Annals of Management and Organization Research
Vol. 8 No. 1 (2026): August

Integrating Public Management and Leadership to Explain Local Government Performance

Herman Herman (Universitas Jambi, Jambi, Indonesia)
Shofia Amin (Universitas Jambi, Jambi, Indonesia)
Sigit Indrawijaya (Universitas Jambi, Jambi, Indonesia)
Sry Rosita (Universitas Jambi, Jambi, Indonesia)



Article Info

Publish Date
03 Aug 2026

Abstract

Purpose: This study aims to examine how New Public Management (NPM) inf0luences Public Service Performance through two leadership mechanisms, namely Leadership Behaviour as an instrumental mechanism and Servant Leadership as a value-based mechanism, in Indonesian local government organizations. Methodology: This research was conducted in local government organizations in Indonesia using a quantitative explanatory design. Data were collected through a survey of 385 civil servants in South Korea. The study employed a structured questionnaire and analyzed the data using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS software to test both direct and indirect relationships among variables. Results: The results show that New Public Management has a strong positive effect on both Leadership Behaviour and Servant Leadership. However, only Servant Leadership has a significant direct effect on Public Service Performance and acts as a significant mediating variable between NPM and Public Service Performance. Leadership Behaviour does not have a significant direct effect on Public Service Performance. Conclusions: The study concludes that managerial reforms alone are insufficient to improve Public Service Performance. Value-based leadership, particularly Servant Leadership, is a crucial mechanism for translating New Public Management reforms into meaningful service outcomes. Limitations: This study is limited by its cross-sectional design and reliance on self-reported data from a single regional context, which may restrict its generalizability. Contributions: This study contributes to the public management literature by integrating managerial reform and leadership and providing empirical evidence of the role of servant-oriented leadership in public sector performance.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

amor

Publisher

Subject

Economics, Econometrics & Finance

Description

The Annals of Management and Organization Research (AMOR) is an international, peer-reviewed, and scholarly journal that publishes high-quality research articles covering qualitative and quantitative research discussing interesting and contemporary topics on all areas of management and organization ...