AN ASSESSMENT OF THE PRACTICE OF RESULTS BASED MANAGEMENT IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR: THE CASE OF KENYA
Purpose: The main purpose of the study was to assess the practice of resource based management in the public sector, a case of Kenya.Methodology: The research adopted an exploratory survey design.Findings: Results revealed that leaders in public service adopted directive style of management. Results also found that majority of the employees are disempowered by management and to say the least, they are mentally disengaged from the organization. The survey identified ten most common practices seen to be inhibiting the practice of result based management which included organization culture, management paralysis, accountability practice, leader's insatiable desire to take all credit, failure to confront underperforming members of the management team, organizational politics, boss barrier syndrome, indecisiveness and fear of failure by managers, resistance to change and organizational structures and systems and developmental level of employees. Further, results revealed that the strategies for promoting result based management included leadership development for the top management, valuing employees, creation of cultural capital, removing empowerment barriers, promoting accountability, developing high performance teams and participative management.Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: This research looks at RBM in public sector which has become a key area of focus in the twenty first century public management practice. It has looked at the causes of failure to practice RBM in public sector and proposed several strategies to remedy the situation. If successfully adopted, RBM practice will avoid creation of busy but ineffective public sector organizations. There are several ways to address this phenomenon and managers should adopt strategies that best suit their organizational situation and context. In order for an organization to survive and achieve success, it must have a sound set of beliefs on which it premises all its policies and actions. Beliefs must always come before policies, practices and goals. Faithfully adhering to those beliefs is critical to successful leadership and management practice.