Effects of Human Resources on Successful Strategy Implementation in Public Universities in Kenya: A Survey of Selected Universities in Nairobi County (original) (raw)
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The Government of Kenya has adopted strategic planning in various institutions and Ministries to address distinct and prioritized strategic issues in order to upgrade service delivery and bolster employee and institutional efficiency. Institutions of higher learning and more so the public universities, have in the past years been adhering to this law by setting strategic plans and implementing them in the institutions. For instance, the JKUAT 2013-2017 strategic plans and UON 2013-2017 strategic plans to mention just but a few. The objectives of the study were to assess whether managerial support, resource allocation, performance appraisal system and organizational culture constitute factors affecting the implementation of strategic management plans in public universities in Kenya. The study focused on the Public universities in Kenya with a case study of JKUAT. Data was gathered through a structured questionnaire which was pre-tested on a 10% sample randomly selected from the study population to ensure reliability and validity of the tools. The data collected in the descriptive research design was analyzed by use of statistical package software for social sciences, SPSS. The stratified sampling technique was conducted to select the sample. These strata were; administration, teaching and non-teaching. The sample was composed of 100 respondents. The results were presented using tables. Multiple Linear Regression analysis was used for inferential analysis. The results revealed that all the variables had a positive and statistical significance effect on the implementation of strategic plans in public universities in Kenya. The study concluded that all the variables significantly affected strategy implementation in public universities in Kenya. Therefore, it was recommended that the universities should implement a management support system, increase resources for strategy implementation including hiring competent staffs and offering regular training the existing employees to ensure that they are updated on the new principles of management.
Journal of human resource and leadership, 2022
The objective of the study was to determine the effect of Strategic Human Resource Management Practices (SHRMPs) on performance of public universities. Methodology: This study was essentially guided by the Resource Based Theory, as exemplified by the philosophical inclination of the study was positivist ontology. The research used a descriptive research design, in a census approach. The target population of the study were all public universities in Kenya. Data was collected from 31 public universities in Kenya with the aid of a self-administered questionnaire. Out of the 117 questionnaires that were distributed, 110 were returned and were found to be usable providing a 71% response rate. Descriptive statistics and linear regression analyses were used to analyze the data. Findings: The main finding of the study indicated that there was a statistically significant relationship between the bundle of SHRMPs (rigorous recruitment, staff training, reward management and performance management), and performance of public universities in Kenya. The hypothesis of the study was that SHRMPs do not have an effect on the performance of public universities in Kenya. This finding was determined to be in tandem with the Resource Based Theory (Barney, 2001), which, among other points of emphasis, stresses the centrality of leveraging on people as key resources of an enterprise. The finding also resonated with empirical literature, including Al-Khaled & Chung (2020), who found that that entities which adopted strategic human resource management practices were able to sustainably improve their performance, and Mathushan & Kengatharan (2022), who found that the bundle of strategic human resource management practices, consisting of training, rewarding and performance management practices did positively impact on organizational performance. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The finding of this study, that SHRM practices positively and significantly influence the performance of public universities, are arguably expansionary to the Resource Based Theory (RBT), as proponed by Barney (2001). Although the Resource Based Theory does not directly address strategic human resource management practices as elements of performance, it postulated that business entities needed to focus internally to activate resources, the most important one of which is the people resource. It is the people resource which enables such entities to achieve competitive advantage in their operations, given that it is the human resource which mobilizes, and creates value from the other resources within the enterprise. In this respect, therefore, it follows that every intervention made towards creating and enhancing the human resource capacity, including, as conceptualized in this study; rigorous recruitment, staff training, rewarding them and strategically managing their performance, does count, towards enhancing the contribution of the human resources, as exemplified by the Resource Based Theory, and consequently, activating the essential asset, towards competitive organizational performance. More directly, this empirical finding, regarding the positive influence of strategic human resource management practices on performance of public universities in Kenya has implications with respect to the public universities in Kenya. The main one is that, the public universities ought to take deliberate measures in determining and selecting appropriate SHRMPs. Such practices, according to the Resource Based Theory (Barney, 2001), are expected to be valuable, inimitable, and rare and may not be substitutable, in ensuring that public universities, like any other organizations, are able to sustainably achieve competitive advantage in their markets. This is further corroborated by the findings of Sagwa, K'Obonyo and Ogutu (2014), who averred that investing in human resources was crucial in promoting organizational performance.
