Change Management Practices and Employee Performance a Case of Kisumu County Public Service Board, Kenya

Abstract

To offer efficient service delivery, public sector organizations have come under immense pressure to improve employee performance by effectively managing change. Various change management practices have been adopted by different public sector agencies, many adopting them from the private sector in their pursuit to enhance employee performance. Kisumu County Public Service Board has been involved in change management practices in their endeavour to improve service delivery through management of its human resources. The objective of this study was to establish the influence of change management practices on employee performance; a case of Kisumu County public service board. The study was anchored on the contingency and institutional theories respectively. The study adopted across-sectional descriptive design. The target population were all employees employed by the County public service board of Kisumu. Since all were administered questionnaire to, a census was conducted. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse data and the resultant findings presented using tables. The study sought to study was to establish the influence of change management practices on employee performance. A case of; Kisumu county public service board, Kenya. According to the descriptive statistics results; the study reported that indicated that the board was highly involved in making people aware on the need for change (Mean 3.79; SD 1.008) but did very little to motivate people to change (Mean 1.91 SD 1.055). The study also reported communication between the board and stakeholders was effectively being undertaken. (Mean 3.29; SD 1.404) but did very little in empowering employees to change (Mean 1.88; SD 1.066). The study also reported that the board had developed strategies to sustain change (Mean 3.91; SD 1.111) but little training was done to support the change. Inferential statistics findings showed change management practices significantly influenced employee performance. The findings indicated that unfreezing which was operationalized by change awareness creation, support to the change process, creating the need for change and managing the change outfall was found to significantly influence employee performance with the value (P<0.001).The results also indicate that moving which was operationalized by communication, dispelling misinformation, empowering action and stakeholders’ involvement was found to be significant in influencing employee performance, (P<0.000). Lastly, anchoring change, sustaining change, and training and celebrating change was significantly found to influence employee performance (P<0.000). The study concluded that Change management practices were significant in influencing employee performance. The study recommends that change management processes should be undertaken in other Counties’ Public Service Boards in Kenya to enhance their performance. The study was limited by scope due to COVID-19 that limited the collection of qualitative data.