<![CDATA[Public commentary on the performance of Indonesian civil servants (Aparatur Sipil Negara [ASN]) has grown louder in recent years, particularly regarding the achievement of key performance indicators (KPIs) and the need to remain competitive with employees in the private sector. Leadership style is often identified as one of the contributing factors, especially considering the frequent changes in leadership within government agencies over relatively short periods. This study aims to systematically examine how leadership styles influence public-sector employee performance and to identify the dominant leadership styles implemented in the public sector. A systematic literature review was conducted using the SINTA Portal, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect databases, resulting in 20 articles published between 2016 and 2026 that met the inclusion criteria. The analysis revealed that 14 of the 20 studies (70%) reported a positive and significant effect, with transformational leadership being the most frequently identified as the primary driver of employee performance. The remaining studies demonstrated more varied findings; some reported no significant effect, while one identified a negative impact, which was generally associated with mediating factors such as work motivation, job satisfaction, and organizational culture. These findings indicate that leadership style cannot be considered an independent determinant of performance. Its effectiveness is highly dependent on organizational context and must be supported by stronger employee motivation and organizational culture, particularly during leadership transitions. This study recommends that government agencies enhance work motivation and organizational culture alongside leadership development initiatives and encourages future researchers to conduct quantitative meta-analyses to measure the effect sizes of different leadership styles on ASN performance.]]>
