Influence of National and Organizational Culture on Management of Oil Companies in Kenya

Abstract

National cultural differences can be a source of confusion, hostility and distrust for the foreign firms (Krug & Nigh, 2001). Organizational culture is an important resource for enhancing organizational competitiveness. In recent years, there has been attention paid to the impact of organizational culture on organizations effectiveness. Managers should pay attention to the impact organization culture has on organizational effectiveness in order to lead each employees value and behavioral orientation unanimous with the whole value of the organization and improve staff's commitment to the organization. This study seeks to determine the influence of national and organizational culture on management of oil companies in Kenya. The researcher used descriptive survey type of research design. This is because the study sought to establish the influence of national and organizational culture on management of oil companies in Kenya. The target population for this study was petroleum firms in the country. Most of these units are owned or under the control of the 5 main petroleum firms operating in Kenya, within the five oil firms, the study targeted five senior managers from each company thus making a total of 25 senior employees working in these firms. The researcher used survey research data for this study. Data collected, was tabulated and analyzed for purpose of clarity, using SPSS version 20 software. Data was presented using tables, and pie charts to make them reader friendly. The study found that culture in the foreign/home country influences, recruitment of employees, organization learning, training and development of staff, creation of internal social networks, the financial acquisitions decisions, advertisement and finally public relations The study also found that oil national and organizational culture encourages interaction between different levels of authority in oil companies to a great extent to a great extent. The study revealed that culture in an organization influences management and performance of the organization. It also revealed that failure in Oil companies in Kenya is viewed as an opportunity for learning and improvement. The study recommends that oil companies in Kenya should enhance employee involvement in management and incorporate customer feedback to positively influence organization culture.