Influence of Strategic Change Management Practices on Service Quality in Counties in Western Kenya

Abstract

Globally, service delivery has remained an issue of utmost concern among public organizations as it anchors key government operations. Statistics indicate that delivery of service in terms of health, sanitation, and infrastructure in county governments of Kenya averages 39% countrywide, with that of the ten-county governments in western Kenya averaging 28%. This is against the Transparency International Kenya requirement of 40%, indicating poor service delivery. However, previous studies on strategic change management practices and service delivery focused majorly on business organizations rather than public institutions, particularly in Kenya's Context. The study, therefore, sought to investigate the influence of strategic change management practices on service quality in county governments in western Kenya. A correlational research design was used, targeting 380 directors and chief officers. The finding revealed that Strategic change management has a significant positive effect (β = .121, p = .000) on service quality, implying that a unit increase in strategic change management leads to a 12.1% increase in service quality. The paper concludes that strategic change management practices are a significant positive predictor of service quality, and it is recommended that management embrace strategic change management practices if they seek to improve their performance.