This study investigated the relationship between Top Management Team (TMT) demographic diversities and firm performance using generic strategies as intervening variable in the Marketing and Social Research Association (MSRA) firms in Kenya. First, the relationship between TMT characteristics diversities and generic strategy was analyzed. Second, the link between generic strategy and firm performance was estimated. Mixed methods research design was used to critically investigate the relationship between the latent exogenous and endogenous variables of this study. The mixed research design used in this study was triangulation design, which was mainly transformation design model. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling analysis, using IBM SPSS AMOS version 21. The study found out that the homogenous demographic diversities among the top management team members had statistically significant effect on cost leadership strategy (p = 0.012). Besides, cost leadership strategy showed a statistically significant positive relationship on firm performance (p = 0.005). The findings of this study implied that organizations need to know and develop the best composition of top management team based on their demographic diversities in relation to the environment. Besides, the organizations need to empower the TMT members using monetary and nonmonetary incentives to further improve performance. Last but not least, the compositions of TMT in marketing research firms need to embrace gender diversity.

The purpose of the study was to find out the relationship between Organizational Climate (OC), Employee Psychological Empowerment (EPE) and innovation in Market and Social Research Firms (MSRFs) in Kenya. This was motivated by inconsistent empirical findings of the previous scholars on the effect of organizational climate on innovation. Besides, it was inspired by the omission of the employee psychological empowerment as intervening variable between OC and innovation. This study therefore, investigated the effect of OC on EPE and EPE on innovation. Further, direct effect of OC on innovation was also assessed. To address these objectives, this study used cross-sectional research design. The data was collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The study found the effect of training support on EPE and innovation was positive but insignificant while work place support on EPE had partial effect but insignificant effect on innovation. However, transformational leadership was found to be significant on both EPE and innovation. Further, the EPE had partial mediating effect between leadership and innovation. The findings offer more insights to the theorists of intrinsic motivation that intrinsic motivation taps on some organizational climate factors to promote innovation. The results could be helpful to human resources practitioners and policy makers when deciding on a mix of organizational climate factors to promote innovation in institutions. Consideration of multiple organizational factors as opposed to a single factor to enhance innovation at micro level in their work place is hinted.