Career Management Strategies and Employee Performance in State Corporations in Kenya

Abstract

Employee performance is the greatest factor of determining the way a company will perform overall. Despite state corporations in Kenya having the HR department where some of the key functions are career development and employee motivation, the level of employee performance is still low. In cases where employee expectation in career advancement is not fulfilled, their morale is reduced which consequently affects performance negatively. Kenya’s state corporations for the past years have experienced an increase in employee turnover and there are no signs of change in the trend. Based on this background, this study sought to establish the relationship between career management strategies and employee performance in state corporations in Kenya. The study specifically sought to analyze the relationship between career planning, career mentoring, succession planning, career training and employee performance in state corporations in Kenya. The study further sought to determine the moderating effect of HR policies on the relationship between career management strategies and employee performance in state corporations in Kenya. The study was anchored on the theory of work adjustment, self-concept theory, social exchange theory, resource based view, and social cognitive theory. This study used explanatory and cross-sectional survey research design. This study targeted staff members of 110 Kenyan state corporations under the 14 Ministries in Kenya. The study targeted management employees from the 6 main departments in the organizations. The researcher selected a sample of 50% of the state corporations in Kenya. The study used simple random sampling technique. The state corporations were sampled first using stratified random sampling to ensure all the categories were represented then systematic random sampling technique was used to select the respondents. Pilot testing was done before the main study. Primary data was collected using questionnaires that had both open and closed ended questions. Data was analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Diagnostic tests were also carried out. The study found that career planning, career mentoring, succession-planning and career training positively and significantly influence employee performance in state corporations in Kenya. The study further found that HR policies significantly moderated the relationship between career management strategies and employee performance in state corporations in Kenya. The study recommends that organizations should ensure that its employees are aware of policies of managing career development and that there is sufficient communication from supervisors on ways employees could better their careers. The study also recommends state corporations to match their staff members with their skills and the positions that best suit them; this will help them attain both long- and short-term competitive advantage.