Leadership in Change Management: A Marks & Spencer Analysis

This report provides an in-depth analysis of leadership theories and their practical application within Marks & Spencer (M&S). It begins by exploring the changing perspectives of leadership, influenced by economic, social, and political contexts, and how these factors have shaped leadership approaches at M&S. The report then identifies key leadership challenges, such as developing managerial effectiveness, inspiring employees, and guiding change. It also outlines the characteristics of responsible leadership, emphasizing taking responsibility, motivating employees, meeting stakeholder expectations, ethical practices, and acknowledging performance. Furthermore, the report highlights the importance of leadership in managing change within the organization, including sponsoring change, preparing models for implementation, making critical decisions, communication, and conducting training programs. The report offers valuable insights into effective leadership strategies and their impact on organizational success, using M&S as a case study.

Leadership: Theory and
Practice.
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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
Changing perspective of leadership.............................................................................................3
Challenges in leadership..............................................................................................................4
Characteristics of responsible leadership.....................................................................................6
Importance of leadership in the process of change......................................................................7
CONCLUSION ..............................................................................................................................8
REFRENCE.....................................................................................................................................9
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INTRODUCTION
Leadership theory is specified as the leadership approaches in the organization structure
to manage the various operations attached to the company. Leadership theories provide guidance
to all the human resources in the organization towards achieving organization goals and
objectives. In this report Marks and Spencer (M&S) is taken as an organisation. M&S was
established in the year 1884 by Michael Marks and Thomas Spencer. This report specifies about
the leadership perspective in organisation. Various challenges of leadership in organization is
also specified in this report. Different characteristics of responsible leadership is also specifies in
this report. Importance of leadership in the process of change is also specifies in this report.
MAIN BODY
Changing perspective of leadership
Leadership change is specifies as the changes in leadership approaches and practices to
conduct and operate various business operations. Various influence over perspectives of
leadership due to the changes that can be specifies as follows.
Changes in economic perspective: Various economical factors that has changed the perspective
of leadership in M&S. The major impacts over leadership in company's has influenced with
industrial and information revolution attached to the company (van Dierendonck and Sousa,
2016). Both the revolutions has evolved the leadership approaches in the company's. Changing
economic perspective provided expansion of business scale. Various tax reforms and
governmental policies provided more convenience to the leadership to innovate and apply new
idea's regarding products and process. For example the leadership in M&S has guided the
direction of business in various aspects such as internet and other associated economic changes
that also involves various tax reforms.
Leadership changes in social context: Social reforms such as employee's oriented laws in UK
has changed the leadership approach in companies. The policies in the company become more
lenient towards the human resources in the company (Maynard and et.al., 2017). The leaders in
corporate organizations has started supporting new talented entrants in the company as the
management started investing in its human resources to make them more compatible in the
working conditions of the company. Various new training and induction programs has
introduced by the leaders in the company to polish and improve the skills of the employee's in
the company. For example the leadership of the M&S started focusing over improving the
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organization culture of the company. Such improved culture of company is surrounded around
the employee engagement, company's atmosphere, stake holder's expectations.
Leadership changes in political context: The political atmosphere in UK is more keen towards
technological innovation in corporate sectors to improve the profitability. With the increased
focus of politics and governments towards various technological inclusions in the businesses the
management of the companies has also transformed the entire operational structure of the
company (Sosik and Jung, 2018). To introduce various technological changes in the organization
structure is also among the major demand of today's world. For example the leadership in M&S
started utilizing new technologies in conducting all such related operations in process to adopt
the change that also resulted into improved efficiency and productivity.
Challenges in leadership
Various challenges leadership had to face that can be summarized as follows.
Developing managerial effectiveness: To develop the managerial effectiveness is among the
major challenges leadership faced. Developing managerial effectiveness involve various
activities such as to develop various skills time management, prioritisation, strategical thinking,
decision making and work efficiencies all such activities creates huge challenge for the leaders of
the company to work towards improving all such skills in the human resources of the company
(Denyer and Turnbull James, 2017). To finalize various training programs is also a major
challenge based on the organization structure the leader need to finalize the best training and
development program for the human resources of the company (Bunker, 2016).