The International Journal of Business & Management, 2021
This paper reports a study that sought to investigate the moderating role of top management support on the relationship between utilization of human resource strategy evaluation and the performance of the human resource strategy in universities in Kenya. Over the past two decades, universities have utilized strategy through strategic planning. Macdonald (2019) quoting Elizabeth Buckner notes strategic planning in universities a huge global trend. Fredua-Kwarteng (2020) observes majority of African tertiary education institutions have strategic plans. The environment, in complexity and dynamism, has compelled institutions to adopt market-like mechanisms so as to survive and thrive. Citing Keller (1983), Shattock (2010), Bayenetet al. (2000), and Groves et al. (1997), Parakhina, Godina, Boris, and Ushvitsky (2017) outline some of the pressures on universities: turbulence in context; high velocity evolution of international competition; changed demand requirements to university education; fading lines of distinction of the education market; inadequate qualified scientific and instructional human resources; and demands for innovations. Higher education institutions have found themselves in a competitive marketplace; the main variables being attraction of exceptionally respected scholars, top-rate students, sponsors, as well as raising their profile and reputation (Goldman and Salem, 2015). Notably, public universities have transformed from being 'state-controlled to statesupervised' (Fredua-Kwarteng, 2020). And the university institution is now considered an 'organization like any other' (Macdonald, 2019, quoting Elizabeth Bruckner). Thus, the identity of the university, 'half-public, half-private', has become problematic (Tavernier, 2005); and the varied stakeholder demands have added on to this identity crisis. Thus, according to proponents, strategic planning, a rigorously critical brainstorming process university administrations deploy to direct their activities (Ofori&Atiogbe, 2012), help institutions confront hostile environments; and in particular to efficiently allocate resources for attainment of key milestones (Ofori&Atiogbe, 2012, citing Bain and Company, 2003). Goldman and Salem (2015) suggest strategic planning portend success for complex entities among them universities and colleges.
Effect of human resource management practices on performance 0f public universities in kenya
International Journal of Economics, Commerce and Management United Kingdom Vol. III, Issue 10, October 2015 Licensed under Creative Common Page 696 http://ijecm.co.uk/ ISSN 2348 0386' EFFECT OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ON PERFORMANCE OF PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES IN KENYA Naftal Mutahi [Author] Department of Business Administration, Egerton University, Kenya kenydf@gmail.com DR J. R. Busienei [Supervisor]] Department of Business Administration, Egerton University, Kenya. Abstract Public universities are labor intensive institutions which depend on people for effective service delivery. This study sought to establish the relationship between strategic human resources management practices and performance of public universities in Kenya. The study was guided by the following specific objectives: To establish the effect of resourcing practices on performance of public universities; to determine the effect of reward management on performance of public universities; to assess the effect of training and development on performance of public universities and to determine the combined effect of resourcing practices, reward management and training and development on performance of public universities in Kenya. The study was a census with a target population of the public universities in Kenya and their constituent colleges. Senior HR officers and administrators were the units of analysis where a response rate of 58% was obtained. Data was collected using semi-structured questionnaire and was subsequently analyzed using SPSS. Research findings suggested that strategic human resource management practices have a significant effect on the performance of public universities in Kenya. Further, findings revealed that reward management, training and development and resourcing practices respectively influenced the performance of public universities. Based on the findings following key recommendations were made: Management of public universities to develop employment policy that encourages job security; invest in HR information systems to automate resourcing practices; government to ensure that selection in public universities is based on equal employment opportunity principle, management to conduct a staff competency analysis in order to address training and development needs. Keywords: Human resource, HR policies, Public universities, Employee performance, Kenya I
https://www.ijrrjournal.com/IJRR\_Vol.4\_Issue.5\_May2017/Abstract\_IJRR0024.html, 2017
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of strategy implementation on employee performance in Trans Nzoia County Government. The analysis was focused on the selected department employees of Trans Nzoia County Government as the target population of the study The study was guided by the following research objectives:-To examine the effect of human resource practices on employee performance in Trans Nzoia County Government, to analyze the effect of institutional practices on employee performance in Trans Nzoia County Government and to examine the effect of environmental factors on employee performance in Trans Nzoia County Government. The study was guided by the Systems Theory; Resource based view theory; Environmental dependency theory; Dynamic capabilities theory; Contingency theory and the Institutional theory. A descriptive research design was employed with a structured questionnaire that covered both qualitative and quantitative data, being administered to the target population by the researcher for data collection. The survey targeted selected departmental employees in Trans Nzoia County government by employing census method since the target population was less than one hundred respondents, which is the maximum acceptable number for census method to be used. The data collected was then sorted and analyzed by both the regression tools and ANOVA using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23. The researcher used a multiple