Issue

Vol. 13 No. 2 (2026): September

Date Log

Submitted
9 January 2026
Accepted
27 September 2026
Published
28 September 2026

Copyright (c) 2026 Muhammad Syafii A. Basalamah, A.Tenri Ita Maharani, Mursalim Laekkeng (Author)

Creative Commons License

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

Democratic Leadership, Discipline, and Competency: A Moderated Mediation Model of Civil Servant Performance

https://doi.org/10.24252/minds.v13i2.64475
Muhammad Syafii A. Basalamah
Universitas Muslim Indonesia, Indonesia
A.Tenri Ita Maharani
Universitas Muslim Indonesia, Indonesia
Mursalim Laekkeng
Universitas Muslim Indonesia, Indonesia

Corresponding Author(s) : Muhammad Syafii A. Basalamah

[email protected]

Jurnal Minds: Manajemen Ide dan Inspirasi, Vol. 13 No. 2 (2026): September

Abstract

Public sector reform in Indonesia raises a persistent question: which internal mechanism converts leadership behavior into measurable performance gains among civil servants? This study develops and tests a moderated mediation model in which employee competency mediates the effects of democratic leadership style and work discipline on job performance, and in which discipline moderates the leadership–competency relationship. Data were collected from 139 civil servants working in a local government administration in South Sulawesi Province, Indonesia, using a structured questionnaire. Partial least squares structural equation modeling evaluated the measurement and structural models. Results show that democratic leadership style and discipline each predict competency, that competency predicts job performance, and that discipline strengthens the leadership–competency relationship. Competency mediates both direct effects on performance, and this indirect pathway is itself conditional on discipline. The findings extend the Ability-Motivation-Opportunity framework to bureaucratic settings and inform competency-based human resource strategy in local government.

