MODERATING INFLUENCE OF ORGANIZATION AMBIDEXTERITY ON THE LINK BETWEEN STRATEGIC PLANNING AND ORGANIZATION PERFORMANCE IN THE COUNTY GOVERNMENT OF TURKANA, KENYA

Abstract

Counties in Kenya have realized significant changes in organizational performance over the last decade as they defined strategic planning processes on setting long-term corporate objectives. The main objective of this research was to examine the moderating influence of organization ambidexterity on organizational performance of the County Government of Turkana, Kenya. The research was based on three theories; Pearce and Robinson's Resource View Theory, the stakeholder theory and the open system theory. A stratified random sampling was used to attain a sample size of 400 from a target population of 2830 employees. The study used a case study research design. Questionnaires collected data and the validity coefficient index was 0.82 with a Cronbach’s alpha value of 0.893 after testing and retesting. Pilot study involved 25 County government of Turkana employees. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26 computer application was used to compute both descriptive and inferential statistics. Introduction of organizational ambidexterity to strategic planning resulted to a positive change in the correlation coefficient from R=0.723 to R=0.770. The R-square shifted positively from R²=0.522 to R²=0.593 and adjusted R-square from R²=0.518 to R²=0.589. The interaction of organization ambidexterity with strategic planning was (????1=0.375 p?0.05) which significantly affected organizational performance. The study recommended that organization ambidexterity had a statistically significant moderating effect on the relationship between strategic planning and organizational performance in County Government of Turkana. Organization ambidexterity would help the County Government of Turkana to create transparency among team members, higher level of engagement and sense of responsibility. County employees in various sectors are expected to appreciate strategic planning in rating their level of service. The findings would be useful when an organization is establishing strategic plans. Individuals can learn, grow in areas where they are weak, and explore knowledge that can be applied to their strategic initiatives. 

Keywords: Strategic Planning, Organization Ambidexterity, County Government of Turkana, Organizational Performance