Leadership, Management and Operations at Marks and Spencer Report

This report delves into the critical differences between the roles of managers and leaders within an organization, specifically using Marks and Spencer as a case study. It examines the distinct functions of managers, such as planning, organizing, and controlling, compared to the leadership roles of coordination, motivation, and innovation. The report analyzes how these roles shift in various situations, emphasizing goal orientation, market analysis, scheduling, and delegation. It further explores different leadership theories, including situational, contingency, and system leadership, and their application within the company. Key approaches to operations management, such as lean production and total quality management, are also discussed, highlighting the roles of leaders and managers in implementing these strategies. The report concludes by underscoring the significance of operations and management in achieving business objectives and the influence of the business environment on operational decision-making.

MANAGEMENT AND
OPERATIONS

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
TASK 1 ........................................................................................................................................3
P1 Difference between role of manager and leader with respect to their functions....................3
TASK 2 ...........................................................................................................................................5
P2 Role and functions of manager and leader in different situations.........................................5
P3 Different theories and approaches of leadership....................................................................7
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................8
P4 Key approaches to operations management and role of leader and manager in applying
these approaches..........................................................................................................................8
P5 Importance of operations and management in achieving business objectives.......................9
TASK 4..........................................................................................................................................10
P6 Factors within business environment that impact operational management and decision
making by leader and manager.................................................................................................10
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................11
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................12

INTRODUCTION
Management is most important part in any organisation. It is mandatory that there should
be proper management so that there are less chances of overlapping of activities. Operations
management means doing working of organisation in correct manner (Ageron, Gunasekaran and
Spalanzani, 2012). It is duty of manager to provide guidance to subordinates so that proper
actions can be taken. There must be regular check done, this makes employees also motivate to
complete task in best way. In this report Marks and Spencer is the company which deals in
clothes, food products, home décor, etc. this company have 979 outlets all over UK. In this
report difference and role of leader and manger is presented, changes in roles and responsibilities
in different situations in Marks ans Spencer. There are various types of theories and models of
leadership, approaches of operations management. Importance of operations management in
achieving goals and objective, factors within business that influence decisions of management.
TASK 1
P1 Difference between role of manager and leader with respect to their functions
Manger and leader are mains in the organisation. It is important to motive employees in
company, this is done by manager and leader. Manager and leader has to flexible so that they can
make others also like them. There are many changes in plans and policies then it is responsibility
of leader or manger has to communicate to workers. They are people who make efforts to
achieve goals and objectives of organisation (Ashford, Coutu and Beasley, 2013).
Definition of manager
Manager is a person who performs task to handle different problems arise in organisation.
They deal with allocation of job responsibilities. In Marks and Spencer, there are chances to
make transfer in occupation roles so it is important for manager to communicate and describe the
responsibility clearly.
Definition of leader
Leader is a individual who take responsibility to guide its team and in case of any
problem he/ she is person who provides guidance to members. Leader leads the team and bridges
gap between top level management and subordinates.
Role of manager

 Planning- Planning is the primary responsibility of manager. They plan all the activities
which has to be performed. Director tells about sequence of activities which has to be
performed. This removes the confusion and chances of conflict in activities. Commanding- Manager provides direction in which activities are performed. It is
important to tell employees about what has to be done so that it gives best results. There
is sometimes chances that there are confusion to workers what to do then they curtail
their doubts (Binder and Edwards, 2010). Administrator- There are many departments in Marks and Spencer, there is interrelation
among them. Manger administrate the activities so that there is no repetition of activities
in company.
Role of leader Coordination- In Marks and Spencer there are many activities performed which are
dependent on each other. Hence fault in one activity creates in other also, so it is
important to create simulation between activities. Motivator- This is the main task of leader. It is important to give motivation factor to
employees, so that they are energetic in performing their task. Sometimes employee feel
that there is no benefit in perform particular job, it that case motivation gives positive
impact (Closs, Speier and Meacham, 2011).
 Innovator- Innovation is important factor in today's era. It is essential for leader to be
dynamic in nature so that they can make companions of nature who accept new ideas.

(Source: Role of leader 2018)
Difference between manager and leader are-
Basis Leader Manager
Task undertaken Leader perform leadership to
teammates and tell them
directions to perform specific
task
Manager indulges in managing
things so that there is no
overlapping of actions.
Functions They assign responsibility to Planning, organising, staffing,
Illustration 1: Role of leader

