Organizational Innovations and Performance of Public Universities in Kenya

Abstract

Despite the important place that research on strategic innovations has in the literature on strategic management, little is known about the relationship between strategic innovations and university performance. The limitations of measuring organizational innovation constructs, methodological ambiguities, and contentious conclusions from earlier studies served as the foundation for this study. This study set out to look into how organizational changes affected the performance of Kenya’s public universities. This study made use of the balanced scorecard approach and resource-based theory. The research design used was cross-sectional. This study’s target audience consisted of Kenya’s 31 public universities. This study’s sample frame consisted of 10 public universities. The population’s 100 respondents were picked. Using a stratified random sample method, respondents from Kenya’s 10 public universities were selected. The Israel (2009) formula was used to establish the sample size for the 80 respondents. Structured questionnaires with both closed- and open-ended questions were used to collect primary data. A Likert-type scale was used to evaluate the questionnaire items. The administration and administrative staff of Kenya’s public universities served as the study’s respondents. The deputy vice chancellors, directors, deputy directors, managers, and senior administrators were among the respondents to the survey. While Cronbach Alpha coefficients were used to test the reliability of the research instrument, the validity of the research instrument was evaluated by academic researchers and business specialists. Tables and figures were used to present the results of the descriptive statistics and linear regression method analysis of the data. The study found a strong correlation between organizational innovations and public university performance (F, 41,247= 57.8, p 0.000). The study concluded that organizational changes like restructuring, transformative leadership, and employee retraining can successfully explain the performance of public universities. According to the report, it is important to reconsider organizational changes if public universities in Kenya are to perform better. It is inferred that the findings of this study will have a substantial impact on theory, management practice, and decision-makers like the Commission for University Education and the Kenyan Ministry of Education.