through this leadership it helps in increasing profitability and productivity.
 System leadership- system leadership is the different type of leadership style in which
the individual take all the cultural and social factors together and accordingly take the
decisions. In case of M&S, it is important because culture and social factor have huge
impact on the operations and functions of the firm (Jing and Avery, 2011). Besides
this, in this case, the leader can make the teams which can help in achieving the
objectives within the time limit.
 Contingency theory- There is no particular way in which the organization can function
in the environment. As all the situations are different and the solutions to their
problems are also diverse. According to this theory, the decisions are dependent on
the internal as well as external factors. In case of M&S, the taste and preference of the
customers changes effectively so in that case, the leaders and the mangers are required
to change the process so that they can make the products according to the needs and
requirements of the users (Müller and Turner, 2010). The style of the leadership is

changed according to the business environment. Further, it can be said that the theory
focus on the major environmental factors.
P4 Key approaches to Leadership Management
Leadership is like a character, it is a trait which some individuals possess and some
not, it is an attitude which an individual has. Leadership is not common to everyone
only the persons who are more energetic and enthusiastic are capable of carrying the
role of leaders in an organization(Baboli and et,al., 2014). Leadership is natural in an
human being thus it is said that leadership cannot be teached to anyone it is an
individual's asset. There are several approaches a leader follows to lead the
organization. Some of those vital approaches are:
 Traits Approach: This approach talks about the characteristics that a leader should
possess which makes a normal person a Leader. It is said that "Leaders are born they
are not made". Leaders are different from a normal human being they are more task-
oriented and action-oriented(Schiller and et.al, 2016). Their attitude towards a given
situation differs from that of a normal person because a normal individual will view
any situation like touch and go type and a leader will try to make necessary decisions
from that situation or judgments can be made by a Leader. It is an individual's
personality, attitude towards a given situation.
 Functional Approach: This particular approach deals with the groups that's why this
approach is also known as group approach. Main focus of this functional approach is
on functions, responsibilities and accountabilities of the leader. A leader is
accountable to the stakeholders of the operations that are being performed in
company. A leader is possessed of responsibilities which he takes due care of when
the working is being done. A leader performs different set of functions which includes
management, accountability, workforce evaluation, making the workforce work and
keeps them motivating always. Functional approach here lay emphasis on how leaders
affect the behaviour of people and how a leader is affected by those individuals.
 Behavioral Approach: Behavioral approach of leadership lay emphasis on behaviour
of different leaders who are at different hierarchy levels in an organization and main
focus of this approach is on the behaviors of leaders which are different from each
other. Some leaders are aggressive in their approach and some leaders are of gentle
behaviour(Ba and Nault, 2016). A leader possess of different set of behavioral traits
which makes him distinct from other leaders. Behaviour of the leader drives from

various factors which are social factors, Psychological factors, Cultural factors and
Environmental factors.
 Action-Centered Approach: This trait of leadership says that the leader is more action
oriented and task-oriented who believes in taking the immediate actions no matter
what he time is. This type of leaders are highly concerned about the solutions to the
problems and till they fix the problem they don't sit quietly. Here leaders are more
proactive than reactive. Herein, leaders are more focused on doing the things right
rather than just directing it and conveying to the subordinate.
P5 Importance of Operations Management in achieving Objectives
Every organization has some goals and objectives to achieve and thus they are born.
there is a particular one long-term objective of the firm which is achieved through different
set of small objectives. We normally call that long-term goal as vision of the enterprise and
the small goal is known Mission of the company(Rushton, Croucher and Baker, 2014). As M
& S also have the same desire of achieving the objectives and for that level to reach
operations of the company should be accurate enough so that every set of missions can be
achieved in time and his will help in achieving the vision of M & S. Keeping operational
efficiency on the right track will help M & S to achieve their set objectives. So, achieving
objectives will only fetch from right assessment of and undertaking of the operations
management.
Operations management has been the key in managing and maintaining the activities
at wider level as well as at the shorter level. Operations of M & S Ltd. should be conducted
and undertaken in such a manner by the leaders and managers that they will fetch in
achieving the desired aims and objectives. If operations of the company are undertaken in an
efficient and an effective manner then due to efficient use of resources it will help in making
and creating a positive impact on the working of the organization. M & S being in the retail
sector have to keep their operations mainly related to distribution channels and thus they need
to keep making decisions tactically, strategically and operationally so that they can achieve
efficient distribution strategies and thus those strategies will help in achieving the desired
results(Murray and et.al, 2016). Thus Leaders and managers are important in maintaining the
operations of business in keeping up to date certain activities which have major impact on the
profitability of the company. Operations of the M & S includes manufacturing activities,
sales, marketing, finance, decision making capabilities, human resource, etc. Thus, all these

