Strategic Change Management Practices by the Kenya Prisons Service

Abstract

This study set out to establish strategic change management practices by the Kenya Prisons Service and also to investigate the challenges affecting strategic change management by the Kenya Prisons Service. The study was conducted through a case study of the Kenya Prisons Service. The study targeted 5 interviewees from the organisation who were section heads at senior level management and whose length of service was more than 10 years. They were interviewed using a well prepared interview guide. Both secondary and primary data were collected which formed the basis for content analysis. The findings of the study indicate that employee involvement, consultation, obtaining executive level commitment, effective communication, encouraging participation, delegation of duties, teamwork, use of change agents and intervention by outsiders, stakeholders’ engagement, collaboration and transparency played a big role in strategic change management practices by the Kenya Prisons Service. The findings also indicate that the performance of the strategic change management encountered a number of challenges such as resource constraints, inadequate funding, and problems with the government legislation, capacity problems, transnational crimes and influence by the institutions within the administration of justice sector. The study revealed that the Kenya Prisons Service did not have structural, cultural, political influence and ICT problems. The study further revealed that the Kenya Prisons Service did not experience lack of leadership commitment to change or stakeholders being not adequately involved and informed. The study revealed that the resistance to change was minimal and was adequately dealt with. A major success of the strategic change management by the Kenya Prisons Service was the increased efficiency in management, improved prisons staff and prisoners’ welfare, introduction of recreation activities for prisoners and a shift from punitive to rehabilitative prison management. The study concludes that strategic change management practices in an organisation play a significant role in any strategic change management process. The recommendations for the study of strategic change management by the Kenya Prisons Service have implications for theory, managerial policy, managerial practice and scholarly work.