Influence of Strategic Leadership on Implementation of Tactical Decisions in Public Universities in Kenya

Today many Public Universities have failed to implement well thought out strategies. Literature indicates that numerous studies acknowledge that strategies frequently fail not because of inadequate strategy formulation, but because of insufficient implementation of tactical decisions. This study was a comparative analysis of implementation of tactical decisions in Public Universities focusing on Egerton University and Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology. Relevant literature was reviewed guided by Rational Decision Making theory. The study employed a descriptive research design. A census was conducted and structured questionnaires administered to Chairpersons of Departments and Heads of Sections of the two universities. Data analysis was done in form of both descriptive and inferential statistics with the aid of statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 21. Correlation analysis was done to determine the relationship between the variables under study. The findings indicated that strategic leadership influences the implementation of tactical decisions in both institutions. The researcher concluded that strategic leadership plays an important role in the implementation of tactical decisions. The researcher recommended that Universities should review their leadership style and embrace strategic leadership to assist in making tactical decisions in the institutions.