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ACCA Applied Knowledge · Business and Technology · Leadership, management and supervision

Which of the following best describes the main difference between a leader and a manager in the context of the BT syllabus?

A leader focuses on vision, direction and influencing people towards change, while a manager focuses on planning, organising and controlling resources to meet agreed objectives. Leadership is about inspiring followers, whereas management is about administering systems and resources efficiently within the authority given by the organisation.

  1. AA leader relies on formal position authority to enforce rules, whereas a manager inspires followers through vision
  2. BA leader focuses on vision, direction and influencing people to change, whereas a manager focuses on planning, organising and controlling resources to achieve set objectivesCorrect
  3. CA leader is concerned only with day-to-day supervision of operatives, whereas a manager sets the long-term strategy
  4. DA leader is always appointed by the organisation, whereas a manager emerges informally from the group

Explanation

Leadership is generally associated with setting direction, inspiring and influencing change, while management is associated with planning, organising, coordinating and controlling resources. Option A reverses the roles. Option C describes supervision and strategy wrongly. Option D reverses formal and informal appointment, since leaders can emerge informally while managers are formally appointed.

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