Strategic
planning is crucial in guiding organisations towards their objectives, and
understanding the factors that impede the successful implementation of strategy
has become imperative. With the recent technical developments, new government regulations, and elevated societal
expectations, institutions of higher
education have to deal with a dynamic operating environment. Using a sample of 285 respondents, this study examined the factors influencing strategy
implementation at the Copperbelt University in zambia. The study used
quantitative methods and found that: resource allocation, leadership and
organizational culture had a significant effect on strategy implementation.
This study suggests that a strong and effective pool
of skills, and human capital are important
resources for strategy success including a flexible structure and adaptive
employees who are prepared to make process and procedure adjustments. Organsitions should therefore
ensure that essential financial resources, time, skills, and expertise are adequate to have a successful strategy implementation process.
References
[1]
Ahmadi, S, Daraei, M., & Akbari, J. (2012). Relationship between Organizational Culture and Strategy Implementation: Typologies and Dimensions. Global Business and Management Research: An International Journal, 4, 286-299.
[2]
Alharthy, A. H., Rashid, H., Pagliari, R., & Khan, F. (2017). Identification of Strategy Implementation Influencing Factors and Their Effects on the Performance. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 8, 34-44.
[3]
Al-Kandi, I., Asutay, M., & Dixon, R. (2013). Factors Influencing the Strategy Implementation Process and Its Outcomes: Evidence from Saudi Arabian Banks. Journal of Global Strategic Management, 7, 5-15. https://doi.org/10.20460/JGSM.2013715662
[4]
Alqaraleh, M. H., Almari, M. O. S., Ali, B. J., & Oudat, M. S. (2022). The Mediating Role of Organizational Culture on the Relationship between Information Technology and Internal Audit Effectiveness. Corporate Governance and Organizational Behavior Review, 6, 8-18. https://doi.org/10.22495/cgobrv6i1p1
[5]
Atsmon, Y. (2016). Where, How Much, and How: Answering the Hardest Questions of Resource Allocation. Strategy & Corporate Finance.
[6]
Bahadori, M., Teymourzadeh, E., Tajik, H., Ravangard, R., Raadabadi, M., & Hosseini, S. M. (2018). Factors Affecting Strategic Plan Implementation Using Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM). International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, 31, 406-414. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJHCQA-05-2017-0075
[7]
Beer, M., & Eisenstat, R. (2000). The Silent Killers of Strategy Implementation and Learning. Sloan Management Review, 41, 29-40.
[8]
Brenes, E. R., Mena, M. N., & Molina, G. E. (2008). Key Success Factors for Strategy Implementation in Latin America. Journal of Business Research, 61, 590-598. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2007.06.033
[9]
Bryson, J. M. (2018). Strategic Planning for Public and Nonprofit Organizations: A Guide to Strengthening and Sustaining Organizational Achievement. John Wiley & Sons.
[10]
Camilleri, M. A. (2018). Strategic Planning and the Marketing Effectiveness Audit. In Travel Marketing, Tourism Economics and the Airline Product. Tourism, Hospitality & Event Management. Springer (pp. 117-135). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49849-2_7
[11]
Čater, T., & Pučko, D. (2010). Factors of Effective Strategy Implementation: Empirical Evidence from Slovenian Business Practice. Journal for East European Management Studies, 3, 207-236. https://doi.org/10.5771/0949-6181-2010-3-207
[12]
Debarliev, S., & Suklev, B. (2012). Strategic Planning Effectiveness Comparative Analysis of the Macedonian Context. Economic and Business Review, 14, 63-93.
