Strategic Change Management Practices by the Kenya Prisons Service
Abstract
This study set out to establish strategic change management practices by the Kenya
Prisons Service and also to investigate the challenges affecting strategic change
management by the Kenya Prisons Service. The study was conducted through a case
study of the Kenya Prisons Service. The study targeted 5 interviewees from the
organisation who were section heads at senior level management and whose length of
service was more than 10 years. They were interviewed using a well prepared
interview guide. Both secondary and primary data were collected which formed the
basis for content analysis. The findings of the study indicate that employee
involvement, consultation, obtaining executive level commitment, effective
communication, encouraging participation, delegation of duties, teamwork, use of
change agents and intervention by outsiders, stakeholders’ engagement, collaboration
and transparency played a big role in strategic change management practices by the
Kenya Prisons Service. The findings also indicate that the performance of the
strategic change management encountered a number of challenges such as resource
constraints, inadequate funding, and problems with the government legislation,
capacity problems, transnational crimes and influence by the institutions within the
administration of justice sector. The study revealed that the Kenya Prisons Service
did not have structural, cultural, political influence and ICT problems. The study
further revealed that the Kenya Prisons Service did not experience lack of leadership
commitment to change or stakeholders being not adequately involved and informed.
The study revealed that the resistance to change was minimal and was adequately
dealt with. A major success of the strategic change management by the Kenya Prisons
Service was the increased efficiency in management, improved prisons staff and
prisoners’ welfare, introduction of recreation activities for prisoners and a shift from
punitive to rehabilitative prison management. The study concludes that strategic
change management practices in an organisation play a significant role in any
strategic change management process. The recommendations for the study of
strategic change management by the Kenya Prisons Service have implications for
theory, managerial policy, managerial practice and scholarly work.
Citation
Masters of Business AdministrationPublisher
University of Nairobi