An investigation of the role of middle level management in the implementation of strategic change in development finance institutions in Kenya
Abstract
The study aimed at investigating the role of middle level management in the implementation of
strategic change in development finance institutions in Kenya. The study focused on staff drawn
from each of the five DFIs in Kenya. The research adopted the objective of investigating the role
of middle level management in the implementation of strategic change in DFIs in Kenya. The
study could benefit Kenyan DFIs, the government, private sector organizations and other
researchers given that it provides them with a good model for implementation of strategic
change.
The researcher adopted a descriptive research design since the independent variables under
investigation could not be quantified but could only be described. The data collected was
thoroughly checked for consistency, completeness and comprehensibility. Statistical package for
social sciences (SPSS) was used to analyse the quantitative data that was collected. Descriptive
statistics which consisted of percentages, mean scores and standard deviation were used to
analyse the quantitative data. The data was tabulated, summarized and presented using frequency
tables. Content analysis was used to analyse qualitative data on the respondent’s views on the
role of middle level managers in the implementation of strategic change.
The study found that middle level management play the role of communicators, interpreters
change agents, sense makers, advisors, implementers, bridge and leaders in the implementation
of strategic change in DFIs in Kenya. However the study found that middle level managers may
not require playing the role of politicians during implementation of strategic change. A
recommendation for policy and theory is that organizations should incorporate and/or consult
middle level managers during the formulation; design and implementation of strategic change to
enable them play these roles effectively. Lack of middle level management support scuttles
implementation of strategic change.
The researcher encountered several limitations which included the fact that the findings accuracy
was limited to the extent to which respondents were honest and objective in answering the
questions. The study was also limited only to the five development finance institutions in Kenya
and may not truly represent the roles of middle level managers in companies in other sectors of
the economy. As for recommendations for further research the researcher recommends a
replicate research be carried out to investigate the role of middle level management in
implementation of strategic change in other institutions in other sectors of the economy. This is
because development finance institutions in Kenya are primarily government controlled and
owned and has cultures that are limited or unique to government institutions. The researcher also
recommends that new research be carried out to find out the relevance of middle level managers
in achievement of long term organizational sustainability in Kenya
Citation
A Research Project Submitted In Partial Fulfillment Of The Requirement For The Award Of The Degree Of Master Of Business Administration School Of Business, University Of NairobiPublisher
University of Nairobi School of Business