Organizational Characteristics and Implementation of Road Construction Projects by the Kenya Urban Roads Authority
Loading...
Date
2021
Authors
Adung’o, Faustine
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Kenyatta University
Abstract
The success of projects largely depends on the way it is implemented and controlled. The
challenges met during the project implementation process have been during project planning,
exceeding the set budget and going beyond its set schedule and poor quality. Most construction
projects face key challenges on time and costs management. This leads to lack of project
completion within the specified time and thus increases the costs involved. The intended benefits
are partly or never realized due to many unsuccessful project implementations. Therefore, this
study sought to investigate the influence of organizational characteristics on the implementation
of road construction projects in Kenya: A case of Kenya Urban Roads Authority. This study was
guided by the following specific objectives; to establish the influence of organizational structure,
organizational resources, organizational culture and communication on the implementation of
projects in Kenya Urban Roads Authority, Nairobi County, Kenya. The study was anchored by
resource based view theory, modern organizational theory and the classical organizational
theory. This study utilized descriptive survey research design. The unit of analysis was Kenya
Urban Roads Authority in Nairobi City County, Kenya and the unit of observation was 142
respondents who were drawn from 10 departments of the organization. The respondents were
sampled using stratified proportionate sampling and selected using simple random sampling. The
sample size was 105 respondents. Questionnaires were used as data collection instrument.
Descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation were used to analyse quantitative data
and presented in tables and figures. Content analysis technique was used to analyze qualitative
data. The study conducted multiple regression analysis to find out the extent to which variables
relate to each other. The study established a positive and significant influence between
organizational structure, organizational resources, organizational culture, communication and
project implementation. The study concludes that an efficient organizational structure benefits
the organization by making it easier to delegate responsibility and effect change throughout the
organization. Organizational resources are an essential factor that influences the performance of
an organization. The resources are considered essential for organizations as it can help to
develop the resources and capabilities that are urgently needed to adapt to their external
environment and in turn facilitate organizations to enjoy effective project implementation.
Organization culture is the main picture of the organization and defines the type and style of
organization structure during project implementation. A solid communication plan increases the
consistency of how the project is handled. Regular communication allows the employees
working on the project to remain productive and without proper communication with all
stakeholders, the organization might fail to meet the requirements of the project. The study
recommends Kenya Urban Roads Authority should have and organizational structure that
supports objectives, Clear vision and priorities, cohesive leadership team and clear roles and
accountabilities for decisions. The organization need to secure sufficient financial resources to be
able to operate efficiently and implement internal growth strategies to promote the performance
of the organization. When changing the organization’s culture it is critical to examine the
whether the performance management matter, decision making respected or there are
consequences for non-compliance. For effective communication, project managers should keep
the team by knowing what is expected of them throughout the course of the project, discuss
project deliverables, conduct frequent meetings with all the stakeholders and open a forum for
everyone to ask questions.
Description
A Research Project Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirement for the Award of the Degree of Master of Business Administration (Project Management) of Kenyatta University, December, 2021
Keywords
Organizational Characteristics, Implementation, Road Construction Projects, Kenya Urban Roads Authority