Njuki, Milton K.2025-02-072025-02-072025-08https://ir-library.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/29532A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the Award of the degree of doctor of philosophy in Business administration (strategic management) of Kenyatta University, August, 2024 supervisors: Dr. Jane Wanjira and Dr. Linda KimencuMassive expansion of university education in Kenya without comensurate funding and proper management has led to a myriad of performance challenges in universities, particularly public universities. Although research has shown a nexus between managerial cognition and organizational performance, the understanding of managerial cognition and how it influences performance of universities in Kenyan context is not fully explored. This study therefore sought to examine the influence of managerial cognition on performance of chartered Universities in Kenya. The specific objectives were to: investigate effect of top management demographic characteristics on performance of chartered Universities in Kenya; establish effect of top management cognitive characteristics on performance of chartered Universities in Kenya; determine the effect of top management leadership orientation characteristics on performance of chartered Universities in Kenya; determine the moderating effect of executive job demands on the relationship between managerial cognition and performance of chartered Universities in Kenya and to assess the mediating effect of strategic choices on the relationship between managerial cognition and performance of chartered universities in Kenya. The study was founded on the following theories; Resource Based Theory, Top Echelons Theory and the Stakeholders’ Theory. The study adopted positivist epistemology paradigm and descriptive research design. The target population was the 50 chartered universities while the unit of observation was the 150 top management officers in the chartered universities. These were; Vice chancellors, Deputy vice chancellors (incharge of academics) and Registrars (incharge of academics). Since the target population was small, sampling was not done and therefore all the targeted respondents participated in the study. Questionnaires were used to collect data from the respondents. A pilot study was conducted in five randomly selected universities. Reliability test of the research instruments was done using Cronbach alpha and returned a reliability score of 0.797. Descriptive statistics, that is, mean and standard deviation were used to summarize the data. Inferential statistics including, correlational and regression analysis were also used to test the hypothesis and to draw inferences and conclusions of the study. Diagonistic tests for the regression model were also carried out and included; auto correlation, heterogeneity and collineality. The study established that managerial cognition had a positive influence on performance of chartered universities in Kenya. The study also established that executive job demands had statistically significant negative moderating effect on the relationship between managerial cognition and performance of universities. Strategic choices were however found to had positive but statistically insignificant mediating effect between managerial cognition and performance of universities. The study concluded that managerial cognition enhances performance of universities. This is however negatively moderated by executive job demands. The study recommended for training of top management in universities on corporate governance to keep phase with management challenges and review of regulatory framework in the university sub sector. The study also recommended future studies to explore adoption of a longitudinal research design to comparison and generalization of the findings.enThesis