Effectiveness of Management of Change in an Organization (Case of Kenya Power Ltd, Central Rift, Nakuru County)

Change is inevitable in business life and business that fails to change is doomed to extinction Marcus (2011). Efforts of implementation of change management in organisations very often fail, most of the transformation efforts undertaken in firms end up with a failure, producing only disappointment, frustration, burned-out and scared employees, and waste of resources. The objective of the research was to find the effective and efficient ways of implementing change management obtain useful solutions for practitioners and new knowledge for scholars and managers. The objectives include,to establish the extent to which the organization plan for implementation of change management,to find out the significance of education and training on the implementation of change management in an organization, to examine how the organization deals with resistance to change management  implementation. The target population was1057 employees of which 857 are employees of Kenya power and 200 Kenya power contracted companies employees in Central Rift Region Nakuru county. Research utilized stratified random sampling to select 265 employees and contractor for the study. Self administered Questionnaires were used to collect the data.  The cording system was inco-operated in the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) data analysis software and Ms –Excel The data was collected and analysed by use of both descriptive statistics. Percentages mode median and means calculated from responses to questionnaire. The study established that Kenya Power Ltd was able to sustain change in its operations leading to service delivery but was unable to achieve employees’ satisfaction and the desired goal of changing organization culture in spite of changing the organization name through restructuring

Change Management Practices on Organization Performance: A Case Study of Mandera Kenya Prisons Service

In the last decade Kenya Prisons Service has been implementing changes. The widespread perception is that the reforms process has lost momentum. Some reports reveal that prisons in Kenya have problems touching on financial mismanagement, poor governance, and congestion and overcrowding, rights buses, emerging technologies putting pressure on the organization and warders are still living miserably in ramshackle houses across the country, as reforms started in 2003 are painstakingly slow. Therefore the study sought to determine influence of change management practices on organization performance of prisons service in Kenya. The study was guided by the following specific objectives: To determine the influence of communication, stakeholder’s participation, management skills and finances on organization performance in Mandera Kenya Prisons Service. The study used descriptive research design. This design involved gathering data that describe events and then organizes, tabulates, depicts, and describes the data. The study target population included 100 prisoners, 28 Kenya Prisons Officers and 5 professionals who work in Mandera Kenya Prisons Service making the total target population of the study to be 133. Stratified and simple random sampling techniques were used. A sample of 85 respondents was considered. The study used quantitative data analysis approaches.Quantitative data was analysed by use of descriptive statistics with an aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21. Data was then presented in graphs and tables. Further, a multiple regression analysis was used to establish the relationship between the dependent and the independent variables. The study concluded that the mostly commonly used mode of communication used was face to face communication. Further from the findings the researcher concluded that communication is very effective in delegation of duties, forwarding of grievances and enacting disciplinary procedures. Inadequate and less effective communication is a major factor that impacts on the change management process. The researcher recommended that Communication should be done to the entire workforce, it must also occur frequently and the organization should encourage its executives and middle level managers to initiate change. Keywords: Change, implementation, performance

Influence of Venture Capital Financing on the Growth of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in Kenya: The Case Study of Nairobi County

Greatest potentials in driving economies of the developing countries such as Kenya are within the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises sector which account for almost over 90% of the businesses in these countries. Information asymmetries however, raise the pricing of credit to MSMEs in developing countries and Kenya in particular as well as the high levels of informality within the sector and inadequate systems of collateral verification which hinder the lending. In this 21st century MSMEs should focus beyond bank financing to meet their capital structure needs if they are to fully realize growth and job-creation potential. Via a descriptive survey this study examined the influence of venture capital financing on the growth of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), with a focus on venture capital firms in Nairobi-Kenya that have financed MSMEs in the country. Findings indicated that indeed both the venture capital finances and the capitalist expertise were crucial in fast growth of the MSMEs. However information asymmetry gap need to be bridged so as to ensure that MSMEs get a fair operation ground in comparison with the other big players in the developing economies that they operate such as Kenya. This however requires better policies setting by governments so as to encourage the venture capitalist and business angels’ environment. This study provides resource information on venture capital financing and its influences on growth of MSMEs that the government and other stakeholders need in generation of appropriate policy actions that enhance economic development and growth for the achievement of the millennium development goals as stipulated in the vision 2030. Keywords: Venture Capital Financing, Growth, Micro Small and Medium Enterprises, Kenya, Nairobi County

Assessment of the Factors Influencing the Implementation of Strategic Plans in Secondary Schools in Kenya

Past research have pointed out that excellent strategies have been written but extremely small have been accomplished in their implementation. It has additionally been proposed that only 10% of formulated strategies are successfully implemented. However, crafting the best strategy is not the end in itself but the ultimate result will only be realized once the plan is successfully implemented. A strategic plan is a management tool that is used to transform organizational objectives into actions. The purpose of this study was to establish the effects of strategic plan implementation on organizational performance: a case study of public Secondary Schools in Kenya. The country in the recent past has experienced challenges like student declining performance in national examinations and increased student enrolments this implies that student cannot be able to join higher learning institutions which mean their future is blurred. The specific objectives were to analyze the effects of leadership style and communication in successful implementation of the strategic plans. A descriptive survey design using stratified sampling was used. The study population comprised of the school managers including teachers, principals and deputy principals serving in selected schools. Primary data was collected through questionnaires that were administered through ‘drop and pick later’ method while secondary data was gathered from relevant Ministry of Education, Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and Government of Kenya publications like the Strategic plan, TSC Act, Ministry of Education (MoE) records. Quantitative data was analyzed though descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis. Quantitative data was presented using bar graphs, pie charts and frequency distribution tables. Keywords: Strategic Plans, Implementation, Secondary Schools.

Role of Senior Management Support and Leadership in the Strategic Positioning of Newly Chartered Public Universities in Kenya: The Case of Laikipia University

Generally, University education is recognized as neccesary for socio-economic and political development of society. With this appreciation, Kenya has invested heavily in expansion of University education in the recent past. However, a major pre-occupation of universities in the country today is how to achieve sustainable competitive advantage in a complex and challenging context of the higher education sector. Universities need to strategically re-position themselves to attract and retain students, win research grants and make optimal use of their resources by striving to be efficient and effective, and engaging in continuous improvement to ensure their survival and sustainability. The role of senior management support and leadership in this is core. However, the support and leadership of senior management in strategic positioning of newly chartered public universities in Kenya has not been documented. Through a cross-sectional survey, this study determined the role of senior management support and leadership in strategic positioning of newly chartered public universities. Results indicate that the University’s senior management support was crucial for the execution of strategic objectives of the University. The University’s senior management was at the conceptual and strategic levels that guided policy decisions and controlled requisite resources of the University. If the University’s senior management leadership skills are good, it can provide competitive advantage but loss if inadequate. Human resource management was one of the most critical elements for the University to respond to environmental factors of competition from other institutions of higher learning. Generally, it was apparent that support and leadership of the University’s senior management in the strategic positioning of the University was fairly strong. However, the University’s senior management would benefit more from training on soft skills as well as benchmarking with other universities in the country and the region to improve on the quality of their leadership. The findings of this study provide information that managers of newly chartered public universities and policy makers would need in terms of senior management support and leadership to achieve sustainable competitive advantage. Keywords: Senior management, Strategic positioning, Newly chartered public universities, Keny