Challenges of strategy development at brackenhurst Kenya Limited

Abstract

Effective strategies develop in all kinds of strange ways. They can show up in the strangest places and develop through the most unexpected means. Strategy development in organisations is an important unavoidable process that needs to be properly managed. Managers have at times been faulted for being obsessed with planning instead of emphasizing the most important processes with regard to strategy development. Lack of planning and analysis on the other hand would make strategy development susceptible to preferences of individual managers and to wishful thinking. There is no one right way in which strategies should be developed and no wonder that this process is bound to be characterised by many challenges. The objective of this study was to establish the challenges of strategy development at Brackenhurst Kenya Limited. Brackenhurst Kenya Limited is a hotel and conference center in Kiambu County. The organisation has grown from a small family-owned business operating before the World War II to a successful medium sized limited company. The research design employed was the case study design. Primary data was collected during one on one interviews with senior managers using an interview guide. This allowed for an in-depth study as the researcher was able to probe for answers. There are a number of significant findings from the study. Strategy development at Brackenhurst Kenya Limited is a combination of the ‘process’ and the ‘design’ school. Responsibility for strategy development lies with the top management team. A written organisational motto, ethos and values have guided strategy development at Brackenhurst Kenya Limited. Market segmentation in which the organisation has focused on the middle class has contributed to the success of the hotel and conference center. The study revealed challenges of strategy development. The key challenges are resource inadequacy, employee level of education and organisational politics. Other challenges established in the data analysis are the turbulent environment of the hotel industry, the cyclic nature of hotel and conference business, the organisational structure and government laws and regulations. The findings of this research and the recommendations are valuable to scholars and for hotel strategy developers. The research gets into the depths of the area of challenges of strategy development, an area that seems to have received little attention in the past.