Relationship between organizational culture and performance in selected Kenyan state corporations

Abstract

The study sought to determine whether there was a relationship between organizational culture and performance in the State Corporations. 35 organizations in the Financial and Commercial/Manufacturing sectors were used for the study. These sectors were chosen because they used similar performance indicators. The survey method was used because the research problem required comparative data from a cross section of organizations. Both primary and secondary data was used in this study. The primary data which was on culture was collected through structured questionnaires. The questionnaire was adopted from Roger Harrison (1972). It is concerned with the identification of the existing culture in the organizations. Performance was measured using secondary data on Corporations Performance Results for the financial year 2005/2006. This period covers 1st July 2005 - 30th June 2006. The results of this study revealed there is a relationship between culture and performance. It further indicated that the dominant culture in the State Corporations is task culture. From the study, it was observed that the different cultures have varied effects on the performance. Some cultures were associated with very good performance, others with good yet others poor performance.