Challenges affecting implementation of performance management practice in state corporations: a case study of retirement benefits authority (RBA)

Abstract

The concept of Performance Management is one of the most recent developments in the sphere of Strategic Management. Many organizations now make use of this concept since it has proved to be a strategic and integrated process that delivers sustained success to organizations by improving the performance of people who work in them and by developing the capabilities of individual contributors and teams. Despite all these, very little is known about implementation of Performance Management in Kenyan situation. The contemporary workplace in Kenya offers many challenges yet few studies have been done to determine the challenges state corporations face in implementation of performance management practices. This study investigated the challenges affecting implementation of performance management practices in State Corporations. A case study of Retirement Benefits Authority is used in the study. In view of the strategic role this organization plays in the regulation of the retirement benefits industry in Kenya, there is need to find out how the organization copes with challenges impeding its performance as an authority. The main objective of the study were to investigate the challenges facing the implementation of performance management practices in the RBA, with specific objectives being: to examine the standards/objectives expected of the people working at RBA in Nairobi, to establish if the employment contracts affect implementation of performance management practices at RBA, to establish the impact of training of staff on implementation of performance management practices at RBA, to establish the impact of top management attitude on implementation of performance management practices at RBA and finally to establish the extent to which funding is a challenge to implementation of performance management practices at RBA. The findings of the study will be important to the government, scholars and the general public. A descriptive research design was used. And the sample was a census. The study uses both primary and secondary data and the research instruments used were questionnaires. Descriptive statistics techniques was used to analyze the data.