Management Innovativeness and Growth of Occupational Pension Schemes in Kenya
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47604/ijepm.3289Keywords:
Pension Innovativeness, Pension Funds, Financial PerformanceAbstract
Purpose: Management innovation is critical for developing and sustaining occupational pension schemes. AI, blockchain, and machine learning present possibilities to improve efficiency and financial resilience and to strengthen members' confidence. However, essential factors must be met fully for these innovations to thrive, including resistance to change, legal requirements, and technological factors. This review raises awareness of the need to nurture an innovative culture in pension fund management backed up by open policies and directed research. In that respect, adopting innovation will continue to be critical in dealing with these emergent issues and supporting the future viability of various communities worldwide. This study aimed to establish the influence of management innovativeness on the growth of occupational pension schemes in Nairobi City County, Kenya.
Methodology: This study used the Schumpeterian Innovation Theory. This study employed a hybrid research design that combined quantitative and qualitative methods. A longitudinal descriptive survey was used in this study. All 809 Nairobi City County occupational pension systems were targeted. In Nairobi City County, Kenya, this study sampled all the Kenya Retirement Benefits Authority occupational programs. 321 projects have fund values under 500 million Kenyan shillings, 275 between 500 million and 1 billion, 158 between 1 billion and 10 billion, and 55 over 10 billion. A biased stratified sampling procedure selected 267 of Nairobi City County's 809 pension schemes. One manager, preferably the Finance and Investments Manager, from each of Nairobi's 267.
Findings: The study concluded that management innovativeness significantly influences entrepreneurial culture and the growth of occupational pension schemes in Nairobi. Therefore, management innovativeness is a key determinant in supporting the growth of Occupational Pension Schemes in Kenya.
Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Based on the findings of this study, it is apparent that pension schemes need to adopt innovativeness in their business environment. The recommendation from the above study further reveals that only innovative pension schemes will be relevant in the market.
Downloads
References
Basiglio, S., & Oggero, N. (2020). The Effects of Pension Information on Individuals' Economic Outcomes: A Survey. Economies, 8(3), 67. https://doi.org/10.3390/economies8030067
Baumann, C., Cherry, M., Chu, W., Cummings, L., Viengkham, D., & Winzar, H. (2021). Competitive productivity (CP): advancing the competitiveness paradigm. Cross Cultural & Strategic Management.
Błach, J. (2020). Barriers to Financial Innovation—Corporate Finance Perspective. Journal of Risk and Financial Management, 13(11), 273. https://doi.org/10.3390/jrfm13110273
Bocken, N, Ritala, P, Albareda, L, & Verburg,. R. (2019). Innovation for Sustainability: Business Transformations Towards a Better World
Bond, T. (2017). Why Pensions Matter. The history of defined benefit pension plans in the United States of America. National Public Pension Coalition
Chepngeno-Langat, G., Wielen, N., Evandrou, M., & Falkingham, J. (2019). Unraveling the wider benefits of social pensions: Secondary beneficiaries of the older persons cash transfer program in the slums of Nairobi. Journal of Aging Studies, 51, 100818. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaging.2019.100818
Clark, G. L. (2020). The problematic nature of UK pension fund regulation: Performing governance at the expense of innovation. Competition & Change, 102452942097460. https://doi.org/10.1177/1024529420974608
Diwanti, D. P., Suryanto, S., Iswati, S., Agustina, T. S., & Notobroto, H. B. (2021). The Effect of Organizational Culture and Readiness to Change on Organizational Entrepreneurship: The Role of Competence. Jurnal Manajemen Bisnis, 12(2), 248-265.
Domeher, D., Konadu-Yiadom, E., & Aawaar, G. (2022). Financial innovations and economic growth: Does financial inclusion play a mediating role? Cogent Business & Management, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2022.2049670
Emami Langroodi, F. (2021). Schumpeter’s Theory of Economic Development: a study of the creative destruction and entrepreneurship effects on economic growth. Journal of Insurance and Financial Management, 4(3).
Ferreira, J., & Coelho, A. (2020). Dynamic capabilities, innovation and branding capabilities and their impact on competitive advantage and SME's performance in Portugal: the moderating effects of entrepreneurial orientation. International Journal of Innovation Science, 12(3), 255-286.