Inspiring Others: Inspire all the human resources of the company is also a major challenge
leadership faced. To improve the operations efficiencies the leaders needs to motivate and inspire
to improve the productivity and efficiency. To adopt various changes such as technological
development, new practices the leaders of the company also need to inspire all the employee's so
they can apply potentially all the respective changes in the working practices. The leadership
needs to give quality examples with the productive performances of leadership and that involve
various external challenges to deal and some time such factors are out of the control area of
leaders and that become huge challenge for the leaders of the company.
Developing Employee's: The leadership of in companies also need to engage with various
employee development programs to evolve the personality and skills of the employee's in the
company (Schoemaker, Heaton and Teece, 2018). To conduct operations to improve the skills
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and personality is a huge challenge for the leader's of the company. Many time professionals also
get hire by the leader's to improve all such factors. All such aspects require proper planning and
management to conduct such sessions as the leaders also need to manage the operations of the
employee's during the hour of sessions and programs.
Guiding Change: To implement the change in the organizational structure the leaders of the
company also needs to guide all the related activities to all the employee's of the company. The
guidance not only restricted to the implementation of change but also to involve all such changes
in the operational practices. Many times specific training also needs to conduct by the leaders for
the adoption of change and that also require a huge guidance from the leaders in the company
(Fassinger and Good, 2017). All such aspects becomes a huge challenge for the leadership in the
form of guiding to change. For example in process to adopt the change effectively the leadership
in various companies such as M&S, Tesco and other corporate organizations has provided
various training and development programs for adopting such changes effectively.
Characteristics of responsible leadership
Characteristics depicts the nature of responsible leadership is as follows.
Take Responsibility: Responsible leadership always take responsibility of all the operations of
the company specially the operations that somehow resulted negatively. Leaders are the one who
guide to employee's of the company to achieve the organizational goal or to cope up with the
expectations of the stakeholders of the M&S. So its important for the leaders to take
responsibility of every action in the company. Taking responsibility also involve to answer the
stake holders about company's performance (Hawkins, 2017).
Improve Motivation in Employee's: Among various characteristics of responsible leadership to
motivate the human resources of the company is also among the major task responsible
leadership conduct as a part of the operation (Nicholas and West-Burnham, 2016). Various
confidence and motivation building sessions leadership conduct to motivate the employee's.
Activities attached to the improve motivation and confidence building sessions are specifically
focus to the employee's who look less confident in the operational activities of the company and
also the employee's who are unable to prove the efficiency. For effective implementation the
leadership in various companies such as M&S, Sainsbury and other organizations has tried to
improve the employee motivation first.
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Cope up with the expectations: Responsible leadership always put quality efforts to cope up
with the expectations of all the stakeholders of the company (Shekshnia, McCarthy and Puffer,
2017). Stakeholders also involve the target consumer's of the company. All the operational
practices of the responsible leadership are only keen towards fulfilling all the needs and demands
of the customer's to improve the profitability of the company.
Follow ethical practices: To follow the ethical practices is also a basic characteristics of
responsible leadership. All the approached of the leader's in organizations are keen towards
following ethics in conducting all the operations in the company. Leadership not only focus over
following the ethical work practices but also focus over motivating all the human resources of
the company to follow the same as well. Ethical operational practices resulted into a positive
brand image of company's products that improved the faith in all the target customer's of the
company towards the products of the company. For example the leadership in M&S are more
keen towards following the ethical practise that also improved the brand image of company.
Acknowledge performance: The leadership is responsible to embrace the productive
performances. The leadership of the company focus over acknowledgement so that the other
employee's of the company can also get inspire to perform more efficiently. To acknowledge the
productive performance the company management give rewards, bonus and promotions to
productive employee's of the company. For example practices related to the acknowledging
productive performance is a crucial aspect of leadership in M&S, Tesco and other corporate
houses.
Importance of leadership in the process of change
Leadership is defined as the setting the direction for the operations and also to guide the
employee's towards achieving the organization goals. To implement the change in the company
the leader's of the M&S has played various important roles that are as follows.
