Influence of Strategic Agility on the Competitive Advantage of Private Hospitals in Nairobi County

Abstract

For contemporary firms, agility is an imperative for success as they face unprecedented time-to-market pressures, globalization and extra-ordinary competition. Companies need to be able to identify and seize possibilities quicker than their competitors do to attain enhanced agility. Kenya's private hospitals are the most distinguished businesses in the East African region, evident by the sporadic changes being undertaken by various private hospitals in Nairobi and the numerous approaches, both systemic and technical changes they have incorporated to stay competitive. This study engrossed on investigating the influence of strategic agility on the competitive advantage of private hospitals in Nairobi county. A descriptive research design was used on the research study. The population for this study comprised of 49 registered private hospitals in Nairobi county and the study took a census approach to collect data. In the private hospitals in the study, data was collected using a questionnaire as the primary data collection tool, from the branch managers or operation managers. The quantitative data was coded so that the answers can be grouped into various categories. Using SPSS software program (version 21) to evaluate the research findings, the structured data was interpreted as averages and standard deviation to objectives. The researcher found out that adoption of efficiency improvements is a total quality management agility strategy adopted by most of the private hospitals influences to a very great extent competitive advantage. The study findings also established that most companies are flexible and easily adopts to changes in the environment and also that their customers choose the organization for its services, order to adjust its competitive advantage. The study concluded that agility strategies affect competitive advantage of private hospitals in Kenya. The study further concluded that private hospitals have put in place four major agility strategies namely; innovativeness, operation dexterity, total quality management and resource fluidity in order to improve competitive advantage. It was clear that efficiency improvement adoption is a total quality management strategy that influences the competitive advantage of private hospitals to a very great extent. The study finally concluded that private hospitals are flexible and easily adopts to changes in the environment and also that their customer choose the organization for its services, order to adjust its competitive advantage.