Evaluation of Strategic Business Architecture Implementation for Augmenting Performance of Small to Medium Enterprises in Manicaland Metropolitan Province, Zimbabwe

Abstract

The main aim of this study is to assess the effect of strategic business architecture implementation on performance of Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the Manicaland Metropolitan Province in Zimbabwe. The quantitative study used random sampling to select 20 SMEs owners registered in the manufacturing and service delivery sectors and been in operation for the past 10years. Structured questionnaires are used to solicit data which were analysed using descriptive statistics and correlations. Study findings are presented in numbers, tables and graphs. Ethical considerations were done during the data generation and analysis procedure. The study results indicate that SMEs adopt strategic processes to pave way for formulation and implementation of favourable business policies to harness business sustainability. Study results show that strategic architecture allows rapid economic and technical change for SMEs and also allows them to provide quality service, total quality management as well as customerhandling to retain customer base. In addition, research findings show that that strategic architecture had been impinged by lack of technical strategic tools, lack of human resources expertise, prohibitive legal systems and infrastructural challenges. As a result, the findings of this study are pertinent because they inform policy and practice on the effectiveness of integrating human capital to augment sustainable performance of SMEs in regards to strategic architecture and performance of SMEs. The results of the study further strengthen the existing body of literature in that strategic management is a critical aspect of the organisation affecting the organisation‘s performance. SMEs are also urged to pay attention to their systems, processes, communication channels and policies since these have a serious bearing on the effectiveness of the organisation. As such, it is recommended that future research be done in several other SMEs sector in Zimbabwe in order to make meaningful generalisations.