| dc.description.abstract | Organizations have been so dynamic in the last decades. As a result, workers on feeling the
impact have been forced to adapt to new ways of doing things. To them, change is no longer an
irregular outing, an inconvenient upheaval to be undertaken once every ten years. It is
something organizations have to learn to live with, to structure and to manage. Firms involved in
courier services have not been left out in the rush to adjust to the changing trend. Due to the
dynamisms in the courier industry, each of the operators has had to undergo major changes due
to both external and internal factors. Amidst the jolt and rush to change or perish, leadership, and
specifically strategic leadership, is widely described as one of the key drivers of effective
strategy implementation. However, lack of leadership, and specifically strategic leadership by the
top management of organizations, has been identified as one of the major barriers to effect
strategy implementation. The ineffective management of change can have serious and negative
impact on senior managers particularly if consultation and communications strategies are either
non-existent or flawed. Though there are several studies undertaken on managing change in
organizations, there is little done on the role of leadership within senior management in
managing change. Therefore this study sought to determine the leadership roles within senior
management in managing change with specific focus on courier Industry in Kenya. The study
also sought to identify the leadership challenges encountered by senior management in the
change process. A census survey research of the 7 senior managers in the courier industry in
Kenya was undertaken in line with the research objectives. Quantitative primary data was
obtained by use of questionnaire on the leadership roles in management of change and the
challenges they face in discharging their duties. Data obtained was analysed using descriptive
statistics in the form of frequency, percentages, mean and standard deviation. The findings showed that
the leadership of any firm plays an important role in implementing the change process. They are
charged with the task of providing an enabling environment in which exchange of ideas and
opinions are encouraged to minimize misunderstandings that could otherwise result thus
hindering smooth implementation of the anticipated change. In discharging their duties, they
were expected to wade through myriad of challenges either related to the institutional
management short comings or those due to other employees which if not well sorted out could
jeopardize the process. It is therefore recommended that they adequately prepare themselves and
other workers before rolling out the anticipated changes and as well maintain an open channel of
communication with all stakeholders throughout the process. | en_US |
