Challenges of Implementation of Turnaround Strategies and Performance of Postal Corporation of Kenya

Abstract

Postal and Telecommunication industry has undergone through immense changes emanating from both external and internal factors. To manage these changes, Postal Corporation of Kenya has been forced to devise survival tactics to re-claim its performance, cope with competition and continue providing value adding services to customers. This research was guided by one robust objective which was to determine the challenges of the implementation of Turnaround Strategy and Performance of Postal Corporation of Kenya. The study implemented a case study research design. The study utilized a qualitative form of research whereby data was collected using an interview guide and data was analyzed using content analysis. It was found that PCK needs to implement turnaround strategies to respond to the changing customer needs and environmental dynamics. With the increasing use of modern technologies, it would be important for corporation to invest widely in implementation of these technologies and innovation to cope up with the technological changes in the environment. It would be important for the organisation to align its organisational culture and leadership styles to support implementation of strategic changes. This will provide an enabling environment for the top management and the employees’ to work together towards the realization of corporate goals and set targets. A two-way communication approach should be adopted to allow top management and the employees to effectively communicate and agree on important issues, the employees can be able to present their grievances to the management for consideration. Sacksful implementation of turnaround strategies can be attributed to the capability of the top management to influence the employees towards set goals and involving all the stakeholders in making key decisions. It is recommended that the government should enhance its budgetary allocation and ensure a 100% absorption rate to increase utilization of funds that is set aside to support implementation of strategic plans. This will aid the top management to create an environment that is conducive for the entire organisation to focus their skills and energy towards achieving set goals and targets. This will develop a positive attitude and motivate the employees to work hard in achieving these goals. The major limitation for this study was time and cost constraints that limited the scope of the study resulting into a case study. Therefore, the findings obtained in this study can only be applicable to Postal Corporation of Kenya and not to make generalization of government parastatals in Kenya. This implied that Government parastatals face distinctive challenges that affect their performance and the strategies they adopt to regain their performance are not similar. It would be essential to do a replica of this study in the context of government parastatals that previously performed well but are now performing poorly and are now considering adopting turnaround strategies to improve their performances. A good example is National Bank of Kenya. Researchers can make a comparison of findings by identifying similar implementation challenges that face these institutions and make relevant recommendations on how to handle these challenges.