Authentic Leadership and Physical Asset Management Practices in the Public Sector: The Mediating Role of Stakeholder Engagement

ABSTRACT An efficient public sector relies heavily on effective physical assets management processes. This study examines the significance of authentic leadership in enhancing physical asset management ( PAM ) Practices of the Public Sector. Here we focused on the mediating Influence of stakeholder engagement in public organizations. Data were collected from 283 employees from various local governments ( LGs ) in Uganda, Using simple random sampling and census procedures for participant selection. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS Version 23.0, supplemented by MedGraph (Excel Version 13), the Sobel test, and the Kenny‐Baron guideline to measure the mediation effect. The study's findings highlight the Importance of authentic leadership in the context of PAM , Indicating that such leadership characteristics are favorably correlated with better management practices. Furthermore, stakeholder engagement emerged as a constructive factor, serving as a partial mediator in the Interaction between authentic leadership and PAM . These findings support the impact of authentic leadership on PAM through better stakeholder engagement. The findings show that local governments which develop and implement policies that encourage active stakeholder participation and promote authenticity in leadership practices in PAM, they promote the co‐creation of value and enhance the stewardship of physical assets. This study attempts to integrate the impacts of authentic leadership on PAM within the public sector domain. It proposes a novel strategy, which place the role of stakeholder participation in this dynamic. The study lays suggestions for future research to further validate and examine these correlations, which as argued, can boost the efficacy of PAM in public sector organizations.