Competitive strategies and human resource management practices adopted by the insurance companies in Nairobi, Kenya

This study was carried with an objective to establish the relationshipbetween competitive strategies and human resource management practices adopted by the insurance firms in Nairobi Kenya. The central hypothesis under investigation in this study is that firms that have aligned their corporate strategy with the Human Resource Management practices stand a better chance to attaining a sustainable competitive advantage as well as good performance. To achieve the objective of the study, the research used a descriptive research design and a census survey comprising of all the 42 registered insurance firms in Kenya. \n \nPrimary data was collected using structured questionnaires. The questionnaires were dropped and picked up later and others were filled through direct interview. Once the pertinent data was collected, the researcher carried out an analysis of the same using mean, standard deviation and percentages. Where appropriate, the study results were presented in tables and charts. \n \nThe study established that most insurance firms have aligned their corporate strategy with the human resource management practices in order to survive and compete in the market. To enhance the competitiveness, the insurance companies use low cost leadership strategy, and differentiation strategy by offering a wide range of products and services. To achieve this, the companies use high skilled and innovative staff and most companies' use staff training and development as means to bridging the gap between human resource competence and competitive advantage.