Bureaucratic simplification and organizational effectiveness: the mediating role of administrative efficiency and the moderating roles of transformational and digital leadership

Purpose This paper develops a conceptual framework linking bureaucratic simplification to organizational effectiveness in the public sector. It explores administrative efficiency as a mediating mechanism and examines how transformational and digital leadership moderate this relationship. Design/methodology/approach This is a conceptual paper based on an integrative review of relevant literature in public administration, leadership theory, and digital governance. A multilevel model is proposed for future empirical testing. Findings The framework suggests that bureaucratic simplification contributes to organizational effectiveness primarily through improved administrative efficiency. While prior research assumes these links, this paper sharpens them by situating efficiency as a mediating mechanism in decentralized and multi-level governance contexts, where outcomes are less predictable. Transformational leadership enhances the internalization of reform values, while digital leadership strengthens administrative innovation and system responsiveness, serving as moderators in the model. Research limitations/implications The framework is theoretical in nature and awaits empirical validation. Future research is encouraged to test the model across diverse public organizations, particularly in decentralized governance contexts such as Indonesia’s provincial governments. Cross-national studies in Latin America, Eastern Europe and Scandinavia suggest that simplification effects vary by institutional design, underscoring the value of comparative validation. Practical implications For reform-oriented public leaders and policymakers, the framework highlights the importance of combining structural reform with strategic leadership. More concretely, this implies investing in leadership development programs, strengthening organizational culture change initiatives, and building digital infrastructure that supports streamlined service delivery. Simplification without leadership alignment and digital capability may yield limited performance impact. Originality/value This study contributes to the public leadership literature by integrating transformational and digital leadership into the bureaucratic reform discourse. It advances originality by consolidating these leadership paradigms into a moderated mediation framework and by explicitly acknowledging alternative mediating mechanisms such as service quality, trust, and culture as potential extensions.