individuals according to skills
and profession.
directing, monitoring and
controlling are the functions of
manager.
Futuristic approach They work to make future
better.
Manager emphasis on cuurrent
situation that how to make task
completed.
Innovation Leader are more innovative as
they make actions right.
Manager performs things in
right way.
Risk taking Leader adopts different
methods to make activities
easy. So their working more
risky.
Manager is less risk taking as
comparison to leader.
Scope Leader has wider scope. Every
leader can become leader.
Manger has less area. But very
manager can not be a leader.
TASK 2
P2 Role and functions of manager and leader in different situations
There are numerous roles and responsibilities which has to be performed by manager and
leader. But as the situation change there responsibility also changes. It is important to analyse
situation and then actions must be taken. Company has to take care of employees need as well,
for this manner is responsible. In case of any miss happening duty to take corrective actions is of
manager (DeHoratius and Rabinovich, 2011).
Marks and Spencer is an organisation who deals in varies of luxurious product. There are
many departments in that organisation and there are many activities which are same for two or
more department. There are many employees working there so it is important that there is some
who lead them and create connection with other departments it important that there are manager
or leader to create simulation in their activities. Hence there are many job responsibility to
perform.
Different roles of manger and leader in different situations is discussed below-

 Goal oriented- Every company has different goals and objectives and they are established
to fulfil them. Hence, manager and leader has to motivate team mates to work with full
efficiency so that goals can be achieved. Market study and planning - Strategies are formed in organisation after analysing
market. There are fluctuations in environment, Marks and Spencer wants to give more
and more satisfaction to customer. But at the same time there is change in demands by
customer so it is important to analyse their needs and then frame policies. Scheduling of activities- Only making plans is not enough it is important to create
sequence of those activities. There are many actions which are related to various sections
so avoid over lapping it is necessary to categorise them (Fernie and Sparks, 2014). Controlling- This is most important function which is important to make goal achievable.
There must be handling of activities carefully. It is important to give essential so that
employees does not get diverted from their path. There is important role of manager to
analyse the activities performed by staff that whether there are positive results or not. In
case of positive results employees are rewarded which complete their personal goals. In
case of corrective actions taken. Delegation of authority- There are various duties assign to different personnel so there
must be delegation of authority as well. It helps in creating smoothness in operations of
Marks and Spencer. By giving authority it must be important to know the reasons in case
of wrong results. Training of personnel- Training is important these days. So there must be checking done
to analyse need of training and use of suitable methods which increases efficiency of
employee's. There is involvement of cost as well as time in training program so it must be
analysed carefully. Marks and Spencer has big brand name in market so it is important
for them to train individuals to establish same image. Bridges gap between personal and organisational goal: Employee's and organisation
both have their own goals. Employee will resist in company only if they feel that there
personal is also satisfied. Leader has to motivate employees top achieve company's goals
so that there efficiency increases. There are chances that employees does not satisfaction
from job so their efficiency decrease (Ghiani and et. al., 2014). This proves to be negative
for organisation.

 Problem solving function – There are many different problems arise to employees while
accomplishment of task. In case there are chances taken in operations of organisation,
then there are many issues arise so leader guides employees how to remove hurdle that
may occur.
P3 Different theories and approaches of leadership
To apply leadership effectively there are various theories which can be applied. Marks
and Spencer has numerous employees who perform different job responsibilities. They have
different mindset, so they get motivated through different techniques (Holmström, Främling and
Ala-Risku, 2010). It is essential to analyse which employees gets satisfied with what efforts and
accordingly team leader gives efforts. Leadership theories applied in Marks and Spencer are as
under-
 Situational leadership- This approach is given by Dr. Paul Hersey based on behavioural
science. It tells about change in situation of as per market, so there is change in
motivation too. This gives three categories to influence behaviour of employees-
Diagnose- This impacts that individual has some problem. It is duty of manager to see
what is need of employees and accordingly actions must be taken. It is important so that
employees are also interested in knowing and accepting new things.
Adapt- Next step is to accept what changes are made. It is not necessary to adopt all
modifications but organisation must follow according to need of society. It is important to be
run in competition with other brands.
Communicate- Management after analysing requirement and framing policies these
changes must be deliver to employees. This will increase their efficiency.
 Contingency leadership- In this situation there is no specific criteria how actions are
determined so it is important to analyse the situation and then apply leadership.
Sometimes there are difference in individual's behaviour which impact the decision of
leader as well (Naphade and et. al., 2011). It is important to give emphasis on such
situation because there is negativity in case employees does not get proper attention.
They might start switching to other jobs. This proves as disadvantage as company's good
and efficient employee will leave.
 System leadership- This can be understood as nature of organisation. It depends on
company whether they prefer to contact with outer factors or not. Marks and Spencer is a

