Leadership and work performance in the public sector: Exploring the mediating role of employee engagement through a causal mechanism perspective

This study investigates the causal mechanism by which leadership influences work performance, with a focus on the mediating role of employee engagement, a topic that remains underexplored in bureaucratic contexts. The research objectives are: (1) to examine the causal mechanism through which leadership affects public sector work performance, and (2) to explore the mediating role of employee engagement. Data were collected from 359 civil servants and government employees in tax administration agencies using a five-point rating scale questionnaire with rigorously validated measurement properties. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) and a 5,000-sample bootstrap procedure were used to examine both direct and indirect effects as hypothesized. The results show that the structural model explains 61.8% of the variance in employee engagement and 64.4% of the variance in work performance, demonstrating strong explanatory power. Leadership has significant positive direct and indirect effects on work performance through employee engagement, with a high total effect. Employee engagement also has a significant positive impact on work performance. These findings highlight the pivotal role of leadership and participatory mechanisms in enhancing the effectiveness of Thailand’s bureaucratic system. The study contributes to both theoretical advancement and practical implications, providing evidence-based insights for leadership development, human resource strategies, and public sector performance improvement.