The effect of the strategy factor on the organizational performance of Moroccan universities: according to the contingency theory

Abstract

In a few years, Moroccan academic institutions have undergone a significant transformation in their performance, following the changes that have affected the entire public sector in Morocco. These reforms have encouraged and established a genuine search for public efficiency. The adoption of a management culture has led Moroccan universities to put in place performance measurement systems to meet the new challenges. The mechanisms currently in place are capable of meeting the requirements of the supervisory authorities, but are not adequate to assist in the management and formulation of the strategy of these organizations, since the objectives to be pursued are so ambiguous in view of the many missions of public universities and the equally numerous stakeholders that must be taken into account. The performance measurement systems put in place are thus far removed from the measurement and steering of organizational performance. This article studies the effect of strategy on the organizational performance of public universities, a methodological approach that decouples the dimensions of organizational performance and relies on the contingency factor (strategy). We adopted a hypothetical-deductive approach within the positive paradigm to answer the main research question, the hypotheses were tested on a sample of 82 observations, with a response rate of 51.25%. The results indicate that the relationship between organizational structure and organizational performance is significant at 53.90%, with an R² coefficient of determination of 42.90%, suggesting that strategy has a positive impact on organizational performance of Moroccan public academic institutions.

Keywords: Organizational performance; Contingency; Strategy; Moroccan universities; New public management.

JEL Classification: I23, H11, P47, C12

Paper type: Empirical research