Business Process Re-engineering as an Approach to Strategic Change at Kenya Revenue Authority

Abstract

Business process reengineering as an approach to strategic change has been employed by many firms in management of their business processes. And it is against this backdrop that the study entitled ―BPR as an approach to strategic change at Kenya Revenue Authority‖ was conceived. Various aspects of strategic change and business process reengineering were delved into and laid bare. Objectively, the study sought to determine the application and challenges encountered in applying business process reengineering as an approach to strategic change at KRA and the measures that the organization has put in place to mitigate the challenges. The research question was ―How has BPR served as an approach to strategic change, Kenya Revenue Authority?‖ Both primary and secondary data which were qualitative in nature were collected and analyzed to determine the objectives of the study. Primary data was collected through administering of a set of questions to the senior, middle and operational levels of management by the use of interview guide, whereas, secondary data, was gathered by gleaning information from existing records in the Authority. Such documents included bulletins, service charters, strategic plans and the corporate website which was then analyzed using content analysis. The study established that business process reengineering as an approach to strategic change has been in use at Kenya Revenue Authority and has fronted many benefits to the organization in managing its business processes. Significantly, the areas were hiring and retention of workforce, purchasing and supplies issues, customer service and project planning and management. However, these were not without a number of challenges which management instituted various measures to mitigate. The study’s major limitations were the inability to cover other general concepts of strategic change and BPR, the study being a case and so could not be used for generalizations in other organizations and the fact that some respondents became stingy with information, citing reprisals from management as a result of divulging sensitive information. Nonetheless, it has formed a valid and reliable instrument for gauging the application and challenges of BPR as an approach to strategic change in the revenue collection in Kenya. And this could be instrumental to further studies which may seek to pursue related researches in other organizations and industries.