Strategic management practices at wise-digits limited, in Kenya

Abstract

Strategic management helps organizations to create consistency between the organization and environment within which an organization operates. Strategic management entails specifically the vision mission and objectives, developing policies, plans and allocation resources to implement the chosen strategy, Pearce & Robinson, (2011). Organizations in the private sector have increasingly engaged in strategic management in policy making and administrative decision and activities. The purpose of the study was to establish strategic management practices at WiseDigits limited. The study was a case study that had five interviewees drawn from the organizations top management including the managing director. The researcher collected both primary and secondary data. The researcher collected primary data through one on one interviews with the interviewees while secondary data was gathered from existing documentation and general literature available in the organization. Data was analyzed through content analysis. From the findings, the researcher established that WiseDigits limited has a documented strategic plan; the company had a vision and mission statements that were well documented and communicated to the employees. The study also revealed that the company had a set of core values that are well documented and institutionalized across the organization. The study established that strategies were developed by the top management through a select committee of representatives drawn from all departments in the organization. The select committee works together with an external consultant who acts as the facilitator and helps to put the documents together. The study established that strategy was implemented through performance contracting and performance based activities. The study established that strategy implementation plan is monitored through annual reviews and through employee performance appraisal. The study established staff resistance to change, staff ignorance of the relationship between the chosen strategy and the day-to-day activities and operations as well as lack of budgetary resources as some of the challenges faced in implementation. The researcher encountered a number of limitations in the course of conducting the study the main limitation was the procedural undertakings involved in carrying out the study and the fact that the interviewees to the study had very demanding schedules necessitating rescheduling of the interviews to suit their schedules. The researcher recommends that the management focuses to address the challenges encountered in strategy implementation. The study established that there was so much focus given to the process of strategy formulation at the expense of implementation the study recommends that these two processes be viewed as a means and an end to each other to ensure that the chosen strategy is fully implemented the study also recommends that’s staff job promotions be based on current job performance and on whether the employees has the required skill to take up the job. From the findings the researcher made suggestions for more research on factors affecting strategic management at WiseDigits limited. This study did not look into how the strategic management practices adopted by WiseDigits limited have contributed to the overall performance and customer satisfaction. The study therefore suggests further research on how strategic management practices adopted by WiseDigits limited have influenced the overall organization performance and customer satisfaction. The study further suggests that similar studies be replicated in other organizations especially in the private sector with the aim of comparing strategic management practices adopted by organizations in the private sector.