Influence of Human Resource Change Management Practices, on Service Delivery in Water and Sewerage Companies in Mount Kenya Region, Kenya

Abstract

Customers of water service companies anticipate the delivery of high-quality, dependable water services. However, water provision at the utility level was obscured by a number of inefficiencies that hinder the delivery of efficient services. This study aimed to ascertain the impact of human resource change management practises on water and sewerage companies' service delivery in the Mount Kenya Region. The objectives of the study were to assess the influence of employee involvement on service delivery, determine the influence of employee counselling on service delivery, establish the influence of employee empowerment on service delivery and determine the influence of communication strategy on service delivery. This research was grounded in Kurt Lewin's Three-Step Theory, John Kotter's Eight-Step Change Process, and SERVQUAL. The study utilised both descriptive survey and experimental research designs. The study's target population consisted of employees of water and sewerage companies in the Mt Kenya Region. 381 employees and 384 customers drawn from28 companies. To capture data, a semi-structured questionnaire was used. Statistical Package for Social Science was utilised to perform descriptive and inferential analyses on the data. The study found that there was a strong positive correlation (r=0.856) between human resource change management practices on service delivery in water and sewerage companies in Mount Kenya Region. Results showed that employee involvement (p=0.047), employee empowerment (p=0.002) and communication strategy (p=0.000) were significant. The study concluded that human resource change management practices have a significant and positive influence on service delivery in water and sewerage companies in Mount Kenya Region. The researcher recommended that water and sewerage companies should implement an employee assistance programs which will provided employees with professional support and counselling services to help them cope with work-related challenges such as stress and burnout. Future studies would benefit by supplementing with quantitative data with qualitative data.