correlation coefficient and regression analysis together with the ANOVA test to establish, make conclusions and recommendations on the relationship between the independent variables and dependent variable from the findings. The findings, through the F calculated (F =22.755), which was > 5% level of significance, revealed a statistically significant regression effect between the research predictors and the predicted variable. They further showed that the overall model was significant with Human Resource Practices predicting 18% of the employee performance, Institutional Practices, 21.7% of the employee performance, and Environmental Factors explaining 43.8% of the employee performance in Trans Nzoia County government. From the findings, Environmental Factors was the most significant predictor of employee performance at 43.8% with (t=3.177). The results are to contribute to the existing body of knowledge for the researchers and organizational management in their way of human resource management. The research is also expected to form a basis for scholars who may want to study issues related to the performance of non-teaching employees. From the findings, conclusions were made and recommendations as well as suggestions for further studies deduced to enable further understanding of employee performance on strategy implementation on devolved government service delivery.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research), 2022
Contrary to empirical evidence that Strategic Human Resource Management Practices (SHRMPs) positively impacted performance of enterprises worldwide, public universities in Kenya, which are expected to apply SHRMPs have continued to perform below expectations, in terms of financial prospects, research and innovation, new programs development rate, learner enrolment rates, graduation rates, and employee promotion rates. Available empirical literature does not seem to address the role of employee outcomes in the link between SHRMPs and performance of public universities as conceptualized in this study. This study addressed this gap. The specific objective of this study was to determine the intervening effect of employee outcomes on the link between SHRMPs and performance of public universities in Kenya. The study tested the hypothesis that employee outcomes do not have an intervening effect on the link between SHRMPs and performance of public universities in Kenya. The study was anchored on the Human Capital Theory. The study adopted a descriptive research design in a census approach. The target population was academic and non-academic employees of the 31 public universities in Kenya, using a sample of 155 respondents purposively selected from the three union representatives respectively; University Academic Staff Union (UASU), Kenya University Staff Union (KUSU), Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Educational Institutions, Hospitals and Allied Workers (KUDHEIHA), as well as one senior representative each from Academic Registrar and HR departments respectively. A self-administered five-level Likert type questionnaire was used for data collection. Based on the 110(71%) response rate, data was descriptively and inferentially analyzed using stepwise multiple linear regressions. It was found that there was a positive and statistically significant intervening influence of employee outcomes on the SHRMPs-public universities' performance relationship. The study recommended that public universities in Kenya evidenced to be facing declining performance, exacerbated by dwindling government capitation ought to strategically select SHRMPs bundles that can enable them to optimize on the generation of desired employee outcomes, which would result in enhanced performance, sustainably and creatively.
The purpose of this study was to assess the contribution of Training and development as a strategic human resource management practice in achieving institutional performance. A multi-respondent survey of qualitative and quantitative data was collected using questionnaires from the 400 staff selected through purposive and stratified sampling from a population of 2496 Employees from Narok County Government. The data collected using self administered questionnaires was analyzed using descriptive statistics; Percentages, Mean and Standard deviation and inferential Statistics; Factor Analysis, Pearson Correlation Coefficient, and Chi-square. The study findings show statistical estimates of Pearson's R of 0.594, Phi value of 2.766 and Cramers V is 0.532 and both have a P-value of 0.000. The Pearson chi square is 2312.640 with 806 degrees of freedom and a p-value of 0.000. The critical chi factor at 800 degrees of freedom is given as 880.275 which is far much below the calculated factor. This is a significant association and dependency between training and development and the performance of county governments in Kenya. The study therefore recommends that institutions should emphasize on strategic development, adoption, integration and implementation of training and development practice as examined in the achievement of institutional performance of Narok County Government. The findings are useful to the government of Kenya, Narok County Government, Staff and contribute to the knowledge gap. Background Strategic HRM has a clear focus on implementing strategic change and growing the skill base of the organization to ensure that the organization can compete effectively in the future (Holbeche, 2004). Myrna (2009) says effective training is not an isolated event in an organization. Training must be strategic in that it is designed to improve the knowledge, skills and abilities and abilities of employees to help them achieve the organization's strategic plan. Effective training is therefore can't be designed until there is full understanding of the organization. He further reiterates that it can only be achieved through SWOT Analysis and a proper understanding of the organization's vision and hence creating a competitive advantage. Training Needs Analysis is also very important to know the training gaps between the employee's current performance and desired performance level. Maund (2001) defined needs assessment as a systematic process of determining goals, identifying discrepancies between actual and desired conditions and establishing priorities for action. He further says that Ghanaian firm's to establish
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