Empathy-Driven Ethical Interaction: A Catalyst for Creativity and Organizational Performance in Local Government Institutions of West Java
Keywords:
Empathy Ethical Interaction, Knowledge-Oriented Leadership, Creativity, Organizational Performance, Local GovernmentAbstract
Public sector organizations play a vital role in providing public goods and services and ensuring transparency and accountability. However, there are significant challenges, as evidenced by West Java being ranked among the top three provinces with the highest number of public service complaints in 2022 (21 complaints). The 2023 pre-survey results show public dissatisfaction with service delivery, staff behavior, and complaint mechanisms. This highlights the urgent need to improve service ethics, empathy, and creativity in public services. This study aims to analyze the relationship between Organizational Reward, Knowledge-Oriented Leadership (KOL), Empathy Ethical Interaction (EEI), Creativity, and Organizational Performance (OP). Using explanatory research and the Partial Least Squares (PLS) method, this study involved a sample of 262 Heads of Departments from 27 Regencies/Cities in West Java. The analysis results show that the model has a very high predictive power (Q² = 0.998), where exogenous variables explain 90.5% of OP variation. All eight hypotheses were significantly accepted. KOL proved to be a dominant factor, having the strongest influence on EEI (t = 5.285) and OP (t = 3.047). Crucially, EEI significantly influenced Creativity (t = 2.305) and Organizational Performance (t = 2.186), functioning as a mediating variable that strengthened the relationship between variables. In conclusion, EEI is a vital catalyst for bureaucratic creativity and innovative public performance, especially given the cultural diversity in West Java. An empathy- and ethics-based leadership approach will strengthen innovation and organizational effectiveness, ultimately accelerating the realization of good governance.
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