Factors Affecting Strategy Implementation: A Case Study of A Local Municipality in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa

Abstract

Strategy implementation occupies a pivotal position in the broad discipline of strategic management. The current study contributes to the existing body of knowledge by applying rigorous analytical technique in a bid to resolve questions raised, adequately. The study aimed at exploring factors that affect successful strategy implementation. Purposive sampling was used to select 30 senior management employees of Chief Albert Luthuli Local Municipality, a municipality in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa.  A structured questionnaire was applied to gather data on the participants’ perception concerning the extent of impact of factors affecting successful strategy implementation. The Keiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) measure of sampling adequacy (MSA) and Cronbach’s alpha values for discrete dimensions of strategy implementation show that the data used for the research was structurally valid and reliable. Results obtained from frequencies and descriptive statistics and Principal Component Analysis (PCA), all confirm that lack of adequate financial resources emerged as the most significant factor or challenge in strategy implementation; followed by inadequate structure that effectively supports strategy implementation, weak continuous professional development policies and resistance to change remain obstacles towards strategy implementation.

Keywords: Strategy implementation, Strategic behaviour, Resource allocation, Institutional policies, Local Municipality.