MANAGING STRATEGIC CHANGE AT THE COFFEE BOARD OF KENYA

Abstract

Strategic change has become a constant phenomenon which must be attended to and managed properly if an organization is to survive. The dilemma faced by many businesses today is managing strategic change initiatives efficiently and effectively. Arguably, managing changes simultaneously poses great challenges to organizational success in terms of the desired change. The purpose of this research project is study investigate the strategic change management at Coffee Board of Kenya, with an emphasis on identifying triggers of change, forces that resist change and the management responses to forces that resist change. This research was conducted through a case study. The target population of this study was 15 respondents who are in middle and top management staff working at Coffee Board of Kenya in Nairobi. Data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire. The data collected was purely quantitative and was analyzed by descriptive analysis. The major findings of the study were: changes in the top management, especially appointment of a new managing director, trigger change. Other major triggers of change include changes in government policy and legislation affective CBK and coffee industry. The major forces against change include organizational rigidity and the tendency of change to threaten established power relationships. The management of CBK considers various tools of handling resistance to change as effective. These include communication with affected employees, encouraging participation in decision making and support for those who are negatively affected by change