STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AND PERFORMANCE OF PARISHES IN THE CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF NYAHURURU

Abstract

Strategic management plays a vital role in the performance of organizations, including religious institutions. This research thesis explores the relationship between strategic management practices and the performance of the Parishes in the Catholic Diocese of Nyahururu. The study's general objective was to assess how strategic management practices influences the overall performance of the diocese. The research employed five theories namely, resource-based theory, dynamic capabilities theory, institutional theory, transaction cost theory, and balanced scorecard theory in. A descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The target population was 222 participants comprising of 185 parish pastoral council executive members and the 37 parish priests. The sample size was 66 participants covering 30% of the target population. Simple random sampling procedure was used. The unit of analysis was the parishes in the Catholic Diocese of Nyahururu whereas the unit of observation was the parish pastoral council executive members and the parish priests. Primary data was collected through structured questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and regression analysis. Secondary data collected using a document analysis guide helped to check on the performance of the parishes. The study established that strategic analysis (b=.078, p=0.048<0.05), Strategic formulation (b=0.640, p=0.000<0.05), Strategic implementation (b=0.410, p=0.002<0.05), and strategic evaluation (b=0.516, p=0.000<0.05) had a statistically significant relationship with the performance of the parishes. The study concluded that strategic management practices significantly influenced the performance of the parishes in the Catholic Diocese of Nyahururu. The study's results contribute to a deeper understanding of how strategic management practices enhance the overall performance of the diocese, thus providing valuable insights for church leaders and practitioners. These insights can potentially guide improvements in parish management and effectiveness within the diocese, and also in enriching knowledge on strategic management in religious organizations.