Strategic change management practices in Kenya: the case of Nairobi bottlers limited

Abstract

The study was conducted by carrying out in-depth interviews with senior managers of the company. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data from the managers. The study intends to identify whether Nairobi Bottlers adopted known models of strategic change in their change program and determine the effect the model adopted has had on the performance of Nairobi Bottlers. Traditionally, the company had enjoyed virtual monopoly in the carbonated soft drink sector. However over the last ten years, there has been mushrooming of alternative ready to drink beverages that have impacted negatively on the performance of the company. This has forced the company to reassess its position and hence the need for the strategic change. The study has confirmed that; (i) Nairobi Bottlers followed one of the known models of strategic change in their change program but did not give the necessary weight to one of the steps of the model i.e empowerment. (ii) That the performance of the company has improved on the quantitative side. However, not much improvement has been noted on the qualitative performance indicators. In view of the above findings, the following would be the recommendations for management consideration; (i) Focus on people issues in order to raise employee morale. (ii) . Empower people through training and involvement in order to fully equip them with the new skills for performing their jobs. (iii) Introduce performance incentives to reward superior performance.