Management Consultancy and the Transfer of Management Technology in Kenya

Abstract

This study argues that the adoption and application of modern management methods is an important factor in the development effort. The infusion of capital in Third World Countries without the complimentary management know-how is unlikely to foster economic development. It is in this light that Management Consultants are deemed to be able to play an important role in imparting management know-how to the organizations in these countries (including Kenya). rvJodernmanagement techniques have been developed in an environment different from Kenya's. There are cultural economic, social, political and legal assumptions that are embedded in the application of these techniques. When such assumptionsdo not apply in non-Western countries, then the wholesale adoption of these methods is unlikely to take place. The methodology used in this study involved mail Questionnaires personal interview, and case studies. Data was analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. This study critically examines the scope of Management Consultancy in Kenya and the problems encountered in the transfer and application of modern management methods. It comes to the conclusion that; 1. Not many firms use consultancy services in Kenya: Smaller firms use it less frequently than bigger ones; (iii ) Management Consultancy "Profession" is still at its infancy in this country. The adoption and application of modern management methods encounters problems in this country because of the cultural, social, economic, and political differences between Kenya and the Western World where these techniques were developed. It concludes that environmental differences affect the cross-cultural transfer of management technology.