Effect of Coordination Function on Strategy Implementation in County Government of Kwale,Kenya

Abstract

Many organisations have the ability to formulate excellent and promising strategies. However they may fail to achieve their organisational goals due to poor implementation of the strategies. There are a number of factors which can affect strategy implementation. One of these factors is coordination of resources, people, systems, processes and structure in the implementation of the strategy. The promulgation of the 2010 Constitution ushered in a two-tier system of governance in Kenya with 48 Governments, one national and 47 county governments. The County Government of Kwale (CGK) was conceived in 2013 to implement devolution. The county government developed its organisation structure and established departments to carry out functions as stipulated in schedule 4 part II of the Kenya Constitution 2010.CGK formulated its strategic plan as a roadmap towards achieving its vision of becoming a competitive, industrialized and socio-economically, self-sustaining and secure county. The county strategies were given in the first County Integrated Development Plan 2013-2017.This plan was to be implemented using the resources, systems, processes, people and the structure in the county. Strategy requires the best fit among people, structure, processes and resources for it to be implemented effectively. Coordination is necessary to ensure there is unity of action and harmonization to implement the strategy to achieve the desired organisational objectives. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of coordination on strategy implementation in the County Government of Kwale, Kenya. The research design used was a case study. The study used both primary and secondary data. Secondary data was derived from CGK strategic plans and annual implementation reports while primary data was collected using a self-structured interview guide. The interviews targeted senior level managers at the CGK. Content analysis was used to make interpretations and conclusions of the information gathered. The study established that CGK embraced coordination in the implementation of strategies. Coordination of resources, systems, processes, people, and structure affected strategy implementation. Coordination of resources, people, structure and culture impacted strategy execution positively. However the coordination of systems and processes which includes the M and E system and the communication processes adversely affected strategy implementation. The study concluded that CGK employs coordination function in strategy implementation. Coordination is essential because it provides unity of action of diversified resources, skills, activities and perceptions. Coordination becomes necessary for the County Government of Kwale as the county continues to grow in size, in the specialization of labour and the diversity of its employees. The study recommends that CGK improves on coordination of M and E system and communication process to strengthen strategy implementation. The study also recommends that CGK upholds the good coordination of resources, people, structure and collaborative culture. The study further recommends that the leadership of CGK should strengthen coordination to ensure effective strategy execution.