activities have to be performed in an effective and efficient manner so that ensuring the work
carried out should be as per the standards made.
P6 Factors Affecting Business Environment
There are several factors which affect the environment in a positive and negative both
the ways, which in turn affects the business environment as well by certain changes
making in elements of the environment(Nakayama and Bucks, 2012). So here comes
the role of leaders and managers in making the strategies which can reduce the impact
of these factors on the working of the organization in negative scenarios. There are six
different factors which affect the business environment in several ways, which are:
Economic Factors: Economic factors deals with the economic condition of country as a
whole. In this things which are involved are interest rate, exchange rate, inflation and
economic development and recession, etc. Economic factor is one of the important
factors because it has its roots directly with the economy of the country which in turn
affects negatively and positively to an organization(Ming and et.al., 2013). M & S
leaders and managers should consider the GDP rate going on and should be looking at
the inflation rate changes that are taking place in order to make strategies which
favors the company.
Social Factors: Consumers are vital element of the company and thus Leaders and managers
need to ensure that production of the products which caters the need of people through
which M & S can build the brand image and profits. Social factors are totally related
to the society. These factors may include the change in taste, change in level of
income, change in fashion, etc(Casolino and et.al., 2012). People tends to have their
own perceptions towards different products and due their sudden shift in the
consumption patterns companies like M & S are affected due to it. Sometimes its
consumers taste and preferences that are not met by the company. So, M & S
company managers and leaders should make necessary adjustments in order to
provide products which are particularly target the potential customers.
Political Factors: Changes in government affects the change of strategies in business as well.
These factors refers to the policies which are framed by the government to make sure
that the product which is coming out in the markets does not contain any harmful
toxics which can cause damage to the health of people and habitat. Political decisions
of government affects the education, infrastructure of the economy. M & S company

should ensure that products and services which are to be delivered by the company
should not contain any toxics(Casolino and et.al., 2012). So clear and promising
strategies need to be carried out by the leaders and managers so that it is ensued that
operations are well performed.
Technological Factors: As world is moving fast towards the globalization and in this present
scenario change and development are the only two things which is constantly
changing and catering to the needs of people and with it M & S have make its move
also to introduce new technologies in operations so that the competition can be given
to the competitors prevailing in the market. In order to have a competitive advantage
over the competitors M & S should adopt latest technologies to carry out their
operations because using an old set of machines will not provide them much which
the new one's can(DeAnna and et.al., 2010). Managers and leaders of M & S should
ensure optimum use of the resources by introducing new technologies at the
workplace.
Legal Factors: This factors refers to the laws which particularly/specifically are introduced
for the businesses only. Legal factors are related to the rules and regulations that
companies have to comply with in making of the products and delivering of the
services. M & S leaders and managers employ due care in making of products with
appropriate standards followed in that process(Kopardekar, 2015). Government passes
different new laws after every specific time period which increases the cost of the
businesses. Such laws may include age discrimination, increase in minimum wage,
etc.
Environmental Factors: Environmental factors is the combination of all the above factors
which are discussed above. Generally these factors includes natural disasters,
recessions, change in weather and climate conditions. These factors affect the
business of farming and tourism most. Environmental factors are external factors
which firms consider due to a global change in the economy(DeAnna and et.al.,
2010). These factors have a great set of uncertainty and can arrive at anytime, M & S
company should consider these and accordingly make strategies for the future
operations.

CONCLUSION
From this report it can be concluded that, Leaders and managers are the two
most important elements of the organization and play a significant role in maintaining
and introducing the set of operations of the business. There performance in the
organization is of due importance because on their performance the survival of the
firm is dependent upon. A leader is a person who makes the decision and performing
that decision effectively is the key towards achieving the targets and that performance
and ensuring that it is up to the standards is done by managers. Further as per this
report it has been founded that operations management is the key achieving the goals
and objectives of M& S Ltd. company. There are six different factors which affects
the working of the organization which are: Economic, political, legal, environmental,
social and technological factors and through these factors the decision making of
leaders and mangers have been affected upto an extent.

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