Strategic planning and organization performance at Nairobi city water and sewerage company limited
Abstract
Strategic planning is a concept that concerns with decision making and taking corrective
actions to achieve long term targets and goals of an organization. The purpose of the
study was to establish strategic planning practices at Nairobi City Water and Sewerage
Company and its effects of firm‟s performance. The study adopted a case study design
and it targeted ten management staff from different departments. The study used both
primary and secondary data to gather the information. Primary data was collected using
interview guides and in-depth interviews while Secondary data was collected from
existing documentation reviews at Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company. The data
was analyzed using content analysis. The study established that strategic planning was
mainly done with the guidance of an external consultant in consultation with top
management and Planning, Monitoring & Evaluation Department (PMED). The
leadership of the organization had a clear vision to be a world class provider of water and
sewerage services and a clear Mission of providing reliable quality water and sewerage
services in an environmentally friendly manner that delights customers within Nairobi
City County (NCC).The study established that the challenges facing the organization
included lack of synchronization between the strategic plan, performance contracting,
departmental and individual work plans, also departments not working well together and
slow decision making process partly due to political interference and changes in the
constitution and water governance. The study concluded that Nairobi City Water and
Sewerage Company strategic plan reaffirmed NCWSCs commitment to be a world class
provider of water and sewerage services.The Company‟s high level of performance was
largely depended on a higher degree of emphasis on strategic planning. The study also
concluded that there was a difference between the results and approaches to measuring
strategic planning effectiveness and organization performance The study recommended
that the process should be inclusive of all the employees, all the departments should
develop and apply their strategic plans, departments should review those plans to ensure
the success of the implementation, there should be frequent horizontal meetings to
enhance cohesion and congruence between departments, management should increase the
budgetary allocation to be in line with the strategic plan for the successful
implementation of strategies.
Publisher
University of Nairobi