Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the perception of managers on the forms of organizational structures that existed in public and private universities in Kenya. The study employed a descriptive survey research design with a target population of 705 senior managers which included the Deputy Vice-Chancellors (DVC’s), Deans and Directors, Heads of teaching and non-teaching departments (HOD’s). Purposive sampling technique was used in selecting six universities out of seventeen which were fully fledged universities, on the basis of size and location. Proportionate stratified random sampling technique was used to obtain a total of 248 representative sample from each category of managers. One questionnaire document was used to collect data from the respondents. The instrument was pilot tested and reliability coefficient was calculated from collected data and found to be 0.90 qualifying the research instrument as reliable and acceptable. Data from the research was analyzed using descriptive (percentages and means). Overall index score of six organizational structure dimensions was done and the findings was that bureaucratic features in public universities was manifested at 61.2% and 67.8% in private universities. This was not a very high degree of bureaucracy and therefore it was concluded that there was a mixture of both the mechanistic and organic organizational structures in the universities in Kenya. The study recommended that structural flexibility in the universities was achievable and management could strategize on the initiative. Universities could equip managerial staff with managerial competencies to endow them with skills to implement structural change in response to uncertainties in the environmental situations and conditions. Keywords: Organizational Structures, organic organizational structure, Bureaucratic organizational structure, structural flexibility. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/12-32-02 Publication date: November 30 th 2021
Highlights
Universities have transformed themselves from one organizational structure model to another especially beginning from the 1980’s
The transformation has taken place in most universities in the United States of America (USA) and Europe where the universities were operating on traditional collegial models of organizational structure
Collegial model of organizational structure was a traditional model of organization where change was deliberate and slow
Summary
Universities have transformed themselves from one organizational structure model to another especially beginning from the 1980’s. This study sought to establish from the managers perspective the forms of organizational structures that exist in the public and private universities in Kenya. All organizations including universities have one form of structure or another that is used by managers to classify tasks and responsibilities to achievement of organizational goals.
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