Effect of Corporate Culture on the Performance of the Kenya Commercial Bank

Abstract

Over the last seven years, Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) management has initiated various restructuring processes, such as "moving from good to great" positioning strategy, rebranding tactics, value concerns, and behavior reassessment. These restructuring strategies are meant to place the financial institution as the market leader in the banking industry, not only in Kenya but also to encourage it to become a pan-African bank. Indeed, the bank has demonstrated strength in its branch network, accounting for 359 branches, an asset base of 1.1 trillion Kenya shillings (Ksh) as of 2021 financial results, and a significant market share command of 22.5 million customers. However, the human effort applied in explaining the milestone achievements cannot go unnoticed, especially the corporate culture of the bank employees, which is operationalized through involvement culture, consistency, adoptability, and mission cultures. Therefore, the objective of this paper was to interrogate the implication of corporate culture on the performance of Kenya Commercial Bank. The paper employed a qualitative and quantitative research design. Qualitative data was analyzed by using descriptive statistics such as total scores, percentages, and frequencies. Quantitative data was analyzed using Pearson correlation and regression analysis. Primary data was collected using a structured questionnaire and interview guide targeting senior management and worker representatives. The data was analyzed using Pearson correlation and regression analysis. The finding was that corporate culture had a positive and significant effect on Kenyan commercial bank performance. This was evidenced by positive and significant correlations between performance and all corporate culture sub-variables, as follows: involvement culture (r = 0.584, p<0.01), consistency culture (r = 0.541, p<0.01), adaptability culture (r = 0.566, p<0.01), mission culture (r = 0.576, p<0.01), and organization factors (r = 0.517, p<0.05). These findings shed light on the interconnectedness of these variables and how they collectively contribute to an organization's success and effectiveness. Based on the findings, the paper recommends that there should be relevant activities undertaken by the bank to promote corporate culture because they have a positive influence on the performance of the bank and that organizations should consistently apply the various aspects of corporate culture at the strategic, functional, and operational levels.