ABSTRACT

Organizational change within a company or agency can come about for different reasons. Changes can be made to improve productivity or because of new management. Changes can be initiated by both external forces, factors outside of an agency, or by internal forces, initiated by an agency itself. Due to the importance of change in organisations and in consideration of the varied reactions of employees to change, this study aimed to examine the effects of operations · change on employee performance in the Kenyan banking industry. Specifically, the study sought to determine how changes in work culture, service orientation, focus on targets and technology affects employee performance in the Kenyan banking industry with a specific focus on banks in Embu County. The target population of this study were the five main banks in Embu County according to asset base. The five banks have a total of 128 employees. The sample was selected from each of the sections. Stratified and purposive sampling was used to select 50% of the employees in each section from the five selected banks. The sample therefore constituted 64 employees. Primary data was collected using questionnaires where the researcher dropped the questionnaires to the respondents and picked them after a period of two week. After collection of data and testing for reliability, the questionnaires were coded and analyzed with the aid of SPSS. The study then used descriptive statistics and inferential statistics to establish the relationship between the variables and employee performance. The study found that changes in operations affected employee performance in various ways. The study found that a positive work culture influences the performance of employees in a positive manner, better service orientation leads to better performance of employees in the organisation, focus on performance targets influences employee performance to a certain level then the influence turns to negative if the targets are unrealistic. The study also found that better technology leads to better performance of employees in the organisation .. The study recommends that the management of the bank should evaluate any operations changes before they institute them in order to ensure it affects employee performance in a positive way. The study alse recommends that the management of the bank should consult employees before they can institute any changes in order to reduce any chances of resistance to change. Finally, the study recommends that the management of the bank should first educate employees on proposed changes before introducing them in order to ensure positive reception and avoid a negative effect on employee performance.