EFFECT OF ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE ON CHANGE MANAGEMENT IN COUNTY GOVERNMENTS IN KENYA A CASE STUDY OF COUNTY GOVERNMENT OF NAKURU

Abstract

Change is an inevitable part of any growing industry. The forces of change are brought about by the political, social, technological, economic and legal environment in which all organizations operate in. The study therefore sought to investigate the effect of organizational culture on change management in county government of Nakuru Kenya. More specifically the study investigated the influence of behavioural culture, organizational values, cultural beliefs and organizational norms on change management in county governments of Nakuru. Theories that were used in this study included Kurt Lewin‟s Three Step Planned Change Model and Kotter‟s Eight Steps Model. The study employed descriptive survey research design. The target population of the study was 5030 employees working in the 10 ministries in the county government of Nakuru. Random sampling technique was adopted where 197 employees were selected to be the respondents of the study. Questionnaires constructed on a five point likert scale were used for data collection. The questionnaires were tested for validity and reliability where Cronbach‟s coefficient Alpha was computed for the instrument. Statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) was used to analyze the collected data. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics which included frequency, percentages, Chi-square test for agreement and inferential statistics which included correlation analysis and multiple linear regression analysis. The analyzed data was presented in form of tables accompanied by relevant discussions. Findings indicated that behavioural culture, organizational values, cultural beliefs and organizational norms have positive and significant relationships with change management in the county government of Nakuru. On the other hand, regression analysis demonstrated that all the independent variables taken together significantly accounts for up to 61.4% of the total variation in change management in the county of Nakuru. Behavioural culture and organizational norms were shown to significantly influence change management whereas organizational values and cultural beliefs were not significant in accounting for change management in the county. The study concluded that the independent variables play a significant role in determining change management in the county of Nakuru. The study recommended that the county government should enhance the organizational culture to be adaptable to change management and enhance the quality performance of the employees.