The employee perception of the people dimension in change management at the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA)

Abstract

Organizations change largely in response to the external circumstances. Strategic change management in organizations involves two aspects; the people who are to initiate and implement the changes and the systems that are needed to effect the changes and enable them to be realized. The motivation of the study was the fact that the Kenya Revenue Authority has a wide range of stakeholders from the government, private organizations, international organizations, to the general public who are contributors of revenue, the core function of the Authority. Organizations who successfully manage change are those which have integrated their people management policies with their strategies and the strategic change processes. The management must be critically concerned with the way employees relate to the nature and direction of the organization and as such they can both block strategic change and also be significant facilitators of the same. The research focused on analyzing the attention the Kenya Revenue Authority’s giving people concerns during its change initiatives. The main objectives of the study were, to establish the people management strategies used by the Kenya Revenue Authority in implementing strategic change, to identify the strategic change responses that have occurred in the Authority and to establish the strategy support practices offered to employees by the Authority. The study was a survey of the Kenya Revenue Authority employees in which a sample of fifty three (53) respondents was used. The data collected was presented using tables and analyzed using descriptive statistics, proportions, percentages and measures of central tendency. The major findings were change implementation in the organization ignored the important details and use of proper communication strategies. It underestimated the need to gain behavioral alignment and development of trust. The organization did not develop structures to capture and to handle with sensitivity employees emotional reactions towards change. Recommendations made were that there mist be mechanisms to monitor employee responses to organizational change since this has an effect on employee-employer relationship and that trust is crucial for organizational success. The leaders should address both the emotional and practical issues through the hard and softer people management practices. The strategies that provide the opportunity to build trust and commitment within the newly restructured organization should be used. Establish the strategy support practices responses study had three objectives, first, to establish the people management practices used