THE LINK BETWEEN BALANCED SCORECARD AND COMPETITIVENESS OF BANKING ORGANIZATIONS; A CASE OF KENYA COMMERCIAL BANK

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to evaluate link between the BSC and competitiveness of KCB. It examined implementation of the BSC including how it is implemented across departments and functions. Its contribution to the competitiveness of the organisation was explored with reference to strategic synergy, financial performance, and non-financial performance. This was a quantitative research which involved 141 employees and managers of KCB. The primary research was conducted using structured questionnaires which were distributed and collected physically. From the findings in this research, three main findings were made. Firstly, KCB does implement the BSC but the rating for this implementation is only average. This means that the employees may either not fully understand it or it is not being implemented as effectively as it should. Secondly, there are departmental variations on the implementation of the BSC. Call centre and complaints handling functions were noted to be most effective in BSC implementation while the HRM department performed consistently poorly. This implies the need for the bank to review its functional units and ensure each implement the BSC as effectively as possible. Thirdly, the BSC use was noted to have a positive impact on the bank‘s competitiveness. The impact differed depending on the type of competitiveness measure identified where the greatest impact was on profitability and innovation effectiveness. The first recommendation made was that KCB should focus on its HRM department and diagnose its BSC application as well as how it could contribute to the overall competitiveness of the organisation. The second recommendation was that KCB ought to conduct a thorough internal research through which it would diagnose its inter-functional synergy and ensure this is enhanced for greater overall competitiveness of the organisation.