Leadership Communication and Effectiveness of Environmental Management Systems Implementation among Certified Manufacturing Firms in Kenya

Abstract

This study examined the influence of leadership communication - as one dimension of leadership commitment- and perceived EMS effectiveness among ISO 14001:2015-certified manufacturing firms in Kenya. ISO 14001:2015 certification does not necessarily indicate equivalent environmental management system (EMS) implementation effectiveness across firms. A cross-sectional explanatory survey invited all 60 eligible firms registered with the Kenya Association of Manufacturers. Seventy-seven completed questionnaires were received from 40 firms. Paired responses from 37 firms (74 respondents) formed the primary firm-level analytical sample. Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM), with 10,000 bootstrap subsamples, estimated the association while accounting for resource allocation, leadership involvement and implementation maturity. In the full-sample model, leadership communication had a positive association with perceived EMS effectiveness (β = .375, t = 1.873, p = .031, one-tailed; f² = .114), although the two-tailed p-value was .061. Excluding Firm 21 reduced the coefficient to β = .252 and rendered it non-significant (p = .104, one-tailed). Implementation maturity was positively associated with effectiveness (β = .554, p = .001; f² = .436), while resource allocation and leadership involvement showed negligible associations in the estimated model. The findings provide preliminary, sensitivity-dependent evidence of a positive association, not a robust or causal effect. Manufacturing firms may review how environmental policies, objectives, responsibilities and EMS-related changes are communicated alongside resources and implementation processes. The study distinguishes leadership communication and perceived EMS effectiveness from certification status. Its contribution is qualified by the small firm-level sample, overlap between communication and leadership involvement, and sensitivity of the focal estimate.