Critical Analysis of Strategy Implementation on Organization Performance in Service Delivery: Case of Lake Victoria South Water Services Board in Kisumu

Abstract

Although strategy is a practically central concern in contemporary management, putting it into action remains an essential challenge for virtually any organization. In situations where the organization’s environment is changing, the organization itself is faced with a need to change. In this study, the intent was to investigate strategy implementation and its functional relationship with organizational performance in service delivery. Towards achieving this, the study purposively targeted a case of the Lake Victoria South Water Services Board (LVSWSB) in Kisumu to form a basis for objective generalization. The study participants were drawn from the water companies, District Officers, and the Board. Out of the 117 target population subjects, sampling was conducted by proportional stratified sampling to generate ultimate 66 respondents whose views and opinions led to the study’s generalizations. However, 58 participants finally contributed to the study, representing 88% response rate. The study found that organizational structure, culture, employee involvement, and strategic leadership influenced strategy implementation at LVSWSB and its affiliate institutions. The organizational structures adopted at LVSWSB influenced implementation of strategic plans in the forms of task allocation, decentralization of authority, span of control, hierarchical length, employee co-ordination and integration, and structural flexibility. The cultural effects resulted from poor internationalization of mission and strategic content, lack of participation in making of rules and regulations, lack of operational manuals, insensitive employee development policies, and highly structured downward communication effected employees’ mobilization to executing strategic plans. Moreover, to a large extent there was no significant inclusion of employees in core decision making. Moreover, individual strategy implementation contributions from non-management staff members were scanty in respect to core strategic handling. Most often than not, employees were factored into corporate functions late after strategy formulation and actual execution, meaning that they were forced to own what they did not help create. Lastly, strategic leadership influenced strategy implementation through managerial involvement, employee support, downward communication, conflict resolution, and employee representation in key decision making. Based on the aforementioned conclusion, it is the recommendation of this study that experts are involved in regular reviews of adopted organizational structures. Further, it is recommended that institutional management units take note of cultural dynamics so that an absolutely new slate of practices is enacted. In relation to employee involvement, the study recommends that management is sensitized on the significance of collective participation in formulating objective strategies and value of the resulting synergy during implementation. Finally, on leadership, it is recommended that top managers undergo executive capacity building sessions to realize their corporate objectives through team work and not through just supervision and issuance of instructions.

Key Words: Strategy Implementation, Organization Performance in, Lake Victoria South Water Services Board in Kisumu.