Lowest guaranteed price across the globe. Get upto 50% off ! Book Now

Management and Operations

University: University of Boston

  • Unit No: 4
  • Level: High school
  • Pages: 11 / Words 2827
  • Paper Type: Assignment
  • Course Code: N/A
  • Downloads: 156
Question :

This sample will let you know about:

Differentiate between the role of a leader and manager.

Define Situational leadership theory.

Answer :
Organization Selected : McLaren Automotive

Operational management is mainly associated with ensuring efficient business operations and production of services and goods with optimum use of resources to meet and fulfil the customers requirement in more better way. Thus, management of operations mainly includes creation of better coordination and balance among various activities and employees of organisation to ensure timely achievement of goals with highest level of efficiency (Bharara, Sabitha and Bansal, 2017).

The organisation opted for this assignment is McLaren Automotive that is a famous British automotive manufactures the main production unit of which is based at McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey. This assignment includes a description about different characteristics and role of a leaders and manger together with examination of their role in different situational contexts. Further, different theories and models of leadership are also included in this report.

This presentation is based on management and operations which are essential for all organisation to ensures efficiency and better control over various activities to have enhancement in its productivity and profitability. The organisation selected for this presentation is McLaren that is a British automotive manufactures and also associated with Formula one racing. Following presentation includes a description about key approaches of operation management and various role played by leaders and managers. Beside this value and importance of operations management in attaining business objective together with assessment of factors present in business environment is also made in this presentation.

Mangers and leaders plays a crucial and most vital role in management of operation through motivating employees and establishing a coordination among all activities and operations that lead to enhancement in performance and productivity of firm with the help of effective control and management (De Roover, 2017).

Introduction to chosen organisation

McLaren Automotive is a British automotive manufacturer that includes automotive engineering and design and its main product is super-cars which are manufactured at an in house designated production facilities (McLaren, 2020). The main headquarter and production unit of McLaren Automotive is at Surrey, UK and having its operation worldwide. Being a manufacturing organisation many activities and process are performed by this organisation thus, it is having functional based management structure where each activity is properly categorised in various departments and functions to have better efficiency and communication within the organisation.

Managers

A manager is an individual that is having expertise and efficient knowledge in its field and have the responsibility of supervising and coordinating the activities and efforts of all employees for achievement of organisational goal (What is a Manager? - Definition, Goals & Responsibilities, 2020). The managers of McLaren automotive are responsible and plays a crucial role in coordinating and keeping a balance in all activities of organisation to ensure timely achievement of goals and targets (Whelan, Sarmiento and Sprenger,  2018). Order assignment help from our experts! 

Leaders

A leader is a person that is having the art of influencing and motivating a group of individuals or person with the aim of directing their efforts towards achievement of an common goal of task (He, Mak and Rong, 2019). The role played by landers of McLaren automotive includes making effective relation and employee engagement with workforces trough transformational leadership styles that includes use of perks and incentives to retain and maintain best talents for a longer period to achieve organisational goal and objective. Use of both soft skill like effective communication and hard skills like time management and knowledge of IT is made by leaders of McLane automotive to motivate and guide its employees for achievement of better performance.

Difference  between Leadership and management

Basis

Management

Leadership 

Functions

The main functions of management includes overall planning and budget formation, organising and coordinating all activities together with effective control on performance and efficiency of employees to achieve desired goals. 

The main function of leadership in  McLaren Automotive is to motivate and provide a strategic direction to employees to improve their performance and efficiency (Jones and Dwivedi, 2018).

Role and responsibility

Management is responsible for effectively delegating the role and responsibility among various employees and also monitor their performance to have better check, balance and coordination in their efforts.

Leadership plays a crucial role in communicating the vision and objective set by mangers to employees to align them with organisational objective. 

Skills

Use of hard management skills like specific technical knowledge and training are made by  McLaren Automotive to effectively direct and control its employees (Utne, Schjølberg and Roe, 2019).

Use of various soft Leadership skills like effective communication, time management are made to built better relation and commitment in employees to effectively motivate and guide them for better performance.

Approach

Use of systematic management approach is made by mangers of  McLaren Automotive that facilitates more practical and planned way to coordinate and organise efforts of all employees and activity (Kumar, Mookerjee and Shubham, 2018).

Use of Transformational leadership style is made by leaders of  McLaren Automotive and provide regulars benefits and incentives to motive employees.

