INFLUENCE OF ORGANSATIONAL CULTURE ON PROJECT PERFORMANCE IN WASO TRUST LAND PROJECT ORGANISATION ISIOLO COUNTY, KENYA
Rahma Ibrahim Abdullahi - Master of Arts Degree in Project Planning and Management, University of Nairobi, Kenya
Dr. Stephen W. Luketero - Senior Lecturer, University of Nairobi, Kenya
ABSTRACT
A focus on organizational culture is increasingly becoming a major component of everyday organizational functioning because performance depends on its culture. The culture of a group is a pattern of shared basic assumptions that the group has learned as it solves its problems of external adaptation and internal integration, that has worked well enough to be considered valid and therefore to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think, and feel in relation to those problems. Project performance is the organization’s capacity to accomplish its goals effectively and efficiently using available human and physical resources. Waso Trust land Project (WTL) has been one for the few organizations in the forefront fighting for indigenous land and resource rights. Land and resource rights lie at the heart of the marginalization, poverty and conflict crippling northern Kenya. Despite the organizational commitment in the fighting on land rights, land issues have not been sorted in Isiolo County. There still exists conflicts related to land among the pastoral community in Isiolo County. Although organizational culture has been correlated with organizational performance, it has received relatively inadequate empirical investigation especially in Waso Trust land Project, Isiolo County. This study therefore sought to fill this research gap by investigating the influence of organizational culture on project performance in Waso Trust land Project, Isiolo County. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of organizational culture on project performance in Waso Trust land Project, Isiolo County. The study was guided by four research objectives. The research objectives sought to assess how diversity, employee recognition, leadership and communication system on project performance in Waso Trust land Project, Isiolo County. The study used descriptive survey design. The target population will consist of all the 65 employees of Waso Trust land Project, Isiolo County. The sample was 65 respondents. The study used questionnaires to collect data. Findings revealed that diversity influenced project performance. There was a significant and positive relationship between diversity and project performance. (r, is 0.765, n =62). It was also revealed that employee recognition influenced project performance (r, is 0.711, n =62). Findings also revealed that leadership influenced project performance (r, was 0.71, n =62, p = 0.01). Lastly it was revealed that communication system influenced project performance (r = .774, N = 62). Based on the findings of the study it was concluded that there was a significant and positive relationship between diversity and project performance. Diversity influenced project performance in Waso Trust land Project. The organization acknowledges, understands, accepts and values differences among people with respect to age, class, race, ethnicity, gender, disabilities. The organization had the potential to yield greater work productivity and competitive advantages. The organization recognized that each individual as unique and does not represent or speak for a particular group, while managers and associated in the organization were aware of their personal biases and also agreed that managers in the organization understood that fairness was not necessarily equality. The study also concluded that the organization recognized employees that performed well by giving them certificates. It had also put up proper structures of recognizing its employees such as certificate awards. The study also concluded that leadership influenced project performance in Waso Trust land Project. The leadership in the organization enabled it to be more productive and profitable to its mandate. The study also concluded that the organization communication was important for improving employees’ commitment and for positive outcomes. There was careful communication planning and setting the right expectations with all the project stakeholders is extremely important in the organization. The study recommended that the organization should have more diversity such as acknowledging, understanding, and accepting and values differences among the employees as this was noted to increase project performance. It also recommended that activities such as giving recognizing employees by awarding them certificates, motivating employees by having the employee of the month, giving them appreciation cards and that appreciation cards since it served as a motivation to the employees hence increasing their job performance in this organization. The study also recommended that the organization should have proper communication system and having careful communication planning and setting the right expectations with all the project stakeholders as this increased project performance. The researcher suggested that since the study was carried out in one organization, another study could be conducted in another organization for comparison of results. Since the study focused on variables such as diversity, employee recognition, leadership and communication system, another study focusing on other e commerce variables should be conducted to establish what influence they have on business performance.