Strategic change as a catalyst for organizational success at Karirana estates limited, Kenya

Abstract

To remain competitive, organizations must be able to respond to change at all times. There is a great need for all organisations to change in order to adjust to the changing internal and external environment. This means that the attitudes of the organisation members and the organisation itself have to change along with the structural changes and this does involve expertise from the behavioral sciences. This study was motivated by the need to assess the relationship between strategic change and the success of an organisation. To achieve this objective, the study collected data from the management staff of Karirana Estates Limited through interviews. The data collected was analyzed using content analysis and presented as descriptive notes. The department included Finance and IT, Factory, Human Resources and Sales and Marketing. The general Manager was interviewed as well. Karirana Estates Limited, having been existence for over fifty years, has undergone through many transformations. The source of these alterations has been both internal and external and has successfully maintained its brand name, both locally and internationally by effectively meeting the demand of their many stakeholders. To determine the success of organisations, one need to pay attention to the four essential measures i.e. Financial, Customer satisfaction, Employee satisfaction, Contribution to society and an auxiliary measure, key operational results. Aggressive pursuit of a creative adaptable strategy, propels a firm into a leadership position, paving way for its goods and services to become the industry standard. The study recommends that organizations should focus on taking the right measure in strategic change in an organization so as to attain organizational success through increasing firm customer base, asset quality, quality of service, increase in production and increased market share. This was as explicitly explained by Karirana Estates Limited management taking appropriate measure at the right time where strategies seems to fail in achieving set goals, energies and abilities to explicitly enhance strategies that propel organizational success performance. The study concludes that there is a myriad benefit for an organisation in adapting to strategic changes that befall it in order to continue commanding its competitive place in its industry. Otherwise there is an eminent danger of being wiped out of business by those that gladly and effectively adapt to change. Understanding how Karirana Estates Limited adjusts to strategic change and its relationship to their success will provide an incentive to further study the tea industry which has been a mystery to many people for a long time. This study will ultimately provide a blue print in understanding, management, and control by all stakeholders of the tea industry in Kenya.