organisation that acts according to change in competitors policies. This makes them to
compete with firms.
Marks and Spencer is vast organisation have good image in market. They take care of
their employees needs also. They use situational leadership to motivate their employees and
work effectively.
TASK 3
P4 Key approaches to operations management and role of leader and manager in applying these
approaches
There are various approaches used by organisation to provide best services to company
and have same goodwill in industry (Paryani, 2011). This makes good number of customer and
through this company get good chances to grow. Manger motivates them to reduces cost and
maximize production. Few approaches of management are as under- Lean production: Production is most important task in any organisation whether of
goods or services. It is important to reduce wastage while production. It makes optimum
use of available resources and reduces scrap while conversion of raw material into
useable product. Total quality management: this approach states that company has to focus on minimum
defects in product or services. It gives satisfaction to employees and reduces cost of
product. Motive of this approach is to improve quality of goods and services. Just in time: There is some specific time to produce goods and services. Manager should
motivate employees to make product ready in pre determined time. There are many
activities associated to production such as ordering, deliver of goods and services, etc. so
that these all are also manger. Queueing and continuous production: This approach says that there is requirement to
produce goods and services without interaction. This gives chances to satisfaction of
customer's need in time. In case of huge demand in market of product an d services they
get satisfied on time (Rosemann and vom Brocke, 2015).
 six sigma: This approach is very useful in towards era. This says that management has to
satisfy consumer's need in cost effective manner. This provides maximum satisfaction
and there are less chances that consumer get diverted. To apply this technique it is
important that manger has to select the best alternate among available one.

Role of manger and leader in applying these approaches
Manager plays vital role in using such approaches in organisation. Marks and Spencer
has various department which has to be interrelated. In case of mismatch there are chances that
customer get dissatisfied and reduces the goodwill. It is important for manger to create
coordination in operations of company. There is important role of leader in planning, staffing and
directing in Marks and Spencer. There are positive impact ion profit and productivity, which are
main objective of organisation (Su, Li and Fu, 2011). There are many activities related to
operations in company such as delivery, warehousing, etc. Manager gives impact on employees
performance and their efficiency and skills, this boost the employees morale and competent to
other firms.
P5 Importance of operations and management in achieving business objectives
Every business or organisation has its own objectives and goals. These can be satisfied
with the help of employees. But it is important to motivate them and provide them guidance to
take corrective actions. There are different techniques used by organisation to motivate
employees. It is important to give opportunities to subordinates in decision making so that their
morale boost and they perform their best.
Operation management means to carry off business activities. It means improve in quality
of products sop that employees get satisfied and they does not get diverted to other brand. Marks
and Spencer have supply chain management which helps in quick demand satisfaction so that
there is no change in demand of society. This makes them more reactive towards requirement
arised (Tan, Tse and Chung, 2010).
Importance of operations and management Goodwill in market- Goodwill in market is most important which affected by dealings of
company. So it is important that manager has to give emphasis on activities which helps
in maintaining same image in industry. Customer satisfaction- Customer is key factor which helps in increasing sales and
productivity. Company perform their business according to need of customer. In case of
change in demand, company has to make modifications in its plans and policies. This
may cause dissatisfaction among employees but manager has to motivate them to accept
new ideas.

 Profit motive- This is motive for which company run it is important to take care of this
hence operations are directed to achieve it. In case company fails to get profit then
stakeholder doe not want to deal with brand and employees also start switching to other
company.
 Qualitative product and services- Customer will only ready to buy product if they serve
good and updated quality good. There are many competitive firms of Marks and Spencer
so it is important to take care of quality and features of product.
Above mentioned points shows important role of marketing manager in Marks and
Spencer. It is important to tell roles of manager so that there are some specific actions taken to
increase profit and productivity (Tayur, Ganeshan and Magazine eds., 2012).
TASK 4
P6 Factors within business environment that impact operational management and decision
making by leader and manager
There are many factors that affect business operations and decision making. There are
chances that organisation has to make changes so that they can achieve predetermined objective.
Factors that affect business environment of Marks and Spencer are- Sustainability- Sustainable development means over all development. It means it is
important to develop strategies for growth of whole organisation. Marketing department
have link with various other department as well. Department like accounting, operations,
warehousing, logistics, etc. Manger have to motivate employees to take care
development of various units. Stakeholder- Stakeholder means people who are associated with organisation. Customer,
supplier, employees, debtor, creditor, government, bank, etc. so change in their interest
affect policies of Marks and Spencer. Intrapreneurs- This include personnel of organisation who promote business to achieve
organisational goal. They have important role to make policies and in case of problem
they provide solution. In case of dissatisfaction of intrapeneur there are change in plans
and regulations which affects business operations (Wu and Pagell, 2011) .
 Corporate social responsibilities- These days CSR activities are more important to make
good image in society. These activities aimed at giving back to society. There are some
specific percentage of revenue which organisation has to invest in CSR act.

CONCLUSION
Above discussed report tells about importance of management in company. It is
important for manager and leader to direct employees so that they works more efficiently and it
proves beneficial for them. There is difference in manager and leader as scope of leader is more
as comparison to manger (Yabuki, NEC Corp, 2014). There are change in policies and roles of
manager as in change of policies. There are various approaches used by manager to motivates
personnel so that policies can be applied effectively. There are change in operations also as
change in plans. This may impact employees performance. These changes are beneficial for
achieving objectives and goal of organisation. There are various internal and external
environment which impacts the operations. Company has to frame policies to reduce negative
impact of these factors.