Effects Of Strategic Leadership On Strategic Change In Paper And Board Manufacturing Firms In Kenya

In the global economy of the 21st century competition is complex and intense. Without effective strategic leadership, manufacturing firm‟s efforts to achieve and sustain competitive advantage are greatly constrained. Organizational effectiveness emanating from strategic change is significant for an organization to achieve competitive advantage. Effective strategic leadership guides organizations to enhance strategic change whilst competing in turbulent and unpredictable environment. However, past results had demonstrated the importance of strategic leadership on strategic change; but few had empirically examined its effects on its effectiveness on organization processes with its distinctive strategic significance indicating consistence results. This study therefore, sought to examine the effect of strategic leadership on strategic change in the paper and board manufacturing firms in Kenya. The study was guided by Upper Echelon Theory. The objectives of the study were; to determine the effect of transformational leadership on strategic change, effect of transactional leadership on strategic change and the joint effects of both transactional and transformational leadership on strategic change in the paper and board manufacturing firms in Kenya. The target population comprised 84 paper and board manufacturing firms in Kenya with a sample of 70 firms used for the study. To achieve the objectives of the study, primary data was collected using a closed-ended structured questionnaire which was administered to the chief executive officers of the firms. The relationship between transformational and transactional leadership on strategic change was tested using Pearson„s correlation and the effect of strategic leadership on strategic change was tested using multiple regression analysis. The findings werepresented using charts, graphs and tables. The results revealed a significant positive  relationship between transformational leadership and strategic change (r=0.330, p