[13]
Dimoff, J. K., & Kelloway, E. K. (2016). Resource Utilization Model: Organizational Leaders as Resource Facilitators. In The Role of Leadership in Occupational Stress (Vol. 14, 141-160). Emerald Group Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-355520160000014006
[14]
Dothan, A., & Lavie, D. (2016). Resource Reconfiguration: Learning from Performance Feedback. In Resource Redeployment and Corporate Strategy (pp. 319-369). Emerald Group Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0742-332220160000035011
[15]
Elbanna, S., & Fadol, Y. (2016). An Analysis of the Comprehensive Implementation of Strategic Plans in Emerging Economies: The United Arab Emirates as a Case Study. European Management Review, 13, 75-89. https://doi.org/10.1111/emre.12068
[16]
Ereh, C. E., Anthony, E. I., & Ikpo, P. A. (2019). Entrepreneurship Education Curriculum Content: Beyond Literacy and Numeracy for Functional Education in Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria. American Journal of Education and Learning, 4, 191-199. https://doi.org/10.20448/804.4.2.191.199
[17]
George, D., & Mallery, P. (2019). IBM SPSS Statistics 26 Step by Step: A Simple Guide and Reference. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429056765
[18]
Groysberg, B., Lee, J., Price, J., & Cheng, J. (2018). The Leader’s Guide to Corporate Culture. Harvard Business Review, 96, 44-52.
[19]
Hans, V. B. (2018). Business Environment—Conceptual Framework and Polices. International Educational Scientific Research Journal, 4, 67-74.
[20]
Higgins, J. M. (2005). The Eights of Successful Strategy Execution. Journal of Change Management, 5, 3-13. https://doi.org/10.1080/14697010500036064
[21]
Jabbar, A. A., & Hussein, A. M. (2017). The Role of Leadership in Strategic Management. International Journal of Research-Granthaalayah, 5, 99-106. https://doi.org/10.29121/granthaalayah.v5.i5.2017.1841
[22]
Janis, F., & Paul, A. (2005). How Corporate Communication Influences Strategy Implementation, Reputation and the Corporate Brand: An Exploratory Qualitative Study. Corporate Reputation Review, 8, 245-264. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.crr.1540253
[23]
Kadir, N. (2012). Strategy Management Process in Higher Education: A Case Study on a Malaysian Public University. Doctoral Dissertation, University of East Anglia.
[24]
Karami, A. (2012). Chapter 8. An Investigation on Environmental Scanning and Growth Strategy in High-Tech Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises. In A. Groen, R. Oakey, P. Van Der Sijde, & G. Cook (Eds.), New Technology-Based Firms in the New Millennium (pp. 99-108). Emerald Group Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1876-0228(2012)0000009010
[25]
Kitongo, D. M. et al. (2016). The Role od Determiming Strategic Direction on Not-Fpr-Profit Organisation Performance in Nairobi Country Kenya. International Journal of Scientific and Technology Research, 5, 28-30.
[26]
Kyalo, J. (2023). Effect of Resource Allocation on Strategy Implementation in Kenya’s Tourism Industry: Case of Kenya Government Tourism Agencies. Journal of Strategic Management, 8, 18-38. https://doi.org/10.47672/jsm.1424
[27]
Lei, H., Gui, L., & Le, P. B. (2021). Linking Transformational Leadership and Frugal Innovation: The Mediating Role of Tacit and Explicit Knowledge Sharing. Journal of Knowledge Management, 25, 1832-1852. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-04-2020-0247
[28]
Magiri, K. M., Ngui, T. K., & Mathenge, P. (2018). Factors Affecting Strategy Implementation: A Case of the Kenya Police Headquarters. International Journal of Liberal Arts and Social Science, 6, 63-76.
[29]
Mailu, R. N., Ntale, J. F., & Ngui, T. K. (2018). Strategy Implementation and Organizational Performance in the Pharmaceutical Industry in Kenya. International Academic Journal of Human Resource and Business Administration, 3, 33-47.
[30]
Maritan, C. A., & Lee, G. K. (2017). Resource Allocation and Strategy. Journal of Management, 43, 2411-2420. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206317729738
[31]
Mohamad, M. M., Sulaiman, N. L., Sern, L. C., & Salleh, K. M. (2015). Measuring the Validity and Reliability of Research Instruments. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 204, 164-171. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.08.129
[32]
Mubarak, M. F., & Yusoff, W. F. N. (2019). Impact of Strategic Leadership on Strategy Implementation. British Journal of Management and Marketing Studies, 2, 32-43.
