Strategic Leadership and Innovation Culture in Enhancing the Performance of Government Apparatus at the Ministry of Tourism

Abstract

This study aims to analysed the influence of strategic leadership and innovation culture on improving the performance of government officials within the Ministry of Tourism. In the context of public bureaucracy facing digital transformation and demands for adaptive public services, strategic leadership plays a critical role in shaping organizational vision, direction, and commitment. Meanwhile, innovation culture serves as the foundation that encourages creativity, collaboration, and the willingness of civil servants to develop new solutions in their work processes. The study employed a quantitative explanatory research design. Data were collected through a survey of 250 civil servants across various departments of the Ministry of Tourism. The data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling–Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS) to examine the causal relationships among the variables. Research instruments were developed based on theoretical indicators of strategic leadership, innovation culture, and employee performance, all of which were validated through reliability and validity testing. The findings reveal that strategic leadership has a positive and significant effect on both innovation culture and employee performance. Furthermore, innovation culture mediates the relationship between strategic leadership and performance improvement. These results highlight the crucial role of leaders in fostering an organizational environment that supports innovation and continuous learning. The practical implication of this study is the need to strengthen strategic leadership capabilities and build an innovative ecosystem within the Ministry of Tourism to enhance bureaucratic reform and improve the quality of public service performance.