Download CHALLENGES OF IMPLEMENTING STRATEGIC CHANGE

CHALLENGES OF IMPLEMENTING STRATEGIC CHANGE ATGREEN FOREST SOCIAL
INVESTMENT, HOMA BAY COUNTY, KENYA
Organizations experience challenges within their operating environments that force them to adjust
their strategies to gain competitive advantage and survive. Organizational change is a constant
experience that is faced with a myriad of challenges. The main aim of this study was to determine
the challenges of implementing strategic change at Green Forest Social Investment and establish
measures put in place to handle the challenges. This study is anchored on contingency and
institutional theories. To achieve the research objective, the study was done through a case study
and used both primary and secondary data. Primary data was collected through an interview guide.
Secondary data was used to triangulate information obtained during interviews. For this study,
interviewees included; Managing Director, Senior Manager - Administration and Finance, Senior
Manager - Programs and Project Facilitators at Green Forest Social Investment. The research found
that GFSI experienced the following challenges in implementing strategic change; weak leadership,
poor communication, resistance to change, inadequate planning, complex and rigid organizational
structure and unsupportive organizational culture. And that GFSI had instituted the following
measures to address the challenges; strategic human resource planning and management,
participatory planning, monitoring evaluation and learning system, comprehensive staff capacity
building, structured communication and staff performance management and reward systems. The
study recommends development of PBO sector management oversight frameworks for responsive
regulation, coordination and monitoring of PBOs in management and sustenance of strategic
change. Limitations of the study include; the study focused on implementation only leaving out
formulation of strategic change, it was limited to a case study and to challenges of implementing
strategic change at GFSI and so its outcomes cannot be generalized for other public benefit
organizations. The research recommends further study on the challenges of implementing strategic
change in PBOs sector in Kenya and how the existing regulatory frameworks in the sector support
PBOs to mitigate such challenges to enable researchers compare results between different public
benefit organizations and have a broad – based view of such challenges.