Strategy implementation at ethics and anti corruption commission in Kenya

Abstract

Strategy implementation is a continuation of the planning process and is often preceded by strategy formulation. However, successful strategy formulation does not always guarantee successful implementation. Whereas strategy formulation is entrepreneurial and involves theoretical perspective as well as positioning of forces before the action, implementation is basically administrative and involves managing forces during the action by working through other people, organizing, motivating, culture change building and finding the optimal fit between strategy and the organisation structure. Effective implementation, therefore, requires that the strategy is supported by an appropriate organization structure, systems, culture, resources, and a leadership that plays a leading role in the implementation process. This study sought to find out how strategy is implemented at Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission in Kenya. The Commission is a public body established under Section 3(1) of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission Act, No. 22 of 2011 of the laws of Kenya with the mandate to fight corruption through prevention, education, and law enforcement. The objective of the study was to establish how Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission implements its strategy, and to find out the challenges by the Commission in the implementation of its strategy. For purposes of this study, the researcher applied a case study and used both primary and secondary data. Whereas primary data was collected through selfadministered personal interviews of twelve senior level managers from four Directorates, secondary data was obtained through a desk review of the previous strategic plans. The data was then analysed using content analysis technique. The study established that the Commission implements its strategy through the various departments within its four Directorates whereby each Directorate translates its planned activities into annual work plans. Individual officers are then assigned specific tasks with set performance targets. Implementation is monitored through monthly and quarterly progress reports. Annually, the Commission prepares a statutory report to Parliament on its activities. The study also noted that the challenges facing strategy implementation at the Commission include frequent changes in senior-level leadership structure, high turnover of skilled workforce, lack of an integrated monitoring and evaluation mechanism, and the lack of a scheme that links reward to the achievement of performance targets. The study recommends that the Commission should put more focus on strategy implementation by among other things, having the senior-level leadership to own the strategic plan, and involving all the functional managers and the lower-level employees in setting clear performance targets. The Commission should enhance the capacity and leadership skills of its top managers and also lower-level employees on matters of strategy implementation as a way of bolstering the success of its Strategic Plan implementation. It should also endeavour to establish an integrated monitoring and evaluation mechanism for monitoring strategy implementation progress which should incorporate a performance based reward scheme that is known to all those who are involved in strategy implementation. Strategy implementation should be institutionalized by ensuring that implementation is mainstreamed across all functional areas. The limitation of this study stemmed from the fact that at the time of data collection, the Commission was at the point of drafting a new Strategic Plan for the plan period; 2013 – 2018.