dc.description.abstract | Employee empowerment strategies are being implemented around the globe by small
firms and big organizations. This is true for all economic sectors, including
construction. A higher need for organizations to achieve business excellence makes
employee empowerment a significant move in keeping a competitive edge.
Employees have the most direct influence on customers’ perception of quality
services and feeling of satisfaction. Training should be provided in order to improve
upon the service quality of the employee and therefore enhance customer satisfaction.
Traditional literature research tends to be in agreement that service quality is a
measure of how well the level of service so delivered matches with the expectation of
target customers so as to enhance their satisfaction. The main objective of the study
was to establish the perceived effectiveness of employee empowerment strategies
adopted by Chinese Building and Construction firms in Kenya. The research design
adopted was a descriptive survey design of all the 17 Chinese owned building and
construction firms in Kenya. The study used primary data which was collected
through self-administered structured questionnaires. The data was analysed using
mean, standard deviation and percentages. The study targeted 75 respondents. 70
questionnaires were filled and returned representing a 93.3% response rate. In order to
simplify the discussions, the researcher provided tables and figures that summarized
the collective reactions and views of the respondents. The study findings established
that various empowerment strategies are constantly adopted by Chinese owned
building and construction firms and thus explains why service delivery by these firms
remains effective. However, the unique characteristics of the construction sectors
hinder efficient integration of high levels of training to build on employee
competencies. Empowering employees through use of extrinsic and intrinsic rewards,
efficient leadership, high trust culture in the organization, imitativeness and creativity
among the employees and sharing of the organization’s vison and goals were some of
the empowerment strategies adopted by the firms. It was however noted that the
rendering of efficient quality services is one of the most vital and phenomenal tasks
that confronts any service oriented organization in its objective of achieving customer
satisfaction. | en_US |