<![CDATA[Phenomenon/Issue: The growing demand for responsive, efficient, and professional public services exposes persistent performance challenges in village governance, where formal bureaucratic expectations intersect with community-oriented practices. At the Kalangan Village Office, employee performance is constrained by weak work discipline, uneven task distribution, ineffective time utilization, and limited alignment between educational backgrounds and occupational demands. Purpose: This study aims to critically examine employee performance at the Kalangan Village Office, Klego District, Boyolali Regency, focusing on work discipline, responsibility, and time management. Novelty: Moving beyond conventional assessments that treat performance primarily as an administrative outcome, this study adopts a critical interpretive perspective to conceptualize performance as a socially situated practice shaped by interactions among bureaucratic structures, employee agency, and local sociocultural expectations. Research Methods: A qualitative research design was employed with eight village officials selected through purposive and snowball sampling. Data were generated through observation, in-depth interviews, and documentary analysis, with credibility established through source and methodological triangulation. Data were analyzed using the interactive model of data condensation, data display, and conclusion drawing and verification. Results: The findings reveal that persistent lateness, weak disciplinary enforcement, uneven workloads, competing priorities, and technical constraints collectively undermine performance. Nevertheless, employees demonstrate responsibility through collaboration, self-directed learning, and flexible work practices. Research Contributions: The study extends understanding of employee performance in village governance by demonstrating that performance improvement requires more than disciplinary control; it demands an integrated approach combining institutional accountability, equitable task allocation, capacity development, and sensitivity to local sociocultural dynamics.]]>
