Strategic Management Practices of Regional Level Public Sectors in Oromia Regional State: The Case of Selected Public Sectors
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63990/2025ajoldvol10iss1pp27-49Keywords:
Strategy, Management, Regional Level, Public SectorsAbstract
Strategic management practices in the context of public service involve a systematic approach to decide the strategic direction of public sectors and implementing plans that promote effectiveness, accountability and responsiveness to the public. The objective of this study was to assess strategic management practice of selected public sectors at regional level in public sectors of Oromia Regional State. Quantitative and Qualitative approaches were employed in this study. Descriptive research design was also employed using quantitative and qualitative data from primary and secondary sources. The Primary data were collected from managers and employees of sample sectors using interviews and questionnaires respectively. Secondary data were obtained through review of relevant documents. The quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistical tools such as percentage and mean. Qualitative data that were obtained from key informant interview, open ended questions of the questionnaire and reviewed document were analyzed using narrative description method. The analysis was also made by using logical arguments, triangulations and comparisons. Accordingly, the results reveal that public sectors had adequate attention to internal and external analysis with minor gaps in external analysis, public sectors were also reluctant to involve stakeholders in environmental scanning, stakeholders’ involvement in strategy formulation process was not exhaustive and as per the level expected, gaps were also there in the allocation of adequate resources and capacity building, poor reward system and employee turnover were also among the challenges in strategy management practices in the public sectors. In general, although the effort made to successfully implement the strategy management process is commendable, public sectors are expected to work more in their strategic management practice in a way they will be effective in achieving their strategic goals. As a result, it is recommended the involvement of stakeholders in strategic management process, capacity building of employees, adequate resource allocation, and revision of reward system as well as strengthening monitoring and evaluation system of public sectors.
References
Abdulwahid, S., Muhamad, K. U., Sehar, Z., Arshad, M. S., & Iftekhar, K. (2013). Why do public sector organizations fail in the implementation of strategic plans in Pakistan? Journal of Public Policy and Administration Research, 3(1).
Abu Bakar, A. H., Yusof, M. N., Tufail, M. A., & Virgiyanti, W. (2011). Application of strategic management practices in the Malaysian construction industry. Journal of Commerce and Social Science, 5(1), 140–154.
Ackermann, F., & Eden, C. (2011). Strategic management of stakeholders: Theory and practice. Long Range Planning, 44, 179–196.
Adams, J. (2005). Successful strategic planning: Creating clarity. Journal of Healthcare Information Management, 19(3), 24–32.
Alkhafaji, A. F. (2003). Strategic management: Formulation, implementation, and control in a dynamic environment. The Hawthorne Press.
Almansour, Y. M. (2020). Strategic planning challenges in public sector organizations: A case from the Middle East. International Journal of Public Administration, 43(5), 415–428.
Andersen, A., & Lie, S. (2013). The theoretical development of strategy implementation from 1980 to 2013 (Master’s thesis, Copenhagen Business School).
Appiah-Adu, K., & Amoako, G. K. (2021). Strategy implementation in public sector organizations: A developing country perspective. Journal of Strategy and Management, 14(1), 34–48.
Azhar, A., Ikram, S., Rashid, S., & Saqib, S. (2013). The role of leadership in strategy formulation and implementation. International Journal of Management & Organizational Studies, 1(2), 33–39.
Cândido, C. J. F., & Santos, S. P. (2021). Strategy implementation: What is the failure rate? Journal of Strategy and Management, 14(2), 165–179.
Creswell, J. W. (2009). Research methods: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (3rd ed.). Sage Publications.
Dawson, C. (2007). A practical guide to research methods: A user-friendly manual for mastering research techniques and projects (3rd ed.). How to Books.
Duncan, J. W., Gintei, P. M., & Swayne, L. E. (1998). Competitive advantage and internal organizational assessment. Academy of Management Executive, 12(3), 6–16.
Galli, B. J. (2020). Change management models: A comparative analysis and concerns. IEEE Engineering Management Review, 48(3), 162–172.
Ginter, P. M., Duncan, W. J., & Swayne, L. E. (2022). Strategic management of health care organizations (9th ed.). Wiley.
Grant, R. M. (2021). Contemporary strategy analysis (11th ed.). Wiley.
Haycock, K., Cheadle, A., & Spence, K. (2012). Strategic thinking: Lessons for leadership from the literature. Library Leadership and Management, 26(3/4), 1–23.
Hussey, D. (1998). Strategic management: From theory to implementation (4th ed.). Pergamon Press.
Johnson, G., Scholes, K., & Whittington, R. (2008). Exploring corporate strategy (8th ed.). Prentice Hall.
Kaplan, R. S., & Norton, D. P. (2007). Using the balanced scorecard as a strategic management system. Harvard Business Review.
Kibicho, P. M. (2014). The influence of managerial competence and resource mobilization on strategy implementation in the insurance companies in Konya. International Journal of Social Sciences and Entrepreneurship, 1(10), 1–15.
Kohtari, C. R. (2004). Research methodology: Methods and techniques (2nd ed.). New Age International Publishers.
Koteen, J. (1989). Strategic management in public and nonprofit organizations: Thinking and acting strategically on public concerns. Praeger.
Mensah, H. K., & Boso, N. (2022). Strategic planning and implementation challenges in public sector enterprises: An African perspective. Public Organization Review, 22(3), 583–600.
Mulili, B. M., & Wong, P. (2020). Organizational challenges to strategy execution in the public sector in East Africa. Journal of African Business, 21(2), 237–254.
Norton, D. P., & Kaplan, R. S. (1996). Translating strategy into action: The balanced scorecard. Harvard Business School Press.
Nutt, P. C. (2006). Strategic decision making. In M. A. Hitt, R. Freeman, & J. S. Harrison (Eds.), The Blackwell encyclopaedia of management: Strategic management (2nd ed.). Blackwell Publishing.
Nutt, P. C., & Backoff, R. W. (1992). Strategic management of public and third sector organizations: A handbook for leaders. Jossey-Bass.
Olsen, E. (2007). Strategic planning for dummies. Wiley Publishing.
Phanuel, W., & Darbi, K. (2012). Of mission and vision statements and their potential impact on employee behavior and attitudes: The case of a public but profit-oriented tertiary institution. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 3(14), 95–109.
Punch, K. F. (2006). Developing effective research proposals (2nd ed.). Sage Publications.
Rabin, J., Miller, G. J., & Hildreth, W. B. (1989). Handbook of strategic management. Marcel Dekker.
Roney, C. W. (2010). Intersections of strategic planning and futures studies: Methodological complementarities. Journal of Futures Studies, 15(2), 71–100.
Salih, A., & Doll, Y. (2013). Middle management perspective on strategy implementation. International Journal of Business and Management, 8(22), 32–39.
Saunders, M., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A. (2009). Research methods for business students (5th ed.). Prentice Hall.
Scharf, A. (1991). Secrets of strategic planning: Responding to the opportunities of tomorrow. Industrial Management, 33(1), 9–10.
Steiss, A. W. (1985). Strategic management and organizational decision making. Lexington Books.
Streib, G. D., & Poister, T. H. (1999). Strategic management in the public sector: Concepts, models, and processes. Public Productivity & Management Review, 22(3), 308–325.
Umar, A., & Hassan, H. (2020). External environmental factors and strategic planning in public organizations: Evidence from sub-Saharan Africa. Public Management Review, 22(7), 1015–1034.
Zafar, F., Babar, S., & Abba, H. (2013). The art of strategic management: A key to success in the corporate sector. European Journal of Research and Reflection in Management Sciences, 1(1).
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Libanos Semere Haile
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
