Strategic Direction Setting and Organizational Performance in Central Government Ministries in Kenya
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53819/81018102t70111Abstract
This study assessed the effect of strategic direction setting on organizational performance in central government ministries in Kenya. Anchored in a pragmatist philosophy, the study employed a correlational cross-sectional design integrating quantitative and qualitative approaches. Primary data were collected from 264 employees across three central government ministries using structured questionnaires, complemented by Key Informant Interviews with fifteen senior and technical officers. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression analysis. The findings established that strategic direction setting had a statistically significant positive effect on organizational performance (B = .231, β = .242, p < .001), supported by a strong positive bivariate correlation (r = .685, p < .01). Qualitative evidence further revealed a persistent gap between the articulation of strategic plans at headquarters and their translation into operational practice at the field level. The study therefore recommends that ministries strengthen mechanisms for cascading strategic priorities into departmental work plans and routine operational activities rather than treating strategic plans primarily as compliance documents. The study contributes to the public sector leadership literature by providing empirical evidence on the distinctive contribution of strategic direction setting to organizational performance within central government ministries, a context that remains comparatively underrepresented in Kenyan scholarship relative to county governments, state corporations, and public universities.
Keywords: strategic direction setting, organizational performance, strategic leadership, public sector, Kenya
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