Strategic Planning Practices and Performance of Parliamentary Service Commission in Kenya
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Date
2021
Authors
Lemuna, Moses Mpisili
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Kenyatta University
Abstract
The economic and political change in today’s organizations is the norm and the social and technological change is highly accelerating posing extremely complex tasks and uncertainty to those responsible for strategic planning. The centrality of effective execution of processes has been an area of emphasis since the preindustrial revolution. Effectively executed organizational processes have a positive influence on overall performance. Although modern organizations come up with good strategic plans, the majority of them experience challenges in the successful execution of their plans. Therefore, in executing various decisions, there is need for managers to achieve a total understanding of strategic planning before effectively practicing it. This study investigated the influence of strategic planning practices on the performance of the Parliamentary Service Commission of Kenya. The study specifically examined the influence of environmental scanning, objective setting, stakeholder involvement, and communication on the performance of the Kenyan Parliamentary Service Commission. The study was anchored on resource-based view; dynamic capability; balanced scorecard and institutional theories. A descriptive survey research design was used. The target population comprised of 805 respondents who are permanent staff of the Parliamentary Service Commission. The respondent selection was done using simple random sampling. The sample size was 81 respondents. Primary data was obtained by use of questionnaires. The pilot study involved 10 respondents to test the validity and reliability of the questionnaires. Descriptive statistics in form of standard deviation and mean were analyzed and presented using bar graphs, pie charts, and tables. Inferential statistics including multiple regressions and correlation analysis were further done to determine how variables relate. The study established that environmental scanning, objective setting, stakeholder involvement, and communication had a positive and significant relationship with the performance of the Kenyan Parliamentary Service Commission. The study concludes that environmental scanning helps the organization to understand what is happening both inside and outside its environment and increases the probability that the strategies developed will appropriately reflect on the organizational environment. Setting a goal establishes a clearly defined and thought-out direction organizations need to make, which will lead them to eventually achieve their longer-term wellness goals. Stakeholder involvement brings people together to pool knowledge, experience, and expertise to co-create solutions and helps to reduce the level of risk within an organization, besides improving governance. Communication creates a sense of employees feeling that they carry their fair share of the workload, enhancing work experience in a beneficial way. The study recommends that the Commission should identify the persons to be involved in the environmental scanning, create a competent team of employees and assign them relevant responsibilities. The Commission needs to set objectives that can be defined in quantifiable and measurable terms within its strategic plan. The Commission should establish responsibility for ensuring the task is undertaken and for writing it up for the report on stakeholder engagement. The Commission should link communication to the strategic plan, including the organization’s mission, vision, and values, its strategic goals and objectives, and its employment brand.
Description
A Research Project Submitted to the School of Business in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirement for the Award of the Degree of Master of Business Administration (Strategic Management Option) of Kenyatta University, November, 2021
Keywords
Strategic Planning Practices, Performance, Parliamentary Service Commission, Kenya