Implementation of Transformational Leadership in Public Policy: Evidence from Public Service Organizations

Marwita Andarini

doi:10.55927/ijis.v5i5.28

Authors

Marwita Andarini Universitas Kadiri

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55927/ijis.v5i5.28

Keywords:

Transformational Leadership, Public Policy Effectiveness, Public Service Quality, Organizational Commitment, Public Values

Abstract

Transformational leadership has been widely studied in the private sector context; however, its role in shaping public policy outcomes through service quality and organizational performance remains under-researched. This study analyzes how transformational leadership promotes public policy effectiveness by mediating organizational commitment and the quality of public service delivery in government institutions. A secondary data approach was employed, drawing from a harmonized dataset of national government performance audits, civil servant administrative records, and public service satisfaction surveys across 34 provincial governments in Indonesia (2018–2022). Covariance-based Structural Equation Modeling (CB-SEM) was applied using AMOS 24.0, with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to validate the measurement model. The results indicate that transformational leadership has a significant positive effect on public policy effectiveness (β = 0.487), with organizational commitment (β = 0.312) and service delivery quality (β = 0.278) as partial mediators. Multigroup analysis indicates that the effect is stronger at the local government level than at the provincial level. The results of this study provide insight that policymakers and civil service commissions should prioritize transformational leadership competencies as a structural determinant of public service excellence

References

Alford, J., & O'flynn, J. (2009). Making sense of public value: Concepts, critiques and emergent meanings. Intl Journal of Public Administration, 32(3-4), 171-191.

Al-Kasasbeh, O. (2024). Exploring the Nexus between Leadership Styles, Employee Engagement, and Organizational Performance a Multidimensional Review. HISTORICAL: Journal of History and Social Sciences, 3(2), 154-168.

Andrews, R., & Boyne, G. A. (2010). Capacity, leadership, and organizational performance: Testing the black box model of public management. Public administration review, 70(3), 443-454.

Andrews, R., Boyne, G., Law, J., & Walker, R. (2011). Strategic management and public service performance. Springer.

Avolio, B. J., Walumbwa, F. O., & Weber, T. J. (2009). Leadership: Current theories, research, and future directions. Annual review of psychology, 60(1), 421-449.

Bass, B. M. (1985). Leadership and performance beyond expectations. Free Press.

Bass, B. M., & Avolio, B. J. (Eds.). (1994). Improving organizational effectiveness through transformational leadership. sage.

Bellé, N. (2014). Leading to make a difference: A field experiment on the performance effects of transformational leadership, perceived social impact, and public service motivation. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 24(1), 109-136.

Belle, N., & Cantarelli, P. (2015). Monetary incentives, motivation, and job effort in the public sector: An experimental study with Italian government executives. Review of Public Personnel Administration, 35(2), 99-123.

Brewer, G. A. (2005). In the eye of the storm: Frontline supervisors and federal agency performance. Journal of public administration research and theory, 15(4), 505-527.

Burns, J. M. (1978). Leadership. Harper & Row.

Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2017). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. Sage publications.

DiMaggio, P. J., & Powell, W. W. (1983). The iron cage revisited: Institutional isomorphism and collective rationality in organizational fields. American sociological review, 48(2), 147-160.

Dumitrescu, M., & Stanescu, I. (2024). The role of leadership in developing: Innovation and Quality Culture. National Journal of Quality, Innovation, and Business Excellence, 1(1), 37-46.

Fernandez, S., & Rainey, H. G. (2017). Managing successful organizational change in the public sector. In Debating public administration (pp. 7-26). Routledge.

Haruna, J. B. (2022). The role of leadership on organizational change. International Journal for Research in Applied Science and Engineering Technology, 10(10), 249-254.

Makatita, M., Hendry, Y. I., Soselisa, C., Amin, M., Wattiheluw, S., & Amin, M. (2024). The Influence of Leadership Style, Organizational Culture, Policy Implementation, and Community Participation on Public Service Efficiency and Employee Satisfaction in Indonesian Local Government. West Science Social and Humanities Studies, 2(07), 1221-1236.

Meyer, J. P., & Allen, N. J. (1991). A three-component conceptualization of organizational commitment. Human resource management review, 1(1), 61-89.

Meynhardt, T. (2009). Public value inside: What is public value creation?. Intl Journal of Public Administration, 32(3-4), 192-219.

Miao, Q., Newman, A., Schwarz, G., & Cooper, B. (2018). How leadership and public service motivation enhance innovative behavior. Public Administration Review, 78(1), 71-81.

Moore, M. H. (1997). Creating public value: Strategic management in government. Harvard university press.

Moynihan, D. P., & Pandey, S. K. (2007). Finding workable levers over work motivation: Comparing job satisfaction, job involvement, and organizational commitment. Administration & Society, 39(7), 803-832.

Moynihan, D. P., Pandey, S. K., & Wright, B. E. (2012). Setting the table: How transformational leadership fosters performance information use. Journal of public administration research and theory, 22(1), 143-164.

Paarlberg, L. E., & Perry, J. L. (2007). Values management: Aligning employee values and organization goals. The American review of public administration, 37(4), 387-408.

Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., & Podsakoff, N. P. (2012). Sources of method bias in social science research and recommendations on how to control it. Annual review of psychology, 63(1), 539-569.

Pollitt, C. (2016). Be prepared? An outside-in perspective on the future public sector in Europe. Public Policy and Administration, 31(1), 3-28.

Pollitt, C., & Bouckaert, G. (2017). Public management reform: A comparative analysis-into the age of austerity. Oxford university press.

Rihal, J., Alzubi, A., Aljuhmani, H. Y., & Berberoğlu, A. (2025). From ethics to ecology: How ethical leadership drives environmental performance through green organizational identity and culture. PloS one, 20(11), e0336608.

Scott, W. R. (2013). Institutions and organizations: Ideas, interests, and identities. Sage publications.

Selden, S. C., & Sowa, J. E. (2015). Voluntary turnover in nonprofit human service organizations: The impact of high performance work practices. Human Service Organizations: Management, Leadership & Governance, 39(3), 182-207.

Tummers, L., & Knies, E. (2016). Measuring public leadership: Developing scales for four key public leadership roles. Public Administration, 94(2), 433-451.

UNDP. (2021). Indonesia human development report 2021: Repositioning the state for sustainable and inclusive development. United Nations Development Programme.

Van Wart, M. (2013). Administrative leadership theory: A reassessment after 10 years. Public administration, 91(3), 521-543.

Vogel, R., & Masal, D. (2015). Public leadership: A review of the literature and framework for future research. Public Management Review, 17(8), 1165-1189.

Wahyudin, A., Akbar, F., Rohmad, R., & Budi, M. H. S. (2024). Enhancing Public Service Excellence through Transformational Leadership in Service Management. Business and Applied Management Journal, 2(1), 12-24.

Wang, G., Oh, I. S., Courtright, S. H., & Colbert, A. E. (2011). Transformational leadership and performance across criteria and levels: A meta-analytic review of 25 years of research. Group & organization management, 36(2), 223-270.

World Bank. (2020). Decentralization and regional autonomy in Indonesia: Progress and prospects. World Bank Group.

Wright, B. E., & Pandey, S. K. (2010). Transformational leadership in the public sector: Does structure matter?. Journal of public administration research and theory, 20(1), 75-89.