Ghadwan, A., Marhaini, W., & Hanifa, M. H. (2023). Financial Planning for Retirement: The Moderating Role of Government Policy. Financial Planning for Retirement: The Moderating Role of Government Policy, 13(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440231181300
Gitau, O., & Sang, P. (2022). Sustainable project risk and stakeholder management for pension funds projects performance in Kenya. International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science (2147- 4478), 11(1), 273–282. https://doi.org/10.20525/ijrbs.v11i1.1535
Gonz’alez- Tejero, C. B, & Molina, C.M, (2022). Training Corporate Culture and Organizational Work Models for the Development of Corporate Entrepreneurship in SMEs. ISSN: 1750 6204
Guerrero, M., Ruiz, L.E., and Amoros, J.E. (2022) Does Gender Matter for Corporate Entrepreneurship? A Cross-Countries Study
Guven, M. (2019). Extending pension coverage to the informal sector in Africa.
Huang, Z., Sindakis, S., Aggarwal, S., & Thomas, L. (2022). The Role of Leadership in Collective Creativity and Innovation: Examining Academic Research and Development Environments. Frontiers in Psychology, 13(13).
Hughes, P. (2010) ‘Paradigms, methods and knowledge’, in G. McNaughton, S. Rolfe and I. Siraj Blatchford (eds), Doing Early Childhood Research: International Perspectives on Theory and Practice, 2nd edition. Maidenhead: Open University Press.
Hughes, P., Hodgkinson, I. R., Hughes, M., & Arshad, D. (2018). Explaining the entrepreneurial orientation–performance relationship in emerging economies: The intermediate roles of absorptive capacity and improvisation. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 35(4), 1025-1053.
James, N. O. (2022). Lecturers’ perception of contributory pension scheme implementation and job commitment in South-South Nigerian Universities. International Journal of Educational Administration and Policy Studies, 14(1), 17–28. https://doi.org/10.5897/ijeaps2021.0693
Johnson, C. E., & Hackman, M. Z. (2018). Leadership: A communication perspective. Waveland Press.
Johnson, M.S, Adams, V.M, Byrne, J and Harris, R.M.B (2022) The benefits of Q + PPGIS for coupled human-natural systems research: A systematic review
Kessler, A. (2019). New Solutions to an Age-Old Problem: Innovative Strategies for Managing Pension and Longevity Risk. North American Actuarial Journal, pp. 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/10920277.2019.1672566
Khai, T. S., Nkansah, J. O., Khan, A. W., & Asaduzzaman, M. (2024). Supporting Ageing Populations in Developing Countries: A Comparative Analysis of Pension Schemes and Policy Insights. Challenges, 15(2), 27–27. https://doi.org/10.3390/challe15020027
Kleinknecht, A. (2016) Innovation Patterns in Crisis and Prosperity: Schumpeter Long Cycle
Lala K. & Sinha K. (2019). Role of Technology Incubation in India’s Innovation System: A Case of the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur Incubation Centre
Lala, K. (2013) Schumpeter’s Theory of Economic Development. Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/krishnalala/schumpeter-theory-of-economic-development- 20324295.
Lintukangas, K., Kähkönen, A.-K., & Hallikas, J. (2019). The role of supply management innovativeness and supplier orientation in firms' sustainability performance. Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, 25(4), 100558. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pursup.2019.100558
Maier, D., Maier, A., Așchilean, I., Anastasiu, L., & Gavriș, O. (2020). The relationship between innovation and sustainability: A bibliometric review of the literature. Sustainability, 12(10), 4083.
Malik, A., Sharma, P., Vinu, A., Karakoti, A., Kaur, K., Gujral, H. S., & Laker, B. (2022). Circular economic adoption by SMEs in emerging markets: Towards a multilevel conceptual framework. Journal of Business Research, 142, 605-619.
Mbatia, J. (2024). Impact of Actuarial Valuation Methods on Pension Fund Liabilities in Kenya. American Journal of Statistics and Actuarial Sciences, 5(2), 51–63. https://doi.org/10.47672/ajsas.2343
Mehmood, T., Alzoubi, H. M., & Ahmed, G. (2019). Schumpeterian entrepreneurship theory: evolution and relevance. Academy of Entrepreneurship Journal, 25(4).
Meng, A., Sundstrup, E., & Andersen, L. L. (2022). Employee perception of managers' attitudes towards older workers is associated with risk of loss of paid work before state pension age: a prospective cohort study with register follow-up. European Journal of Ageing, 19(4), 1375–1383. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10433-022-00720-3
Morrison, B. A., Coventry, L., & Briggs, P. (2020). Technological Change in the Retirement Transition and the Implications for Cybersecurity Vulnerability in Older Adults. Frontiers in Psychology, p. 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00623
Nadolna, K. K. (2020). The role of a leader in stimulating innovation in an organization. Administrative Sciences (2076-3387), 10(3), 1–18. MDPI. https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci10030059
Nair, J., Chellasamy, A., & Singh, B. B. (2019). Readiness factors for information technology adoption in SMEs: Testing an exploratory model in an Indian context. Journal of Asia Business Studies.
