Role of strategic change management on employee performance in the carbonated soft drink firms in Nairobi County, Kenya

Abstract

Carbonated soft drink firms are operating in an ever-changing environment. The environment is coupled with unpredictable variables full of competitive pressures from the competing organizations forcing an organization to opt for strategic change management. Due to change in customer demand and preference, the industry has faced more challenges and opportunities. Also, liberalization of the economy has made it easy for products to be imported into the country. Therefore, strategic change management has therefore become the main focus of these organizations in an effort to survive in the turbulent environment. The general objective of the study was to evaluate the role of strategic change management on employee performance in the carbonated soft drink industry in Nairobi County. Specific objectives were to evaluate the role of organizational structure change on employee performance; to determine the role of technological changes on employee performance; to examine the role of organizational leadership change on employee performance and to assess the role of organizational culture change on employee performance in the carbonated soft drink industry in Nairobi County. The study was informed by concepts explained by the theory of change management, Lewin’s Change management model and the Kotter’s Change management model. The study adopted a descriptive research design. The target population was 2,147 employees in the management level at 34 carbonated soft drink companies in Nairobi. Stratified random sampling was used to select the study sample. The population was stratified into top level managers. Middle level managers and low level managers. The study sample size was 337 respondents. Structured questionnaires were used in data collection. The study used both quantitative and qualitative methods of data analysis. Quantitative data analysis was in form of frequency tables and percentages which represent the most commonly used method for descriptive data presentation. Content analysis was used to analyse the unstructured questions. Inferential statistics was used to determine the relationship between strategic change management on employee performance in the carbonated soft drink industry in Nairobi County. The study found that organizational structure change (r=0.768, p=0.002); technological changes (r=776, p=0.002); organizational leadership change (r=0.804, p=0.002); organizational cultural change (r=0.783, p=0.0042) have a strong positive significant relationship with employee performance. The study also found that organizational structure change, technological changes, organizational leadership change and organizational cultural change had a positive influence on employee performance. The study also revealed that the influence of organizational structure change, technological changes, organizational leadership change and organizational cultural change on employee performance was significant. It was also noted that a unit increase in organizational structure change, technological changes, organizational leadership change and organizational cultural change will result to an increase in employee performance. The study recommends that the management of carbonated soft drink firms should communicate about organizational structure change to the employees as early as possible. The study recommends that carbonated soft drink firms should have a systematic procedure of technology transition. The study recommends that the carbonated firms should inform all individuals in the organization about organizational culture change. The study concludes that organizational structure change, technological changes and organizational leadership change are positively related to staff performance.