The Effect Of Organizational Learning Strategy On Service Delivery In The Ministry Of Co-Operative Development And Marketing, Nairobi County, Kenya

ABSTRACT

The Kenyan government policy on personnel management (2005), requires every ministry to allocate 0.5% of its annual budget for staff training and development. Most ministries including MOCDM seem to have adhered to this requirement. However, it is not clear whether indeed the in service learning has had any effects on staff performance and service delivery according to the expectation of the training policy. Apart from the academic qualifications required for recruitment, it is not known whether professional skills and other relevant skills learnt within the organization has contributed to service delivery. According to Kibanga (2003), education, training and information is a principle every organization should embrace to grapple with the complexities of the twenty first century. Njunguna (2009), considers organizational learning as one of the fundamental sources of competitive advantage within the context of strategic management. The purpose of the study was to assess the effect of organizational learning strategy on service delivery with specific reference to Ministry of Cooperative Development and Marketing. The study sought to establish the effect of professional skills, staff motivation, teamwork and employee innovation on service delivery in the MOCDM, Nairobi County. The study adopted descriptive research design. The target population was employees of Ministry of Cooperative Development and Marketing, Nairobi County with 58 members of staff drawn from all cadres comprising technical, secretarial, clerical, and support. The study therefore used a census approach. Primary data was collected using questionnaires which was administered using a drop and pick later method. The quantitative data was analysed using descriptive statistics while the qualitative data was analyzed using conceptual content analysis. The statistical package for social sciences (SPPS) was used as an aid to data analysis. The study also used Karl Pearson’s product moment correlation analysis to establish the strength and direction between the independent variables and the service delivery. Data was presented in tables, charts, graphs and in prose form. The researcher expected that the findings would assist the MOCDM to emphasis on the importance of organizational learning strategy on service delivery and allocate adequate resources to the relevant departments. The study found that professional skills have adequately assisted in improving service delivery. Job security contributed to efficiency in service delivery to a very great extent. Participation and sharing has contributed to the efficiency in service delivery. Marketing innovation and process innovation has contributed to the efficiency in service delivery to a great extent. The study concludes that there is a positive relationship between effort performance and individual skill level. Teams are remarkably intelligent, and are often smarter than the smartest people in them. Motivators cause positive job attitudes because they satisfy the workers need for self actualization, the individual’s ultimate goal. Employees with high growth needs are able to respond to the challenging aspects of their new jobs sooner than employees with low growth needs. The study recommends that jobs and workers should be matched in terms of necessary skills and intelligence required. A job should enhance employee motivation to the extent that it provides opportunities for achievement, recognition, responsibility, advancement and growth in competence. Employees need to learn to cope with their particular job and organizational environments through their interpretation of relevant work experiences as well as their expectations and hopes for the future.