Various crucial role are played by mangers and leaders in maintaining smooth flow of operation through properly coordinating and motivating employees for achieving better performance and efficiency level. An analysis of different roles played by managers and leaders of McLaren Automotive in various organisation situation is provided below:

Implementation of change- It is necessary for every company to bring some timely changes to cope with the needs of dynamic business environment and have better competitive strength to achieve the level of organisational excellence and perfection. Implementation of change is a complex as well as crucial activity that includes many task such as evolution of reasons for changes, identifying all positive and negative implications of change, effect of change on performance and efficiency of employees, communication of changes made, etc. Thus, mangers and leaders have various role and responsibility for effective implementation of changes (Lamba and Singh, 2017). Use of Hard management skills are made by mangers of McLaren Automotive to provide effective knowledge and technical training to employees in order to make them able and skilled for proper execution and implementation of change. Need Assignment Samples?Talk to our Experts!

Thus, managers plays a crucial role in enhancing and developing skill and competencies of employee to have better implementation of change. On the other side, use of transformational leadership style is made by leaders of  McLaren Automotive to motivate employees for effective implementation of change through providing better perks and incentives on the basis of their efficiency level. Beside this, leaders also plays a crucial role in communicating and transferring all the required and need information about change with employees to make them understand about implication and impact of changes and also provide proper guidance and direction to employees for better execution of change (Song and Parola, 2015).

Conflict resolution-  McLaren Automotive is a multinational organisation and employees working in this organisation are from diversified culture and background that are having different interest and vision thus, chances of conflicts and chaos are always there during its day to day operations. Mangers of McLaren Automotive aim at properly delegating and defining role and responsibility of all employees so that chances of confusion and chaos can be reduced. Beside this use of scientific management theory is also made by mangers to have a more practical and effective approach to properly organise and coordinate efforts of all and to have a mutual decision making policy to avoid and reduce the chances of conflicts (Mehra, 2018).

The leaders of  McLaren Automotive is making use of situational leadership style so that they can have a better insight in the current situation to properly understand and evaluate the reason of conflicts so that best possible step can be taken to resolve that conflicts. Beside this, leaders also conduct many cultural and team binding activity to facilitates team bonding, commitment and better interaction among employees with the aim of improving workplace atmosphere to reduce the chances of conflicts.

Use of various theories and models of leadership are made by McLaren Automotive to motivate and guide its employees as per prevailing conditions and circumstances. An assessment of strengths and weakness of these leadership approaches is provided below: 

Situational leadership theory- this leadership style emphasis on the fact that there is no one best leadership style that can yield effective results during all situation thus, a leadership style needs to have a significant anoint of flexibility so that a best leadership style can be selected as per the situation (Mehta, Mittra and Yadav, 2018).

Blanchard and Hersey Model- this model suggest that there is no single leadership style that is better or superior than other therefore, a leaders must adjust its leadership style as per requirements of its employees and their abilities. According to this model the managers of McLaren can adopt following styles of leadership for better results on the basis of capabilities of its employees:

Delegating style- it can be adopted by McLaren when their is low task and low relationships and employees are highly mature which facilitates delegation of responsibility of task decisions in group.

Participating style- this style can be adopted by McLaren at the time of low task and high relationship style with shared decisions and ideas.

Selling style- it is best suitable at the time of high task and high relationship style that can be used by McLaren for moderate skilled employees.

Telling style- this style is associated with high task and low relationship style that can be adopted by McLaren for motivating and directing low maturity employees.

The advantages and disadvantage facilitated  by McLaren automotive with use of situational leadership style are as follows: 

Strengths

Weakness

Use of situational leadership style facilitates a high level of flexibility in leadership of  McLaren automotive that makes it easy for leaders and mangers to easily modified and make change in their ways and approaches for effectively  controlling and motivating employees as per the needs of current situation.

Random changes in leadership styles and modification in leadership theory makes it complex and difficult for employees of  McLaren automotive to have proper understanding thus, enhance chances of conflicts and confusion in  McLaren automotive.

Contingency leadership style- it is a two fold style of leadership that not only depends and emphasis on skills of leaders but also include an evaluation and deep analysis of current situation (Solomon, 2018). Use of this leadership style can be made by McLaren automotive at the time of implementation  of change as it lead to better analysis of environmental factors that emphasis and lead to modification in organisations.

