An assessment of strategic change management processes:a case study of the Kenya judiciary

Abstract

The Judiciary, like any other organization, whether in public or private sector, is affected by changes taking place in the environment. Because every organization has to interact with the environment for survival, it becomes crucial for organizations to prepare themselves by formulating strategies that will enable them to exploit opportunities presented by the environment, and eliminate and/or minimize the threats that affect their performance. The Kenya Judiciary has not been spared by the environment. Political, economic, sociocultural, technological and legal factors have had their impact on the Judiciary, necessitating changes. However, the response has been slow due to various factors and it was not until 1998 that the Judiciary took serious initiatives to reform itself. This study aimed at establishing the reform management processes in the Kenya Judiciary and identifying factors that influenced the performance of the reforms. The study involved collection and analysis of both primary and secondary data from various sources. The study found out that the change management process in the Judiciary is both planned and emergent. Various Committees have been established to identify the problems facing the Judiciary and to implement the recommendations. Majority of the employees are not involved in the change management and learn about the changes when called upon to implement the changes. The style used is top-down approach where top executives come up with what needs to be done and expect the employees to act as required. Employees are not consulted nor are they prepared to accept change by way of participation or education. Although the study found that there are achievements, there in need to address the more urgent issues like the staff morale which is very low currently because of some of the changes taking place, poor terms and conditions of service, shortage of staff as a result of which the employees are overworked, interference by the executive and non-supportive organizational culture.