THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION AND PERFORMANCE IN COUNTY GOVERNMENTS OF KENYA: A CASE STUDY OF WAJIR COUNTY GOVERNMENT
Mahat Kheir Abass - Masters Student, Kenya Methodist University, Kenya
Jane Munga - Kenya Methodist University, Kenya
Elizabeth Were - Kenya Methodist University, Kenya
ABSTRACT
The promulgation of the constitution of Kenya 2010 created a devolved system of governance and provided for mandatory planning before budgeting. The County Government Act 2012 specifies key plans that each County is expected to generate which are; County Integrated Development Plan (CIDP), County Sectoral Plans, County Spatial Plans, County Urban Areas and Cities Plans, and County Performance Management Plans. This study sought to establish the relationship between leadership styles, organizational structure, organizational culture and financial resource availability on strategy implementation and performance in Wajir County Government, Kenya. The variables investigated included: leadership styles, organizational structure, organizational culture and financial resource availability to establish their influence on strategy implementation and performance in County Government in Kenya. The study utilized Mckinsey7S framework, Higgins 8S framework and Resource Based View theory to form the conceptual framework of the study because it extensively covers the variables of the research. A questionnaire was used to collect primary data from 83 respondents using a simple random sampling procedure from a total population of 166 employees. This study used a mixture of three designs which include descriptive, qualitative and quantitative research design because it has been used by previous scholars in similar studies to increase validity of the outcome and compensating each method weakness. The study established that there was a strategic plan in the organization; organization culture influences implementation of the strategic plan; there was organizational culture was in place in the organization studied; employees in the organization are always motivated to support and maintain strategic initiates of the organization; strategy implementation is an expensive venture and requires more resources; financial resources are the central most important factor in strategy implementation; the organizational performance is rated based on development and service delivery to the public. The study concludes that there is statistically significant association between (organizational structure; leadership styles; organizational culture) and organizational performance while resource availability statistically insignificant; Strategy implementation is an expensive venture and requires more resources; Organizational performance is rated based on development and service delivery to the public. The study recommends that all County governments in Kenya put in place strategic plans that guide strategy implementation processes; the management of Counties in Kenya enhance their organizational structures by matching with the current status; the leadership of the County governments in Kenya should involve employees during strategy implementation process; County governments in Kenya put in place strong organizational cultures by having set of shared beliefs, values and norms; the national government of Kenya avail more resources to the devolved units in Kenya to facilitate the process of strategy implementation in county governments in Kenya.