Fiedler’s Contingency model- This leadership model suggest that the leadership style of McLaren must matches and align with the prevailing situation in order to have more effectiveness. There are three core element of this model which are explained below in context of McLaren:

Leadership style- it is mainly depends on two dimension i.e. task oriented and human relation oriented. The task oriented approach emphasis on perform ace and accomplishment of task while human oriented approach emphasis on better workplace relation. Thus, this dimension lead to timely completion of task and goals in McLaren together with better relation and bonding at workplace.

Situational Variables- according to this dimension the managers of McLaren must properly evaluate and analysis current situation and factors of environment before adopting any leadership style.

Relation between styles and situations- it is the last element of  Fiedler’s Contingency model that brings a balance between leadership style and current situation that provides an opportunity to leaders of McLaren to effectively influence and direct their subordinates through selection of an appropriate leadership style. 

The strengths and weakness of this approach encountered by McLaren automotive are as follows:

Strengths

Weakness

The strength of this leadership style is that various leadership and performance charts are prepared by McLaren automotive that facilitates a effective comparison between current level of skills and required level as per the prevailing situation thus, lead to better planning and controlling as per current scenario. 

The success and effectiveness of contingent leadership style is largely dependent on the skills and performance of leaders thus does not lead to better result if leaders is incompetent or unskilled (Perakis, 2019).

System Leadership-  the main aim of this leadership style is to enhance productivity and lead to enhancement in performance of all employees which are working at different levels in the organisation thus, use of system leadership style by McLaren automotive facilitates overall improvement in performance and productivity of organisation (Prahlad and Pawar CommVault Systems Inc, 2016). This leadership style is mainly based on an evaluation of human behaviours and attitudes thus, provide a better and more practical and systematic away and approach to guide and motivate employees to have better efficacy and productivity. The strengths and weakness of system leadership style seen in workplace of  McLaren automotive are as follows:

Strengths

Weakness

System leadership style provide better evaluation and understanding of human behaviours, interests and nature of employees thus, it become say for leaders of McLaren automotive to properly guide and direct employees on the basis of some mutual decision and strategy.

It is diverticula to accurately analysis or determine interest of all employee thus, lead to demotivation and dissatisfaction in the employees whose desires and interest are not meet (Regnier and MacKenzie, 2018)).

Recommendations

On the basis of evaluation of above information it can be determine that mangers and leaders have a significant role and influence in motivating, directing and controlling employees to achieve organisational goals and objective on time. Following recommendation can be made for  McLaren automotive to have future improvements:

  • Use of democratic leadership style is recommended for McLaren automotive to have better participation of employees in decision making process that facilitates higher level of creativity and improvement in business operations.
  • Timely analysis of performance and efficiency of employees is also recommended so that better motivation and required training can be provided to employees of McLaren automotive to have better performance in future. Get Management Dissertation Topics from our qualified experts!

Conclusion

With respect to above report it can be summarised that managers as well as leaders plays a crucial and critical role in management of employees and other operational activity through providing timely motivation and coordinating all activities and tasks of organisation. Management make use of hard skills like technically training to heighten the capability and performance of employees.  Use of various approaches of leadership like system,  situational and contingent leadership styles are made to properly guide and direct employees as per the situation and human behaviour and interest.

Also Read- Knowledge Management Strategic Plan

Download Full Sample
Cite This Work To export references to this Sample, select the desired referencing style below:
Copy to Clipboard
Copy to Clipboard
Copy to Clipboard
Copy to Clipboard
Instant Assignment Help. [Internet]. Instant Assignment Help.(2024), Retrieved from: https://www.instantassignmenthelp.com/free-samples/management-assignment-help/management-operational-system
Copy to Clipboard
Boost Grades & Leave Stress

Share Your Requirements Now for Customized Solutions.

Lowest Price

USD6.27

    FOR FIRST ORDER GET EXTRA 25% OFF

    Seasonal seasonal-mobile

    Our unique Features

    24/7 Customer Support

    100% Customer Satisfaction

    No Privacy Infringement

    Quick Services

    Subject Experts

    Innovative Documents

    100+ Qualified Writers

    For Best (Accounting) Assignment Help

    Ashly James
    2453 - Completed Orders
    Ashly JamesView Profile Hire Me
    Krishtin Manuel
    1343 - Completed Orders
    Krishtin ManuelView Profile Hire Me
    Kevin Patrick
    1039 - Completed Orders
    Kevin PatrickView Profile Hire Me
    Bill Smith
    1233 - Completed Orders
    Bill SmithView Profile Hire Me
    View All Writers
     
    IAH whatsapp

    Limited Time Offer

    Exclusive Library Membership + FREE Wallet Balance