Articles

Dual-Pathway Transformational Leadership and Civil Servant Performance: The Mediating Role of Work Motivation

/in /by

This study is grounded in Transformational Leadership Theory and Social Exchange Theory, which explain that leadership behaviors influence employee performance through reciprocal relationships and motivational mechanisms. The research aims to examine the effect of transformational leadership on civil servant performance, both directly and indirectly through work motivation, within the Department of Public Works and Spatial Planning and the Department of Housing, Settlement Areas and Land Affairs of Dharmasraya Regency. A quantitative explanatory design with a cross sectional approach was employed. The population consisted of 56 civil servants, and a census technique was applied to include all respondents. Data were collected using structured questionnaires measured on a five point Likert scale and analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling based on Partial Least Squares. The results indicate that transformational leadership has a positive and significant direct effect on civil servant performance and a positive and significant effect on work motivation. Work motivation also significantly influences performance and mediates the relationship between transformational leadership and performance through complementary mediation. The coefficient of determination shows moderate explanatory power, while predictive relevance values confirm adequate model prediction. Furthermore, transformational leadership is validated as a second order construct formed by inspiration, admiration, and empowerment, with inspiration demonstrating the strongest contribution. The novelty of this study lies in modeling transformational leadership as a higher order construct and explaining its dual pathway mechanism in improving performance within regional public sector institutions.

Does Work–Life Balance Matter? Examining the Effects of Flexible Work Arrangements and Work Overload on Employee Performance at the Regional Office of the Directorate General of Taxes, Special Region of Yogyakarta

/in /by

Employee performance in the public sector is increasingly influenced by the adoption of flexible work policies and rising job demands. However, empirical evidence explaining how flexible work arrangements and work overload jointly affect performance, particularly through psychological mechanisms, remains limited in highly regulated public institutions. This study examines the effects of flexible work arrangements and work overload on employee performance, with work–life balance serving as a mediating variable among civil servants at the Regional Office of the Directorate General of Taxes, Special Region of Yogyakarta. A quantitative research design was employed using a census survey of 139 civil servants. Data were collected through structured Likert-scale questionnaires and analyzed using Partial Least Squares–Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results show that flexible work arrangements have a positive and significant effect on both employee performance and work–life balance. Work–life balance also positively and significantly influences employee performance. In contrast, work overload does not have a significant direct effect on employee performance but demonstrates a positive and significant relationship with work–life balance. Mediation analysis indicates that work–life balance partially mediates the relationship between flexible work arrangements and employee performance and fully mediates the relationship between work overload and employee performance. These findings suggest that within a highly regulated public sector environment, employee performance is shaped less by workload intensity and more by employees’ ability to maintain a balanced integration of work and personal life. This study contributes to the public sector human resource management literature by clarifying the mediating role of work–life balance in linking flexible work policies and workload conditions to performance outcomes.