Perceptions of Subdistrict Administrative Organization and Municipal Clerks toward Ethical Leadership and Good Governance of Local Administrative Organization Executives in Phitsanulok Province

Abstract

This study aimed to: 1) examine the opinions of Subdistrict Administrative Organization (SAO) clerks and municipal clerks regarding the ethical leadership and good governance of local administrative organization executives; and 2) analyze the relationship between ethical leadership and good governance of local administrative executives in Phitsanulok Province. This research employed a quantitative survey design. The sample consisted of 86 SAO clerks and municipal clerks in Phitsanulok Province, selected using stratified random sampling and simple random sampling. The research instrument was a five-point Likert scale questionnaire with a reliability coefficient of .83. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including mean and standard deviation, and inferential statistics using Pearson’s correlation coefficient.

The findings revealed that: 1) the overall opinions of SAO and municipal clerks toward the ethical leadership of local administrative executives were at the highest level (𝑥̄ = 4.28), particularly in terms of integrity and role modeling, which received the highest mean scores. The overall opinions toward good governance were also at the highest level (𝑥̄ = 4.21), with transparency and rule of law scoring higher than other dimensions. 2) The hypothesis testing indicated that ethical leadership had a strong positive correlation with good governance at a statistically significant level of .01 (r = .78**). This suggests that executives with high ethical leadership are able to effectively promote governance practices in accordance with the principles of good governance.