Challenges Of Management Of Strategic Change And Performance Of Nairobi City County Government

Abstract

This study sought to determine the influence of challenges of management of strategic change on performance of Nairobi City County. This study was based on three theories namely: Kurt Lewin’s change model theory, input-process-output model and Public organization theory. Given that this study focused on Nairobi City County, the research design adopted was a case study. The data collection process involved the use of interview guide to collect primary data. The respondents in this study were Senior Executives and Chief Officers in Nairobi County. These persons are deemed to occupy positions in which they guide the institution in the implementation of strategy and are therefore best placed to respond to the issues raised by the researcher. A total of ten officers were targeted for this study. Data was analysed qualitatively by use of content analysis. Content analysis allows the researcher to analyse written, verbal or visual communication messages. All the respondents indicated that they occupied senior management positions in the county government. Indeed, none of the respondents occupied a position lesser than that of a Chief Officer. These are senior positions in the hierarchy of county governments. They were therefore considered good enough to provide the desired information. It was indicated that to a large extent the greatest impediment arises from employee resistance. Respondents also indicated that lack of resources was another challenge. These resources were indicated as either financial or human resources. On financial resources, it was noted that implementation of strategic change is a painful process financially and the county has suffered on this front. Lack of coordination was said to introduce certain challenges such as un availability of personnel during briefing sessions, non submission of critical departmental memoranda, and general lethargy for the entire process. Respondents also noted that there was the challenge of failure to inculcate a sense of urgency in the employees at an early stage. It is therefore incumbent upon the management to sensitize the employees on the need for strategic change. It is then they can support it because they feel they own the process. The study recommends that future research effort be directed at understanding how challenges in implementing strategic programs affect the morale of staff and whether there is a statistical correlation between involving the employees at the initial stages of the strategy and the performance of such a strategy.