Strategy implementation at Nakumatt holdings limited, Kenya

Abstract

Strategy implementation is a vital component of the strategic management process. Implementation involves putting into action the logically developed strategies. It is the summation of activities in which people use various resources to accomplish objectives of the strategy. The ability to implement strategies successfully is important to any organisation. Despite the importance of the implementation process within strategic management, this is an area of study often overshadowed by a focus on the strategy formulation process. This case study concentrates on the strategy implementation process, investigating how Nakumatt Holdings has been implementing the strategies they have chosen and the challenges to strategy implementation. A review of the literature on strategy implementation revealed that there is limited knowledge on how strategies should be implemented. This study focuses on a case study of strategy implementation at a Nakumatt Holdings Limited Kenya, for purposes of establishing how the company implemented its strategies, the challenges it has faced and how it has managed to overcome the challenges to become one of the market leader in the Retail Industry in Eastern and Central Africa. This study involved focussed interviews with the Marketing Executive and the Operations Manager. Other sources of data such as research articles and secondary company data sources were also used. The findings revealed that: participants from different levels of the organisation have unique perceptions of the implementation process; implementation variables could become roadblocks that undermine the implementation process; these barriers can be overcome if managers are perceptive to the organisation's current situation. Some of these barriers of challenges include. Poor communication in the organisation, having a rigid organisational structure, lack of training and lack of commitment from some of the managers. The organisation has been able to overcome so of the challenges they faced and are still facing when implementing the strategies they have chosen by undertaking intensive and extensive training of its employees to equip them with the right skills and knowledge that will ensure that they are able to handle the task assigned to them and give the desired results. Communication was also cited as a challenge to strategy implementation and this has seen the organisation develop and formulate ways of communicating the strategies using a simple language that will be understood by all. The Organisation has also strived to provide the relevant motivation , rewards and foster a good working relationship to ensure that the employees are well motivated hence they will be able very instrumental in the realisation of the chosen strategies.