UNIVERSITY-STAKEHOLDERS LINKAGE AND INVOLVEMENT IN THE STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT PRACTICE VERSUS UNIVERSITY’S PERFORMANCE IN ETHIOPIA

Abstract

Background: The study provides directions to university’s leaders on how to strengthen university-stakeholder linkage and involvement in strategic management practices of vision, mission, goals and values.

Purpose: The study was aimed at examining university-stakeholder relationships and involvement in strategic management practices versus improving university's performance.

Methodology: The study employed a sequential explanatory mixed design. The data were collected using self-constructed and pilot tested surveys, unstructured interview and policy document reviews. Three public research universities were selected from 8 universities using simple random sampling techniques. The researchers collected data from a total of 234 respondents selected using purposive sampling techniques and simple random sampling techniques. The data were analyzed quantitatively using descriptive and inferential statistics (percentage, mean, correlation, one-way ANOVA and multiple regression). The qualitative data was thematically organized and narrated.

Results: The findings showed that there were weak and moderate positive correlation between stakeholder involvement into strategic management practices and university performance which ranges from 0.357 to 0.522. As the strengths of stakeholder’s involvement increases, the strengths of university performance tend to increase. The relationship between stakeholders influences the process or the process influences the stakeholders, and university performance. The combination of the three stakeholders’ involvement (IEN, EEN & SFI) explained an outcome variance of R² = 0.299. The predictive variables accounted for 29.9% of the outcome variance indicating that other variables account for 70.1% of university performance.

Recommendations: The researchers suggested that public research universities should participate different proactive stakeholders in strategic management and decision-making processes and improve university’s performances.