Sponsor Change: The leadership sponsored or introduced various changes to improve the
organizational structure of the company. All such proposed changes are based on the
organization structure of the company (Kuratko, 2018). Leaders also critical evaluate the
proposed change to evaluate as the organizational structure is sufficient enough to adjust the
change or the organization do even need to adopt the change. Leadership needs to evaluate all
the associated factors with change in the organization context while proposing the change. Based
on the research and study regarding proposed change leader's also need to convey about both
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positive and negative aspects of change to company's shareholders. For example before
implementing the change in organization structure the leadres in M&S, Tesco and other
organization has sponsored the change based on the organization structure.
Prepare a proper model for change implementation: Leader's also play an important role in
setting up the proper frame work based on the organization hierarchy to implement the change.
After analysing about the change in the organizational structure context leaders proposed the
most suitable approach that can enable the employee's of the company in adopting all the
potential changes in the organizational structure.
Make Decisions: Leader's took all the important and crucial decisions regarding the change
price while implementing the proposed in the organizational structure of company. Leader's take
all the important decisions from proposing and researching towards the change and till
implementing the proposed change in the organization structure leader's need to take all the
decisions. Its a huge responsibility of the leader's to successfully implement all the proposed
changes in the organization structure as the leader's are the one who propose all such changes to
improve the operational efficiency of the company. For example after analysing all the aspect of
the change leaders took various decisions such as implementing the latest information
technologies in structure and other associated changes for effectively introducing the change in
organization.
Communication regarding change: Its a prime responsibility of the leader's in the company to
communicate with all the associated stakeholders who are affected regarding the change. While
communicating leader's need to convey all the necessary information to the affected stake
holders regarding the change (Hawkins, 2017). While communicating the information that needs
to convey to various stakeholders must be precise in a way that the stakeholders only get the
necessary and required information about the change.
Conduct Training: This is also among the prime responsibility of the leader's to conduct
various training programs so all the affected employee's of the company from the proposed
change can improve the skills to utilize such changes in improving the operational efficiency.
Leader's also take call over the kind of training programs that needs to be conducted as the
training programs required an investment regarding time and money so the training programs
must be an appropriate based on the requirements. For example leadership conducted various
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training like IT training and other trainings so the human resources in the M&S can cope up with
the change effectively.
Hold Accountability: Leadership also require to hold accountability regarding benefits form the
proposed changes in the company. As implementing the changes require quality time and
resources of the company so it is important for the leader's of the company to take responsibility
of all the changes in the organization.
CONCLUSION
This report concluded about different perspectives of leadership in applying the change in
the organization. Various challenges has also concluded that took a part in implementing
operations for the leader's in the organizational context. Various characteristics attached with the
responsible leadership has also concluded in this report. The importance of leadership while
implementing the change in the organization structure has also concluded in this report.
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REFRENCE
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Dom, F.R.M. and Ahmad, A.M., 2019. AN IMPACT OF CULTURAL CHANGE ON
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Fassinger, R.E. and Good, G.E., 2017. Academic leadership and counseling psychology:
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Hawkins, P., 2017. Leadership team coaching: Developing collective transformational
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team human capital, and interim vs. permanent leader status impact post-transition team
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Nicholas, L. and West-Burnham, J., 2016. Understanding leadership: Challenges and
reflections. Crown House Publishing Ltd.
Schoemaker, P.J., Heaton, S. and Teece, D., 2018. Innovation, dynamic capabilities, and
leadership. California Management Review.61(1). pp.15-42.
Shekshnia, S.V., McCarthy, D.J. and Puffer, S.M., 2017. Leadership development in Russia.
In Human resource management in Russia.(pp. 43-64). Routledge.
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Sosik, J.J. and Jung, D., 2018. Full range leadership development: Pathways for people, profit,
and planet. Routledge.
van Dierendonck, D. and Sousa, M., 2016. Finding meaning in highly uncertain situations:
Servant leadership during change. Leadership lessons from compelling contexts.8.
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<https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/careers/soft-skills/leadership-theories/>.
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