Organizational Culture and Change Management Practice in the Kenyan Media Industry

Abstract

The objective of this research is to analyze the effects of organizational culture on change management practice in the Kenyan media industry. Change is an inevitable part of any growing industry and especially a dynamic and rapidly growing industry as the Kenyan media industry. The forces of change are brought about by the political, social, technological, economic and legal environment in which all organizations operate in. Intense competition has also emanated from the rapid growth of the industry, change of its environment and change of the consumer in terms of literacy levels and global exposure. Organizational culture which is defined as the behavior of humans within an organization and the meaning that people attach to those behaviors is at the very core of change and this study therefore seeks to understand and analyze its effects in change management. This research was conducted through a cross-sectional survey of the media houses in Kenya and the type of data collected was both qualitative and quantitative in nature. This data was collected through the use of a questionnaire instrument which contained both Close ended questions which served the purpose of collecting viable quantitative data while open-ended questions allowed for in-depth responses. The target respondents were both senior and middle level managers in their respective companies. The qualitative data collected was analyzed through content analysis while the quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics that is by use of mean, standard deviation and frequency distribution. The data collected and analyzed was presented in form of tables, frequencies and percentages for the quantitative data and the findings from the open ended questions which was of a qualitative nature was presented in prose form. The study established that change is a process driven by several strategic considerations including the need for more integrated ways of working and the need to improve business performance. These considerations typically are the result in structured change programs based on the assumption that change management consists of a limited set of interventions that can be realized in a relatively short time. One major consideration in the change process is organizational culture as it inculcates most of the steps used in change management. The study recommends a careful assessment of the available resources, their competence to manage the change process and most importantly, type of organizational culture the organization currently operates in. Organizational culture is a major determining factor of how any organization embraces and implements change. The implications of this study on policy is that it shall facilitate the development of more clearly articulated understanding of change management and ensure organizational culture is evaluated in the process of change. In theory, the study will encourage the development of a dynamic change model that has multiple variables hence enabling a better understanding of the process. The implication of this study in practice is to ensure that organizations practically evaluate all the relevant variables and by extension thereby involves all the relevant stakeholders for a more efficient change management process.