Strategic Innovations and Performance of Non-Governmental Organizations(Ngos): A Case of Rafiki Wa Maendeleo Trust, Rarieda, Siaya County, Kenya.

Abstract

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many organizations failed to innovate, which contributed to their downfall. This study examined strategic innovations and NGOs' performance in Kenya, a case of Rafiki wa Maendeleo Trust in Rarieda Siaya County. Rafiki wa Maendeleo Trust sustained its operations pre and post-COVID-19 despite the many challenges spiking the need to evaluate if strategic innovations contributed to its performance. The purpose of the study was to determine the influence of strategic innovations on the performance of Rafiki wa Maendeleo Trust. The study sought to achieve the following research objectives; To determine the influence of product innovation on the performance of Rafiki wa Maendeleo Trust, establish the influence of process innovation on the performance of Rafiki wa Maendeleo Trust, determine the influence of technological innovation adopted on the performance of Rafiki wa Maendeleo Trust and establish the moderating influence of government policies on the relationship between strategic innovations and the performance of Rafiki wa Maendeleo Trust. The study employed a descriptive and correlational research design. The study was supported by Innovation Diffusion Theory, Stakeholder Theory, and Balanced Scored card. The total population was 257 employees at Rafiki Wa Maendeleo Trust, with the sample size being 121 drawn from management and officer-level staff across Rafiki wa Maendeleo Trust using stratified purposive sampling technique. Data was collected using structured questionnaires with 100 respondents and analysis aided by the SPSS version 28. The study employed construct and content validity. Reliability was tested using the Cronbach Alpha coefficient through a pre-test and the average reliability was 0.87. The data was displayed visually in the form of figures, and tables. The findings indicated a positive significant relationship between Strategic Innovations and Organizational performance implying that product innovation, process innovation and technological innovation (F= 60.826; df = 3, 96, 99; p = 0.000) were statistically significant in determining the performance of Rafiki wa Maendeleo Trust. The findings of the influence of product, process and technological innovations on performance indicated a positive correlation with correlation coefficient (r) of (r=0. 799, p<0.05), (r= 0.424, p ≤ 0.05) and (r = 0.200, p ≤ 0.05) respectively. The study established that government policies did not significantly contribute to the adoption of strategic innovations within the organization and its performance, as evidenced by the F-value of 1.454 (p = 0.194) hence had no moderating influence. The study recommends that Rafiki wa Maendeleo Trust should enhance stakeholder engagement and communication to improve understanding of innovation's role in growth. Secondly, the organization should promote a culture of creativity and innovation to further enhance organizational efficiency and effectiveness. Finally, the organization should explore integrating other forms of technological innovations such as artificial intelligence to enhance its efficiency, particularly in community engagement, dissemination of information to stakeholders and receiving feedback from its beneficiaries. The research recommends further studies on strategic innovations in NGOs operating in different sectors, such as health, agriculture, and education to understand how innovation impacts performance across diverse fields. Additionally, future studies could also investigate the challenges faced by NGOs in adopting advanced technological innovations in resource-constrained environments and intellectual property management in NGOs, particularly on how organizations can protect their innovations while ensuring that they remain accessible to the communities they serve.