EMPOWERING LOCAL PERSONNEL THROUGH INNOVATIVE LEADERSHIP

Abstract

This academic article presented the empowerment of local personnel through innovative leadership in developing the sustainable capabilities of local administrative organizations. Key competency gaps currently include rigid, inflexible vertical mindset, a lack of digital literacy for data-driven decision-making, and an authoritarian organizational culture that stifles creativity. These factors directly impact the efficiency of public service delivery and citizen satisfaction in the digital age. A key development approach is integrating innovative leadership through three main strategies: 1. Improving the learning ecosystem by creating safe spaces for innovation experimentation and cross-functional collaboration; 2. Laying the foundation for digital infrastructure to transition to a data-driven organization; and 3. Building collaborative networks with all sectors in the area, along with creating new knowledge in the field of local innovation ecology and public entrepreneurship. This is crucial in transforming the role of local personnel from mere followers to proactive facilitators of community problem-solving. The article indicated that empowering local personnel through innovative leadership will result in more agile local government organizations capable of delivering valuable public services sustainably amidst the volatility of the 21st century.