Factors Influencing Strategy Implementation and Performance of International Humanitarian and Development Non-governmental Organizations in Kenya: a Case Study Mercy Corps

Abstract

Over the years Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) have implemented programs to offer services to vulnerable individuals, communities and societies in developing countries around the world and they depend on funding from donors, governments among other sources. Given the dynamic environment within which NGOs operate that is characterized by unpredictability, strategy implementation is of great necessity in support of performance of these NGOs to meet the changes in their operating environment. International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs) have gained prominence as critical actors at the all levels in Kenya. This increased prominence exposes the INGOs to targeted scrutiny in relation to increased demands for accountability thus arousing the curiosity of the researcher on factors influencing the implementation and performance of strategies in the environment they operate in. This study aimed at contributing to the field of strategy development and implementation by assessing the factors influencing strategy implementation within the International Humanitarian and Development NGOs sector with the focus being on Mercy Corps. Theories which formed the basis of this study included the resource dependence theory, strategic fit theory and open systems theory. This study was conducted through a case study design. Qualitative data was collected by way of face-to-face interviews guided by an interview guide. The data obtained was analyzed by way of content analysis which involved thematic comparisons of data obtained from the various program officers. The findings revealed that major factors affecting strategy implementation were staff engagement/involvement, technological factors, external environment, appropriate strategic decisions, availability of resources, organizational structure as well as inclusivity. The study further found out that Mercy Corps Kenya had strategic plans in place and that there existed some viable strategies at the organization which was found to be a point of reference in their daily routines. The strategies at Mercy Corps Kenya were formulated mostly by senior management team with minimum inclusion of support staff. It was therefore recommended that in order for international humanitarian and development non-governmental organizations to perform better, there is need to cultivate the elements related to proper strategy implementation in order to realize success in their undertakings. In addition, there is need for inclusivity of employees from the onset of strategy planning to the implementation stage. There is need for further research whose scope should be larger than just on firm and should have more a larger sample size which can be used to further generalize and justification of the results.