Nduruhu, D. K. (2019, June 11). Influence of Financial Management Practices on Sustainability of Pension Funds Administrative Institutions in Kenya. Ir.jkuat.ac.ke. http://ir.jkuat.ac.ke/handle/123456789/5032
Ngomba, P., & Kitheka. (n.d.). Factors influencing intent of uptake of retirement pension and provident scheme plans in the informal sector in Nairobi County. https://su-plus.strathmore.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/8a1367bc-3616-4b5a-afc5-8c353242b916/content
Nyang’oro, O., & Njenga, G. (2022). Pension funds in sub-Saharan Africa. WIDER Working Paper. https://doi.org/10.35188/unu-wider/2022/229-4
OECD. (2016). OECD Global Pension Statistics.
Okinyi, W., & Jaketch. (2021). An analysis of the specialized system of pension dispute resolution inkenyaBI. https://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke/bitstream/handle/11295/161113/Okinyi_An%20Analysis%20of%20the%20Specialised%20System%20of%20Pension%20Dispute%20Resolution%20in%20Kenya.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
Ondieki, N. W. N. (2022). Retirement Fund Characteristics and Financial Performance of Pension Schemes in Kenya. https://irlibrary.ku.ac.ke/server/api/core/bitstreams/7cd75ddd-6f1b-48c6-91e5-78e7d08f6545/content
Onyango, O. J. (2020). Factors Affecting Financial Performance Of Pension Schemes In Kenya. https://repository.kcau.ac.ke/bitstream/handle/123456789/577/Oyooactors%20Affecting%20Financial%20Performance%20Of%20Pension%20Schemes% 0In%20....pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
Raimi, L., & Kah, J. M. (2022). Career Re-Invention Through Entrepreneurial Mindset and Entrepreneurial in the Post-Pandemic Era: Multiple Cases from the Developed and Developing Countries. In Career Re-Invention in the Post-Pandemic Era (pp. 255-280). IGI Global.
Ren, R. (2022). Comparative Studies on Pension Funds: A Global Perspective. Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research/Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, pp. 274–280. https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-494069-31-2_34
Riel, A. C. R., Andreassen, T. W., Lervik-Olsen, L., Zhang, L., Mithas, S., & Heinonen, K. (2021). A customer-centric five-actor model for sustainability and service innovation. Journal of Business Research, 136, 389–401. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.07.035
Samad, A. (2018). Is Trade an Engine of Growth? VEC-Granger Causality Evidence from ASEAN Countries. Advances in Management and Applied Economics, 8(6), 1-15.
Sarker, I., & Datta, B. (2022). Re-designing the pension business processes for achieving technology-driven reforms through blockchain adoption: A proposed architecture. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 174, 121059. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2021.121059
Shen, H., Wang, H., Wang, Z., & Yin, D. (2020). Do mandatory pension contributions hinder innovation? Empirical evidence. International Journal of Innovation Studies, 4(2), 27–39. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijis.2020.03.001
Sorsa, V.-P., & van der Zwan, N. (2021). Are you sustaining the unsustainable? The political sustainability of pensions in Finland and the Netherlands. Journal of European Social Policy, 095892872110356. https://doi.org/10.1177/09589287211035691
Takashi, S. (2021) Schumpeter’s paradox reconsidered: The need for a theory of circular flow
Tarabieh, S. M. Z. A., Gil-Pechuán, I., Al-Haidous, A., & AL-Obaidi, M. (2020). Exploring the impact of customer orientation over Jordanian banks performance: The mediating role of competitive advantage. Management Science Letters, 10(14), 3313-3324.
Wambua, S. K. (2024). Risk management practices and financial performance of pension funds in Nairobi, Kenya (Doctoral dissertation).
Wang, W. (2024). Research on High-Quality Development of Corporate Pensions from a Multi-Pillar Pension Perspective. SHS Web of Conferences, p. 190, 02010. https://doi.org/10.1051/shsconf/202419002010
Wessel, L., Baiyere, A., Ologeanu-Taddei, R., Cha, J., & Blegind-Jensen, T. (2021). Unpacking the difference between digital transformation and IT-enabled organizational transformation. Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 22(1), 102-129.
Yego, N. K., Kasozi, J., & Nkurunzinza, J. (2023). Optimizing Pension Participation in Kenya through Predictive Modeling: A Comparative Analysis of Tree-Based Machine Learning Algorithms and Logistic Regression Classifier. Risks, 11(4), 77. https://doi.org/10.3390/risks11040077
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Christopher Mitei, Jane Omwenga, Joseph Ndururi, Peter Ngatia

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.