Organizational Culture and Strategy Implementation within Professional Bodies in Kenya

Abstract

Culture, an important aspect in strategy implementation has remained one of the key influences of organizational set up in both traditional and modem economic times. Regardless of an organization's status or background, its operations in the society is associated to the culture it portrays on a day to day basis both in amateur and professional set ups. This study sought to investigate organization culture and strategy implementation within professional bodies in Kenya. This was intended to help arrest the problem prevalent in most organizations where strategy implementation was elusive with culture thought to play a key role in both planning and implementation. To achieve this main objective, the study set out five questions as a guide in the field: How does clan culture relate to strategy implementation within the professional bodies in Kenya?; To what extent does adhocracy culture relate to strategy implementation within the professional bodies in Kenya?: What is the link between market culture and strategy implementation within professional bodies in Kenya?: How does hierarchy culture relate to strategy implementation within the professional bodies in Kenya?; and, to what extent do market forces moderate the relationship between organizational culture and strategy implementation within professional bodies in Kenya? The study was anchored on positivist research philosophy zeroing on descriptive correlation research design. Key theory guiding this study was Cameron and Quinn's Competing Values Framework (OM supported by Mckinsey 75 Framework. The study targeted 168 top managers in 28 professional bodies selected through purposive sampling. The study applied a structured questionnaire tested through a pilot study and analyzed data using descriptive statistics as well as inferential statistics including ANOVA, multiple linear regression to test of hypothesis through Pearson's product co-efficient method. Results from the first research question indicated a significant correlation between strategy implementation and clan culture. The results led to rejection of the null hypotheses that there is no significant relationship between clan culture and strategy implementation in professional bodies in Kenya. Results from the second research question showed a significant correlation between the strategy implementation and adhocracy culture. Similarly, results from the linear regression revealed, adhocracy culture explained strategy implementation in professional bodies in Kenya. The coefficient result showed adhocracy culture significantly predicted strategy implementation in professional bodies. Therefore, the study rejected the null hypothesis that there is no significant relationship between adhocracy culture and strategy implementation in professional bodies in Kenya. Results from the third research question established a non-significant correlation between strategy implementation and market culture. Similarly, results from the linear regression revealed that market culture did not significantly predict strategy implementation. Thus the study accepted the null hypothesis that there is no relationship between market culture and strategy implementation. Results from the fourth research question determined a significant correlation between strategy implementation and hierarchy culture which also explained strategy implementation in professional bodies in Kenya. This led to rejection of the null hypothesis that there is no significant relationship between hierarchy culture and strategy implementation. Results from the last research question revealed that organization culture explained strategy implementation in professional bodies in Kenya with the inclusion of market forces as moderating variable. Results based on the coefficients model analysis showed that clan culture, adhocracy culture and hierarchy culture statistically predicted strategy implementation with the inclusion of market forces while market culture was not statistically significant. The study rejected the null hypothesis that market force as a moderating variable has no significant effect on the relationship between organizational culture and strategy implementation in professional bodies in Kenya. Based on the research findings the study concluded that there was a significant relationship between clan culture, adhocracy culture, and hierarchy culture on one hand and strategy implementation on the other. Similarly, market forces had a significant relationship moderating between the independent variables on one hand and strategy implementation on the other. Conversely, the results based on market culture variable showed no significant relationship on strategy implementation. The study conclusions enabled recommendations to be made in which further exploration of clan culture and adhocracy culture were prioritized in order to strengthen their adoption for strategy implementation- The study also recommends further research on market culture in order to establish if indeed there exists no relationship with strategy implementation.