The Impact of Transformational Leadership on Citizen Satisfaction with Public Service Delivery
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55606/srj-yappi.v4i3.2617Keywords:
Citizen Satisfaction, Inspirational Motivation, Local Government, Public Service Delivery, Transformational LeadershipAbstract
This study examines the impact of transformational leadership on citizen satisfaction with public service delivery in Indonesian local government context through a cross-sectional survey of 384 citizens in Tanah Datar Regency, West Sumatra, selected via stratified random sampling. Data were collected using validated instruments measuring transformational leadership (MLQ) and citizen satisfaction (adapted SERVQUAL), then analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Findings reveal that transformational leadership significantly predicts citizen satisfaction with public service delivery (β = 0.672, p < 0.001), with inspirational motivation (β = 0.284, p < 0.001) and individual consideration (β = 0.267, p < 0.001) showing the strongest effects. The model explains 45.2% of variance in citizen satisfaction, with service responsiveness and reliability emerging as key mediating factors. Results demonstrate that transformational leadership practices significantly enhance citizen satisfaction with public service delivery in local government settings, where leaders demonstrating inspirational motivation and individual consideration achieve higher citizen satisfaction levels. Practical implications suggest that local governments should prioritize transformational leadership training for public officials, emphasizing inspirational communication and personalized attention to citizen needs to improve public service delivery effectiveness, thereby contributing to the growing literature on public leadership effectiveness in developing country contexts.
References
Anderson, J. C., & Gerbing, D. W. (1988). Structural equation modeling in practice: A review and recommended two-step approach. Psychological Bulletin, 103(3), 411-423. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.103.3.411
Awaale, A. A. (2024). Impact of transformational leadership on organizational performance in public sector agencies in Somalia. International Journal of Public Administration, 47(3), 215-232. https://doi.org/10.47672/ajlg.1846
Basri, M. C. (2019). The role of government in ensuring sustainable development and public satisfaction. Indonesian Journal of Public Administration, 15(2), 123-140.
Bass, B. M. (1985). Leadership and performance beyond expectations. Free Press.
Bass, B. M., & Avolio, B. J. (2004). Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire: Manual and sampler set (3rd ed.). Mind Garden.
Boamah, S. A., & Tremblay, P. (2019). Examining the factor structure of the MLQ transactional and transformational leadership dimensions in nursing context. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 41(5), 743-761. https://doi.org/10.1177/0193945918778833
Bowen, H. P., & Wiersema, M. F. (1999). Matching method to paradigm in strategy research: Limitations of cross-sectional analysis and some methodological alternatives. Strategic Management Journal, 20(7), 625-636. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-0266(199907)20:7<625::AID-SMJ45>3.0.CO;2-V
Choi, B. (2024). Influence of transformational leadership on innovative behavior in the Korean public service sector: The moderated mediating effect of change management and PSM. Public Performance & Management Review, 48(2), 345-367.
Civil Service College UK. (2023, April 16). Embracing transformational leadership: Trends and examples in the public sector. https://www.civilservicecollege.org.uk/news-embracing-transformational-leadership-trends-and-examples-in-the-public-sector-470
Forrester. (2023). Trust in government institutions: Global survey report 2023. Forrester Research.
Global Government Forum. (2024, October 9). Transformational leadership for public sector innovation. https://www.globalgovernmentforum.com/training/transformational-leadership/
Hartanti, F. T., Abawajy, J. H., & Chowdhury, M. (2022). Evaluating public service delivery smartness and impact on citizens' well-being. IEEE Access, 10, 69106-69124. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2022.3186325
https://doi.org/10.1080/15309576.2024.2436631
Hu, L., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 6(1), 1-55. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705519909540118
Krejcie, R. V., & Morgan, D. W. (1970). Determining sample size for research activities. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 30(3), 607-610. https://doi.org/10.1177/001316447003000308
Lanin, D., & Hermanto, N. (2019). The effect of service quality toward public satisfaction and public trust on local government in Indonesia. International Journal of Social Economics, 46(3), 377-392. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSE-04-2017-0151
Paarlberg, L. E., & Lavigna, B. (2010). Transformational leadership and public service motivation: Driving individual and organizational performance. Public Administration Review, 70(5), 710-718. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6210.2010.02199.x
Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V. A., & Berry, L. L. (1988). SERVQUAL: A multiple-item scale for measuring consumer perceptions of service quality. Journal of Retailing, 64(1), 12-40.
Wisniewski, M. (2001). Using SERVQUAL to assess customer satisfaction with public sector services. Managing Service Quality: An International Journal, 11(6), 380-388. https://doi.org/10.1108/EUM0000000006279.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Student Research Journal

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.






