Publication:

Influence of Strategic Leadership on Competitive Advantage of Commercial Banks in Kenya, a Case Study of National Bank of Kenya

The financial sector of Kenya plays a critical role as an intermediary for money transfers, which is crucial for managing the stability of the economy. A study was conducted to investigate the influence of strategic change management practices on the competitive advantage of commercial banks in Kenya, with a specific focus on the National Bank of Kenya. The study was anchored in the Strategic Leadership theory and Resource-Based Theory. A descriptive research design was adopted for the study, and the target population included operations managers, retail banking managers, and administration managers of 40 commercial banks in Kenya. Instead of sampling, a census approach was used to collect data from the entire population. A questionnaire was used to collect primary data, which was then analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 24). Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis. There was a strong positive significant relationship between strategic leadership and competitive advantage. The findings of the study revealed that most of the management in the commercial banks had not developed a clear vision for the organization, and lacked commitment towards achieving the vision. For those that had developed a vision, it was not effectively communicated to the employees. Transparency in the organization was also lacking, and the leadership did not effectively influence employees to embrace the vision. The study recommends that the management should develop a vision that the organization will adopt.