Impact of local administrators’ behaviors on employee motivation in public local administrative organizations for realizing smart local governance: A case study of Maha Sarakham Province

บทคัดย่อ

This study aimed to examine: (1) the behaviors of local administrators, (2) the work motivation of personnel in public local administrative organizations, and (3) the influence of administrator behaviors on personnel motivation in the context of developing smart local governance. The study focused on personnel in public local administrative organizations in Maha Sarakham Province, with a population of 500 employees. A sample of 222 participants was obtained using simple random sampling based on Yamane’s formula. The research instrument was a questionnaire comprising four behavioral dimensions and three motivation components, with an overall reliability coefficient of 0.97. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis. The results showed that: (1) local administrators’ behaviors were rated at a high level overall, with mean scores ranking from highest to lowest as visionary behavior, participative behavior, resource support, and internal communication; (2) work motivation among personnel was also at a high level, especially regarding career advancement, job security, and recognition; and (3) participative behavior, internal communication, and resource support significantly predicted personnel work motivation, explaining 77.7% of the variance (R² = .777, p < .05). The findings underscore the essential role of inclusive and supportive administrative behaviors in strengthening motivation and advancing smart local governance.