STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AND CHANGE IMPLEMENTATION IN SELECTED PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES IN KENYA

Abstract

Successful change implementation is important to any organization either public or private. Change is inevitable and organizations in the modern world are operating under ever changing demands. It is important for organization to implement change initiatives successfully and effectively to achieve organizational goals. Inability to implement changes in public universities has not only resulted to inefficiency and ineffectiveness in service delivery but also contributed lecturer and student strikes. However, based on the fact that universities are institutions of higher learning dedicated to offer quality services, little has been done by previous researchers to establish the link between strategic management practices and change implementation thus formed the basis of the study. The study sought to investigate strategic management practices and change implementation in public universities in Kenya. The research objectives that guided that study were to determine the effects of strategic leadership, organizational culture and employee empowerment on change implementation in public universities in Kenya. The study was anchored on Kurt Lewis theory and McKinsey 7S Model. The study employed a descriptive research design to investigate the problem under investigation. The target population comprised of 309 employees of 5 selected universities which included Karatina University, University of Embu, Kirinyaga University, Chuka University and Machakos University. The sample size of the population constituted of 174 respondents selected from teaching and non-teaching staff of 5 universities selected in the study. Primary data was collected using structured questionnaires with open and closed ended questions. Validity of the instrument was tested using strategic management consultants and lecturers of Kenyatta University while reliability was tested using Cronbach Alpha coefficients of 0.7 and above. Quantitative data was analyzed with the help of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 24). Qualitative data was analyzed using content analysis method where key themes were analyzed and deductive conclusions were made based on the principles of theories adopted. Correlation and regression analysis method were conducted to determine the statistical relationship between variables of the study. The analyzed data was presented descriptively using mean scores, standard deviation and percentages. Subsequently the analyzed data was presented in form of tables in order to inform managerial, policy and academic decisions. The study revealed that there exist a significant positive relationship between strategic drivers and change implementation in public universities in Kenya. The study concludes that for effective competitiveness, public universities should strive to embrace strategic management practices such as employee empowerment, strategic leadership and organizational culture. The study recommends that public universities should seek to sponsor teaching and non-teaching staff, delegate responsibility, appoint employees on administrative posts based on management experience and encourage teamwork and communication by reorganizing the structures thus enhanced efficiency and effectiveness.