Strategic Change Management and Performance of Mumias Sugar Company Limited in Kakamega County, Kenya

Abstract

Organizations are open systems that operate in environments with many challenges. Change in this case has become an everyday component of organizational dynamics and these organizations need to recognize these changes in order to perform effectively. Despite many change strategies and policies in place, the Mumias Sugar Company has continued to face below-expected performance. Therefore, the organization needs to create the necessary infrastructure to plan, implement and sustain their corresponding changes. The study investigated strategic change management influence on performance of Mumias Sugar Company Limited, Kakamega County, Kenya. Specifically the study focused on how employee empowerment, stakeholder involvement, organizational structure and organizational culture influence organizational performance. The study was anchored on resource based view theory, expectancy theory, stakeholder theory and contingency theory. A descriptive research design was adopted. Mumias Sugar Company in Kakamega County, Kenya, was targeted in the report. A total of 122 participants, including 10 senior management and 112 middle level and junior staff, formed the target population of the respondents. There was a census of 122 respondents. Data was gathered using questionnaires. Content validity guaranteed the validity of the testing instrument, and the Cronbach alpha coefficient test the reliability of the questionnaires was used to assess them. On employee empowerment, the study concluded that through empowerment, employees become more accountable, knowing that the managers have confidence in their ability to perform which makes the employees to do the job to the best of his or her ability. On stakeholder involvement, the study concluded that stakeholder engagement increases the chances of delivering improved customer-oriented services and goods that are essential for the success of change initiatives. On organizational structure, the study concluded that the structured relationships of reporting, regulations, controls and authority and processes of decision making of the organization are characterized by how tasks are formally divided, grouped and arranged. On organizational culture, the study concluded that there should be organizational and behavioral changes that need to be made to accommodate and sustain progress with any positive change. On employee empowerment, the study recommended that the organization should assign employees the right responsibilities with the aim of improving and developing the skills and obligations of its workers. On stakeholder involvement, the study recommended that the organization should ensure that there is very clear stakeholder identification criterion with open and clear stakeholder communication channels. On organizational structure, the study recommended that the organization should recognize a leader to organize, encourage and facilitate the work and create rules by illustrating how formal and informal organizations work inside the association. On organizational culture, the study recommended that the organization first they need to consider the society of today, then determine where they want to go, identify their strategic path and determine what the culture of the business is meant to look like to help the process of strategic change.