Relationship between Cultural Orientation and Strategy Implementation in Water Service Providers in Western Kenya

Abstract

Strategy implementation is viewed as an integral component of the strategic management process that turns formulated strategies into actionable activities. The purpose of this study was to evaluate how cultural orientation, specifically market-oriented culture, related to strategy implementation in water service providers in Western Kenya. The study was guided by the organizational culture theory. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The study population consisted of employees working with Vihiga, Kakamega County and Busia water companies. The study employed a census design and obtained 70 respondents as the unit of analysis. A structured questionnaire was used in data collection. The questionnaire was pilot tested prior to its use in collection of data for the main study. The collected data were analyzed with the help of Statistical Package for Social Sciences programme. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were employed. The study results were presented in form of tables. The study concluded that corporate culture is very important in determining the success of water companies. Market-oriented culture (t = 29.592; p< 0.05was found to be of paramount importance in enhancing strategy implementation in water companies. The study recommended that management of water companies should ensure that the culture embraced by the WSPs does not result in resistance from employees and other stakeholders; so as to ensure that the execution of organizational strategies is not curtailed.