Effect of Digitizing Operations on Organizational Performance of Marsabit County Government, Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to examine the effect of digitizing operations on the organizational performance of Marsabit County Government, Kenya. The research design that was specifically adopted in the study was a descriptive. The target population included 84 managers and 512 officers in the Marsabit County government. The study used a simple random sampling technique to identify and sample 69 managers and 220 officers in the study. The departmental managers answered both closed- and open-ended questionnaires, whereas the officers answered the closed-ended questionnaires. A pilot study was done in the Samburu County government. Descriptive and inferential analyses were done through SPSS, whereby frequency, percentages, and mean represented descriptive analysis, while Pearson correlation, model summary, analysis of variance, and regression coefficients represented the inferential analysis. It was noted that digitization within the county’s operations improved structured decision-making that was supported by facts and which motivated the staff to align with departmental objectives. As a result, enhanced efficiency and strategic direction were fostered within the county government. However, cyber insecurity concerns, lack of management’s reliance on data to make decisions, and persistent traditional approaches to arriving at a consensus were notable gaps that slowed down the complete digital transformations in the Marsabit County government. Cyber insecurity concerns, lack of management’s reliance on data to make decisions, and persistent traditional approaches to arriving at a consensus were notable gaps that slowed down the complete digital transformations in the Marsabit County government. The study’s recommendations on digitizing operations are that the county’s management should increase various investments and funding to provide a stable and secure technological infrastructural foundation. This could include funding training on cybersecurity for county staff and procuring firewalls and encryption infrastructure. The study also recommends that the county leadership should support capacity-building programs that aim at improving data analysis skills in tandem with the encouragement of evidence-based decisions. Furthermore, policy development is recommended to the strategic management team to make it a rule that allows data to be the focal foundation for making decisions by the management.