Abstract

Employee participation is one of the current practices used in strategic planning which can contribute to efficient service delivery as mandated by Mzuzu city council, it has a major impact in the implementation of strategies and consequently affects the quality-of service delivery in public institutions. The objective of this study was to explore the effectiveness of employees‘ participation in the strategic management process in the local councils in Malawi using Mzuzu City Council as a case study. Specifically, to identify the strategic framework governing employee participation, explore the level of employee participation in the strategic planning process, identify the types of employee participation frequently used in strategic planning process and to assess the challenges of employee participation in strategic planning process at Mzuzu City Council. The study adopted the descriptive research design and the target population for this study comprised of staff working at the organization. The study had a sample size of 75 staff, and the target population included supervisors, middle level management and senior management. Data was collected with the help of focus group discussions and open -ended questionnaires, which were both structured and semi structured. Quantitative data was analyzed using Microsoft Excel Data Analysis Tool and presented in form of pie charts and graphs. Qualitative data was analyzed and presented using thematic analysis. The research findings highlighted low participation of employees in Strategic Planning, low morale, limited knowledge of the process and inadequate human and financial resource to effectively implement Strategic Plan at Mzuzu City Council. The study recommends application of human resource practices such as employee engagement and lean management to increase employee participation in decision making as one way of facilitating effective delivery of public services.

More details

School	: School of Law, Economics and Government
Issued Date	: 2024

Download full document