Effect of organizational culture change on organizational performance of Kenya Wildlife Service Nairobi National Park

Abstract

Change is inevitable and is seen as a practice for organizations seeking to continuously provide quality services that meet stakeholder needs. Efficient and effective public service delivery has forced state corporations to adopt organizational culture change management to accommodate changes in the environment. However, government parastatals and state corporations such as Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) often oppose transformation and change because they have uncertain outcomes and come with a lot of challenges. This study determined the effect of culture change on organizational performance at Kenya Wildlife Service Nairobi National Park. The study was guided by Geert Hofstede's theory as the framework for cross-cultural communication, Edgar Schein's model as the cultural inventions by a specific group, and the Denison dimension model theory. Using descriptive survey research design, on a target population of 100 employees drawn from various departments at Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) Nairobi National Park, a structured questionnaire was used for data collection to effectively respond to the research problem. The study revealed that majority (35.9%) of the respondents were convinced that management ensures that old habits that are not effective are dropped and at the same time the management at KWS encourages employees to adapt to changes and be flexible, especially when the work environment is changing. Results revealed that KWS management ensures the organizational culture supports vision, goal and strategies. The respondents (40.5%) also agreed that managers encourage employees to adapt to changes and to care (35.9%) about fellow employees, customers, and stakeholders. The findings also revealed that 28.9% of the respondents agreed that managers are role models for employees in the organization and set standards for ethics. Correlation analyses show that culture affects performance directly and indirectly. The study concludes that organizational culture aligned with vision, goals, and company strategies guides employees towards a shared purpose and improves an organization's capacity to perform excellently. We also conclude that KWS management encourages work ethics through consistency, and effective communication that improves work commitment that ultimately leads to better performance. The study recommends that there is need for more to be done on culture change as an approach to change management to improve performance. The mission, vision, and strategies are key to organizational performance and need to be reviewed from time to time to ensure that the organization lives its mission and moves towards its vision while applying its strategies. The study further recommends a replica of the same trial in other Kenya Wildlife Service branches in order to authenticate the findings and enable the generalization of the results.