Effect of change management practices on organizational performance at the United Nations Secretariat, Kenya

Abstract

Strategic change management is an emerging field and is increasingly being perceived as a working tool that provides solutions to a variety of issues affecting organizations today. Change management encompasses the organizational tools that can be used to assist people make successful personal changeover, acceptance and realization of change. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of change management strategy on performance at United Nations Secretariat, Kenya. A case study was used, a popular method whereby qualitative analysis entails analyzing a single situation within a social unit and studying it comprehensively and intensively. Primary data was obtained directly from respondents using structured personal interviews, using an interview guide. The primary data on change management practices and organizational performance at United Nations Secretariat was obtained through in-depth interview using interview guide. Content analysis was used to utilize the data collected. Data was collected from the United Nations secretariat, Kenya in Nairobi. The study being a case study, data was collected from the United Nations secretariat, Kenya in Nairobi. The United Nations secretariat, Kenya has 8 divisions and the study targeted the heads of those divisions. The researcher gathered information from finance division, ICT division, security division, human resource and program division. The study found that a number of changes and transformations’ that had taken place at the United Nation Secretariat, Kenya include introduction of new information systems, restructuring and operational strategic changes such as introduction of flexible working schedules for employees, involvement of employees in decision making and change of strategic approaches on program activities. The driving force to these was the need to improve organizational performance to meet the expectation of the member state, stakeholders, donors and clients.It was also found out that the strategic change practices has renewed engagement of staff with the organization with a view of drawing them to a common vision for purposes of building confidence between staff and senior management since the staff is UN’s greatest asset. While such organizational change must proceed forthwith, the time has come to stress automatic change; a sharp and crisp examination of United Nations Secretariat, Kenya pragmatism is required. There is, for instance, a need to expound and illuminate heading and substance in regard of key ideas like reasonable urbanization in the policy/strategy papers and to enhance the consistency and nature of the papers. The Medium-term Strategic and Institutional Plan is a fundamental and essential vehicle for the change of United Nations Secretariat, Kenya, but its usage to date has not tended to all issues of hierarchical change. Change has concentrated basically on automatic arrangement and procedure definition and inner institutional and managerial capacities, without requiring a change of the general hierarchical structure