HUMAN RESOURCE STRATEGY EVALUATION AND CONTROL, INFORMATION CHARACTERISTICS AND PERFORMANCE IN HIGHER EDUCATION: A SURVEY OF UNIVERSITIES IN KENYA

Abstract

Along with the debate on universities as specific organisations is the drive for adoption of marketlike practices among which the strategy process is prominent. The primacy of the human factor in higher education institutions privileges human resource initiatives. The human resource strategy is particularly significant. Theoretically, human resource strategy actualises business strategy; but evidence for its practicality is scarce. This brings to the fore strategy evaluation and control. Although strategy evaluation and control is vital in corporate and business strategy discourse, it is apparently less so for human resource strategy. Extant literature indicates lack of evidence of use of strategy evaluation and control in human resource strategy. Thus, the purpose of this study was two-fold: to domesticate the business strategy evaluation and control dimensions to human resource strategy in universities in Kenya; and to establish the relationship between utilisation of those dimensions and the performance of the human resurce strategy, directly and indirectly through the mediation of information characteristics and the moderation of top management support. The rationale of this inquiry was to narrow this gap in the literature. This study was considered important to top management and human resource specialists for the need to show the strategic role of human resource systems and practices by justifying their worth in harnessing the human potential. Five theories supplied the constructs and explanations: the strategic management model; data, information, knowledge and wisdom model; role theory; systems theory; and institutional theory. These anchored evaluation and control deimensions, information characteristics, top management support, and performance constructs respectively. Institutional theory underpinned context. The study, a cross-sectional sample survey, was carried out in Kenyan universities, a population of 74 from which the investigator drew a probability sample of 34 using a table of random numbers. The unit of analysis was the human resource function and Registrar (Administration) the respondent. Data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire tested for reliability and validity on 12 univerisites. The researcher mailed the instrument to 34 vice chancellors for approval and completion by the registrars, achieving a 94% response rate. Data was processed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) Version 25 with AMOS 21 and analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Six hypotheses were tested at 5% level of significance. The direct relationship between human resource strategy evaluation and performance was positive and significant (r = .61, p{0.000}< 0.05; b = .61, p{0.000}) as was the direct relationship between human resource strategy control and performance) (r = .71, p{0.000}< 0.05; b = .71, p{0.000}). In mediation, partial correlation between human resource strategy evaluation and performance was moderate and significant (r = .34, p{0.034}< 0.05). Sobel’s test for path analyses was significant (z = 2.86, p{0.000}< 0.05). Partial correlation between human resource strategy control and performance was moderate and significant (r = .60, p{0.000}< 0.05). Sobel’s test for path analyses was significant (z = 3.31, p{0.000}< 0.05). Moderation of top management support on human resource strategy evaluation-performance link was not significant (b = .006, p{0.749}) as was moderation of top management support on human resource strategy control-performance link (b = -.001, p{0.959}). The conclusions were: business strategy evaluation and control dimensions were relevant and positively influenced performance; information characteristics mediated the direct relationships, and top management support was more to management support eas found undesirable. Policy recommendations included using the dimensions in performance management. Future studies could include employees, heads of departments and other members top management members as well as use mediated moderation and moderated mediation.