Keywords

Democratic Leadership Work Discipline Employee Competency Job Performance PLS-SEM
Basalamah, M. S. A., Maharani, A. I., & Laekkeng, M. (2026). Democratic Leadership, Discipline, and Competency: A Moderated Mediation Model of Civil Servant Performance. Jurnal Minds: Manajemen Ide Dan Inspirasi, 13(2), 618–627. https://doi.org/10.24252/minds.v13i2.64475
Download Citation
Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS)
BibTeX
References
  1. Aguinis, H., & Kraiger, K. (2009). Benefits of training and development for individuals and teams, organizations, and society. Annual Review of Psychology, 60, 451-474. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.60.110707.163505
  2. Barrick, M. R., & Mount, M. K. (1991). The Big Five personality dimensions and job performance: A meta-analysis. Personnel Psychology, 44(1), 1-26. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.1991.tb00688.x
  3. Becker, J.-M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2018). Estimating moderating effects in PLS-SEM and PLSc-SEM: Interaction term generation and data treatment. Journal of Applied Structural Equation Modeling, 2(2), 1-21. https://doi.org/10.47263/JASEM.2(2)01
  4. Blumberg, M., & Pringle, C. D. (1982). The missing opportunity in organizational research: Some implications for a theory of work performance. Academy of Management Review, 7(4), 560-569. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1982.4285240
  5. Blume, B. D., Ford, J. K., Baldwin, T. T., & Huang, J. L. (2010). Transfer of training: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Management, 36(4), 1065-1105. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206309352880
  6. Boselie, P., Dietz, G., & Boon, C. (2005). Commonalities and contradictions in HRM and performance research. Human Resource Management Journal, 15(3), 67-94. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-8583.2005.tb00154.x
  7. Bos-Nehles, A. C., Van Riemsdijk, M. J., & Looise, J. K. (2013). Employee perceptions of line management performance: Applying the AMO theory to explain the effectiveness of line managers' HRM implementation. Human Resource Management, 52(6), 861-877. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.21578
  8. Boyatzis, R. E. (2008). Competencies in the 21st century. Journal of Management Development, 27(1), 5-12. https://doi.org/10.1108/02621710810840730
  9. Campbell, J. P., & Wiernik, B. M. (2015). The modeling and assessment of work performance. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 2, 47-74. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-032414-111427
  10. Campion, M. A., Fink, A. A., Ruggeberg, B. J., Carr, L., Phillips, G. M., & Odman, R. B. (2011). Doing competencies well: Best practices in competency modeling. Personnel Psychology, 64(1), 225-262. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2010.01207.x
  11. Delamare Le Deist, F., & Winterton, J. (2005). What is competence? Human Resource Development International, 8(1), 27-46. https://doi.org/10.1080/1367886042000338227
  12. Dudley, N. M., Orvis, K. A., Lebiecki, J. E., & Cortina, J. M. (2006). A meta-analytic investigation of conscientiousness in the prediction of job performance: Examining the intercorrelations and the incremental validity of narrow traits. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91(1), 40-57. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.91.1.40
  13. Foels, R., Driskell, J. E., Mullen, B., & Salas, E. (2000). The effects of democratic leadership on group member satisfaction: An integration. Small Group Research, 31(6), 676-701. https://doi.org/10.1177/104649640003100603
  14. Gagné, M., & Deci, E. L. (2005). Self-determination theory and work motivation. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 26(4), 331-362. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.322
  15. Gastil, J. (1994). A definition and illustration of democratic leadership. Human Relations, 47(8), 953-975. https://doi.org/10.1177/001872679404700805
  16. Hair, J. F., Risher, J. J., Sarstedt, M., & Ringle, C. M. (2019). When to use and how to report the results of PLS-SEM. European Business Review, 31(1), 2-24. https://doi.org/10.1108/EBR-11-2018-0203
  17. Hayes, A. F. (2015). An index and test of linear moderated mediation. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 50(1), 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1080/00273171.2014.962683
  18. Henseler, J., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2015). A new criterion for assessing discriminant validity in variance-based structural equation modeling. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 43(1), 115-135. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-014-0403-8
  19. Huang, X., Iun, J., Liu, A., & Gong, Y. (2010). Does participative leadership enhance work performance by inducing empowerment or trust? The differential effects on managerial and non-managerial subordinates. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 31(1), 122-143. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.636
  20. Jacobsen, C. B., & Andersen, L. B. (2015). Is leadership in the eye of the beholder? A study of intended and perceived leadership practices and organizational performance. Public Administration Review, 75(6), 829-841. https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.12380
  21. Jiang, K., Lepak, D. P., Hu, J., & Baer, J. C. (2012). How does human resource management influence organizational outcomes? A meta-analytic investigation of mediating mechanisms. Academy of Management Journal, 55(6), 1264-1294. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2011.0088
  22. Kanfer, R., Frese, M., & Johnson, R. E. (2017). Motivation related to work: A century of progress. Journal of Applied Psychology, 102(3), 338-355. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000133
  23. Kock, N. (2015). Common method bias in PLS-SEM: A full collinearity assessment approach. International Journal of e-Collaboration, 11(4), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.4018/ijec.2015100101
  24. Koopmans, L., Bernaards, C. M., Hildebrandt, V. H., Schaufeli, W. B., de Vet, H. C. W., & van der Beek, A. J. (2011). Conceptual frameworks of individual work performance: A systematic review. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 53(8), 856-866. https://doi.org/10.1097/JOM.0b013e318226a763
  25. Lam, C. K., Huang, X., & Chan, S. C. H. (2015). The threshold effect of participative leadership and the role of leader information sharing. Academy of Management Journal, 58(3), 836-855. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2013.0427
  26. Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (2002). Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation: A 35-year odyssey. American Psychologist, 57(9), 705-717. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.57.9.705
  27. Nitzl, C., Roldán, J. L., & Cepeda, G. (2016). Mediation analysis in partial least squares path modeling: Helping researchers discuss more sophisticated models. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 116(9), 1849-1864. https://doi.org/10.1108/IMDS-07-2015-0302
  28. Orazi, D. C., Turrini, A., & Valotti, G. (2013). Public sector leadership: New perspectives for research and practice. International Review of Administrative Sciences, 79(3), 486-504. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020852313489945
  29. Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Lee, J.-Y., & Podsakoff, N. P. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(5), 879-903. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.88.5.879
  30. Rich, B. L., LePine, J. A., & Crawford, E. R. (2010). Job engagement: Antecedents and effects on job performance. Academy of Management Journal, 53(3), 617-635. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2010.51468988
  31. Rotundo, M., & Sackett, P. R. (2002). The relative importance of task, citizenship, and counterproductive performance to global ratings of job performance: A policy-capturing approach. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87(1), 66-80. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.87.1.66
  32. Salas, E., Tannenbaum, S. I., Kraiger, K., & Smith-Jentsch, K. A. (2012). The science of training and development in organizations: What matters in practice. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 13(2), 74-101. https://doi.org/10.1177/1529100612436661
  33. Shippmann, J. S., Ash, R. A., Battista, M., Carr, L., Eyde, L. D., Hesketh, B., Kehoe, J., Pearlman, K., Prien, E. P., & Sanchez, J. I. (2000). The practice of competency modeling. Personnel Psychology, 53(3), 703-740. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2000.tb00220.x
  34. Shmueli, G., Sarstedt, M., Hair, J. F., Cheah, J.-H., Ting, H., Vaithilingam, S., & Ringle, C. M. (2019). Predictive model assessment in PLS-SEM: Guidelines for using PLSpredict. European Journal of Marketing, 53(11), 2322-2347. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJM-02-2019-0189
  35. Somech, A. (2005). Directive versus participative leadership: Two complementary approaches to managing school effectiveness. Educational Administration Quarterly, 41(5), 777-800. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013161X05279448
  36. Somech, A. (2006). The effects of leadership style and team process on performance and innovation in functionally heterogeneous teams. Journal of Management, 32(1), 132-157. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206305277799
  37. Tummers, L., & Knies, E. (2016). Measuring public leadership: Developing scales for four key public leadership roles. Public Administration, 94(2), 433-451. https://doi.org/10.1111/padm.12224
  38. Viswesvaran, C., & Ones, D. S. (2000). Perspectives on models of job performance. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 8(4), 216-226. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-2389.00151
  39. Vogel, R., & Masal, D. (2015). Public leadership: A review of the literature and framework for future research. Public Management Review, 17(8), 1165-1189. https://doi.org/10.1080/14719037.2014.895031
  40. Wright, B. E., & Pandey, S. K. (2010). Transformational leadership in the public sector: Does structure matter? Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 20(1), 75-89. https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/mup003
Read More

Author Biographies

Muhammad Syafii A. Basalamah, Universitas Muslim Indonesia

Management Department

A.Tenri Ita Maharani, Universitas Muslim Indonesia

Master of Management Department

Mursalim Laekkeng, Universitas Muslim Indonesia

Management Department

Download
PDF
Statistic
Read Counter : 0 Download : 0

Similar Articles

> >> 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.