Strategic Decision-Making Approaches and Organizational Performance Case of Rugarama Estate Park, Rwanda

Abstract Decision making is a critical role that managers of organizations play and gives a bearing on the long-term survival of the organization. The study aimed to assess the influence of strategic decision making on organizational performance, taking the case of Rugarama Estate Park. Descriptive design was utilized with a population of 153 constituting of staff of Rugarama Estate Park as per the Human Resource records. A sample of 111 was utilized and purposive and simple random sampling approaches adopted in selecting the respondents to participate in study. The data was primary in nature collected using questionnaires. The study adopted theory of planned behavior. IBM SPSS Version 21 was used in analyzing data. The findings involved computing means, percentages, and frequencies, standard deviation and these were presented in tables. Descriptive statistics did reveal a mean of averagely 2 and less than 1 standard deviation in the case of advocacy decision making approach. However, dialogic and decision systems revealed an average mean of 4. Additionally, the corresponding coefficients for advocacy, dialogic and decision support systems were 0.260, 0.670 and 0.710 respectively. The regression coefficients for advocacy, dialogic and decision support systems were 0.092, 0.142 and 0.174 respectively with corresponding p values of 0.048, 0.002 and 0.001. This implied that advocacy decision making is not widely practiced while dialogic and decision support systems are widely practiced at Rugarama Estate Park. Study also concluded there was low positive significant association between advocacy approach and organization performance while dialogic and decision-making support systems had high positive association with organization performance. The null hypotheses were rejected hence a conclusion there was positive significant influence of advocacy, dialogic and decision support systems on organization performance. The study recommended independent and group thinking to be practiced in organization in decision making process, proposals regarding decision changes should be made available to members and every member given time to go through, all Stakeholders to be involved in decision making process to be able to feel part and parcel of the organization activities and lastly organizations to invest in technology systems that aids in speedy and efficient decision making process.. Keywords: Strategic Decision Making, Organizational Performance, Rugarama Estate Park, Rwanda