LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership and Management

Leadership and Management

Similarities & Differences between Leadership and Management

Leadership and management are two opposing styles of employee supervision, actively used with in the Wal-Mart stores. Both have similarities, yet there are many differences that separate a manager from a leader. Bateman and Snell, 2008 stated that “Management is the process of working with people and resources, to accomplish organizational goal” (p19). Leadership is a manner in which a leader aspires to persuade his or her team to launch and achieve a organizational goal. This paper will discuss the difference between management and leadership, the roles of leaders and managers, and the managers in creating and maintaining a healthy culture. This paper will also explain how the four functions of management support creating and maintaining a healthy organizational culture.

Managers have subordinates and the power over others. This is a formal authority given to them by the organization, and the subordinates work and follow what the manager tells them. Management is a transactional style, and the subordinates follow managers because they believe it will increase his or her salary or reward. Managers are work focus; they are paid to get things done often with great constraints of time and money. They usually pass this work focus to the subordinates. Managers also seek to avoid conflict. Leaders do not have subordinates but have followers and aspiring people to work and achieve a organizational goal. Leaders have charismatic and transformational styles that attract people, and followers feel that they have not just gained rewards but somehow feel they have made their lives better. Leaders are always good with people, and quiet styles are very effective at creating loyalty. Leaders are achievement- focused which is very important in aspiring people to work towards their vision. Leaders are risk-takers and ready to take any problems that come their way.

Leaders allow changes and use it to their advantage by taking the change that people would like to follow. Leaders are innovators with creativity to invent and focus on the vision. Leaders are mentors and see people strengths while manager evaluate people, restricts initiative, and looks for what employees are doing wrong. Leaders concentrate on the future while managers think about the short -term goals and focus on what needs to be dealt now. Managers at Wal-Mart are the ones who manage the budget, reports and statistics, and deals with solving problem. They are focusing on their work expecting the good effort done by the staff..

The four functions of management support the creation and maintenance of a healthy organizational culture. All Wal-Mart managers have the strategic plan and discusses to all employees about plans to improve and maintain the great customer service and unbeatable prices it has to offer. To be successful, our manager allocated some resources by hiring more staff. Having enough staffing is the best approach to attend all the customer needs along with the best decision-making, organizing and planning. This creates a healthy organizational environment and ...