[33]
Muchira, W. N. (2013). Relationship between Strategy Implementation and Performance in Commercial Banks in Kenya. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Nairobi.
[34]
Murage, A. A., & Ndegwa, P. (2018). Management Practices and Implementation of Strategic Plan in Anglican Church of Kenya Head Office in Nairobi City County, Kenya. International Journal of Contemporary Aspects in Strategic Management, 2, 224-238.
[35]
Ngoma, N. (2020). CBU Launches Strategic Plan. https://www.lusakatimes.com/2020/11/13/cbu-launches-strategic-plan/
[36]
Njiri, P. (2016). Strategic Leadership and Strategy Implementation: The Case of KCA University. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Nairobi.
[37]
Parakhina, V., Godina, O., Boris, O., & Ushvitsky, L. (2017). Strategic Management in Universities as a Factor of Their Global Competitiveness. International Journal of Educational Management, 31, 62-75. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEM-03-2016-0053
[38]
Pearson, D. E., Ortega, Y. K., & Maron, J. L. (2017). The Tortoise and the Hare: Reducing Resource Availability Shifts Competitive Balance between Plant Species. Journal of Ecology, 105, 999-1009. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.12736
[39]
Polit, D. F., & Beck, C. T. (2014). Essentials of Nursing Research. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
[40]
Rajasekar, J. (2014). Factors Affecting Effective Strategy Implementation in a Service Industry: A Study of Electricity Distribution Companies in the Sultanate of Oman. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 5, 169-183.
[41]
Saha, S., & Sharma, R. R. K. (2020). The Impact of Leaders’ Cognitive Style and Creativity on Organizational Problem-Solving. Benchmarking: An International Journal, 27, 2261-2281. https://doi.org/10.1108/BIJ-09-2019-0398
[42]
Samimi, M., Cortes, A. F., Anderson, M. H., & Herrmann, P. (2022). What Is Strategic Leadership? Developing a Framework for Future Research. The Leadership Quarterly, 33, Article 101353. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2019.101353
[43]
Saunders, M, Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A. (2016). Research Methods for Business Students (7th ed.). Pearson.
[44]
Sharma, M. K., & Sharma, S. (2022). Role of Organizational Culture as an Internal Business Factor in Successful Strategy Execution: A Review. IUP Journal of Management Research, 21, 7-28.
[45]
Sigrun, N. (2014). Strategic Management in Higher Education Institutions—Approaches, Processes and Tools.
[46]
Soltani, E., & Salimian, H. (2015). Behavioral Strategy and Resource-Based Theory. In T. K. Das (Ed.), The Practice of Behavioral Strategy (p. 193). Information Age Publishing.
[47]
Tanga, A. T. (2020). The Analysis on Factors Affecting Successful Implementation of Strategic Plan (The Case of Wenji, Shoa Sugar Factory). Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research, 7, 32-48.
[48]
Tawse, A., Patrick, V. M., & Vera, D. (2019). Crossing the Chasm: Leadership Nudges to Help Transition from Strategy Formulation to Strategy Implementation. Business Horizons, 62, 249-257. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2018.09.005
[49]
Varpio, L., Paradis, E., Uijtdehaage, S., & Young, M. (2020). The Distinctions between Theory, Theoretical Framework, and Conceptual Framework. Academic Medicine, 95, 989-994. https://doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0000000000003075
[50]
Zakari, M., Poku, K., & Owusu-Ansah, W. (2013). Organizational Culture and Organisational Performance: Empirical Evidence from the Banking Industry in Ghana.
[51]
Zaribaf, M., & Hamid, B. (2010). An Effective Factors Pattern Affecting Implementation of Strategic Plans.
