Integrating Buddhist Dhamma Principles to Enhance Leadership Skills of Local Politicians in Nonthaburi Province

Abstract

The objectives of this research article were 1) to study Buddhist Dhamma principles and qualities of political leaders that promoted the leadership of local politicians in Nonthaburi Province; 2) to develop an innovative integration of Buddhist Dhamma principles that can be applied to promote leadership of local politicians in Nonthaburi Province; and 3) to create a prototype innovation for developing leadership of local politicians using Buddhist Dhamma principles, enabling sustainable application in the context of local communities in Nonthaburi Province based on Papanikadhamma 3. A mixed-methods research approach was used, comprising quantitative research using questionnaires administered to a sample of 400 individuals aged 18 and above in Nonthaburi Province, analyzed using Taro Yamane's formula. Data were analyzed using percentage, mean, standard deviations, and multiple regression analysis; and qualitative research used in-depth interviews with key informants, analyzed with descriptive content analysis. The findings showed that 1) the integration of Papanikadhamma 3 revealed that local politicians in Nonthaburi Province possessed a high overall level of leadership ( = 3.99, S.D. = .373), encompassing aspects of Chakkuma, Vidhuro, and Nissayasampanno, including leadership qualities such as knowledge, ability, ethics, and leadership skills. This could predict leadership qualities by as much as 91.20%, while Papanikadhamma 3 was able to predict 89.40% of the time, which was statistically significant; 2) a visionary leadership style that was data-driven, with systematic planning and transparent, supportive communication, acting as a coach, fostering innovation, and creating a safe space. There was a participatory approach to bridging the power gap that empowered citizens to participate through technology and success-oriented public forums that set challenging goals, utilized flexible working approaches, and built a culture of collaboration; and 3) a model action plan was a comprehensive process from context analysis and leadership assessment to design and training, implementation, monitoring, and scaling up for sustainability, using data and transparency as core principles, through 360-degree evaluation and verifiable pilot projects. This plan can be further developed into a sustainable, reusable platform for local leadership development in other areas.