FUNCTIONAL BACKGROUND OF TOP LEVEL MANAGERS AND STRATEGY EXECUTION: A CASE OF MANUFACTURING FIRMS UNDER EPZA, NAIROBI AND MACHAKOS COUNTY
Simon Muturi Kithumbu - Masters in Business Administration (Strategic Management and Leadership), St. Paul’s University, Kenya
Dr. Charity Muraguri - Lecturer, St. Paul’s University, Kenya
Dr. Julius Kahuthia - Lecturer, St. Paul’s University, Kenya
ABSTRACT
Strategy execution still faces challenges in many organizations not only globally but also regionally and locally. The purpose of carrying out the study was therefore to establish the effect of functional background of top level managers on strategy execution among manufacturing firms under EPZA. The study was guided by four theories namely Upper Echelon Theory, Resource Based View Theory, Strategic Leadership Theory and Organizational Culture Theory. A sample size of n = 333 was selected from a target population of N = 2000 employees in the selected firms. Primary data was collected by self-administered semi-structured questionnaire. Reliability of the instrument was checked by using Cronbach’s alpha which was 0.75 and above for the key constructs of the study hence meeting the requirements for reliability. Study employed descriptive research design so as to give a complete and accurate description of a situation at hand especially ones that focus mainly on ingredients that lead to successful strategy execution. Data analysis was carried out by use of SPSS statistical software where mean and standard deviation were used as descriptive statistics, while multiple linear regression analysis was used as inferential statistics. From the regression coefficients it was established that the independent variable had a positive influence on strategy execution. The study findings therefore offer meaningful insights regarding the effect of functional background of top level managers on strategy execution.
