This study investigates the challenging issues in implementation of strategy in public sector organizations in The United Arab Emirates Abu Dhabi. It tests the relationship between the factors associated with effective strategy implementation including organisational culture, structure and leadership with performance of the organizations in public sector. Proponents of strategic management in the public sector organizations have suggested that the style of leadership, organizational culture, and organizational structure are the key elements in implementing strategy successfully. This study therefore sought to answer three key questions in an attempt to highlight important considerations for managers of public sector organizations. What are the main challenges in strategy implementation process in public organizations in UAE? What are the senior managers' perceptions and attitudes of the strategy implementation and evaluation of strategy in public sector organizations? And what are the influential factors associated with the effective strategy implementation in public sector organizations and what is their impact on organizational performance? A
questionnaire survey is used for data collection. The study uses a sample of 157
managers in the nine major public sector organizations in Abu Dhabi. The
questionnaire was constructed using mainly closed ended questions. The close-ended questions were formatted using rating questions, matrix questions, semantic differential, and ranking questions. Before distributing the questionnaire, the pilot study has been carried out. In order to analyse the data and consequently testing the hypothesis, the collected data was summarised using statistical graphs such as, bar charts and histograms. Regarding the reliability of the data, reliability analysis on measurements has been carried out. The data has been analysed by SPSS software for calculating correlation analysis and Lisrel software for testing the hypotheses. The results of the research show that the most challenging issues in implementing strategy are structure, leadership and organizational culture. There is a significant relationship
between effective strategy implementation and organizational performance in public sector. Performance in organizations that implement their strategies successfully is better than organizations with poor strategy implementation. There is a need to develop more flexible organizational structure in public sector in UAE to be able to cope with changes. This research has contributed to the strategy theory by developing a conceptual framework. There are policy implications to support the policy makers to develop appropriate policies to overcome the strategy implementation challenges in public sector organizations.