LEADERSHIP IN PUBLIC SECTOR ORGANIZATIONS: THE APPLICATION OF THE FOUR BRAHMAVIHARA FOR ENHANCING GOOD GOVERNANCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE EFFICIENCY

Abstract

This academic article is for research purposes the Impact of the VUCA World and Digital Transformation on Leadership in Public Sector Organizations: Strengthening Good Governance and Enhancing Public Administration Efficiency. public administration is currently confronted with a rapidly changing and increasingly complex environment characterized by the VUCA World volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity and the ongoing transition toward the digital era. These circumstances have placed considerable pressure on public sector organizations to enhance their managerial capabilities by becoming more adaptive, transparent, and responsive to citizens' needs. Despite continuous efforts by the Thai government to implement public sector reforms, significant challenges remain, including bureaucratic delays, lack of transparency, limited public participation, and decision-making processes that were insufficiently aligned with local contexts. These issues reflected limitations in leadership, which is a critical factor in driving public organizations toward good governance and effective administrative performance. Leadership in the public sector extends beyond the traditional function of issuing directives. It encompasses the ability to inspire and motivate personnel, promote stakeholder participation, and make ethical and responsible decisions. As such, leadership serves as a vital mechanism linking the principles of good governance with administrative effectiveness. At the same time, the Buddhist principle of the Four Brahmavihara comprising Metta, loving-kindness, Karuna, compassion, Mudita, sympathetic joy and Upekkha, equanimity provided an effective ethical framework for leadership development. These virtues can guide public leaders in fostering integrity, fairness, empathy, and sound judgment in organizational management. However, a review of the existing literature indicated that the systematic integration of Buddhist principles into public sector leadership remains limited. Therefore, this article aimed to propose an integrated framework that combined the Four Brahmavihara with leadership in public sector organizations to strengthen good governance and enhance administrative efficiency in response to the challenges of the VUCA World and digital transformation. Such an approach was expected to contribute to the sustainable development of public administration that is both effective and ethically grounded