Organizational Culture and Public Service Innovation: The Sequential Mediating Roles of Employee Collaboration, Knowledge Sharing and Organizational Learning in Indonesia Local Government

Sumarno Sumarno; Muhammad Aris; Andi Muhammad Fajar Maulana

doi:10.30598/publicusvol4iss2p134-150

Sumarno Sumarno Puangrimaggalatung Sengkang University
Muhammad Aris Puangrimaggalatung Sengkang University
Andi Muhammad Fajar Maulana Puangrimaggalatung Sengkang University

DOI: https://doi.org/10.30598/publicusvol4iss2p134-150

Keywords: Organizational Culture, Employee Collaboration, Knowledge Sharing, Public Service Innovation, Organizational Learning, Local Government, Public Administration

Abstract

Public service innovation has become a strategic priority for local governments in addressing increasingly complex governance challenges and rising public expectations. While organizational culture has frequently been identified as an important determinant of innovation, the organizational mechanisms through which it contributes to public service innovation remain insufficiently understood. This study examines the effect of organizational culture on public service innovation through the sequential mediating roles of employee collaboration, knowledge sharing, and organizational learning in Indonesian local government organizations. A quantitative explanatory research design was employed using a cross-sectional survey of 350 civil servants working in district-level local government agencies in South Sulawesi Province, Indonesia. Data were collected through structured questionnaires and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results demonstrate that organizational culture positively influences employee collaboration, which subsequently strengthens knowledge sharing and organizational learning, ultimately enhancing public service innovation. More importantly, the sequential mediation analysis confirms that employee collaboration, knowledge sharing, and organizational learning jointly and significantly mediate the relationship between organizational culture and public service innovation (β = 0.324, t = 10.763, p < 0.001). These findings indicate that public service innovation develops through interconnected organizational capabilities rather than as a direct consequence of organizational culture alone. The study contributes to public administration literature by proposing an integrated organizational capability framework that explains how innovation emerges through sequential organizational processes within local government institutions. Practically, the findings suggest that local governments should strengthen collaborative work environments, institutionalize knowledge-sharing practices, and foster continuous organizational learning to build sustainable public service innovation and improve service quality.

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