Background and Objective
With the rapid expansion of smart city initiatives, municipal employees' productivity challenges have become a critical organizational and service delivery issue. This study aimed to design an integrated model of transformational leadership, smart city technologies, and organizational ergonomics to enhance the efficiency and performance of municipal employees in smart cities.
Methods
This mixed-methods study consisted of qualitative and quantitative phases. In the qualitative phase, in-depth interviews were conducted with 18 elite experts and senior managers, and data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke's six-phase thematic analysis (256 initial codes, 41 sub-themes, 4 main themes). In the quantitative phase, the conceptual model was tested through a researcher-developed questionnaire administered to 238 employees from Tehran Municipality District 8 (96.36% response rate). Data analysis was performed using PLS-SEM in Smart PLS 4 software with 5000 bootstrap subsamples.
Result
Qualitative analysis identified 4 main themes: transformational leadership, smart city technologies, organizational ergonomics, and employee efficiency/performance. Quantitative results demonstrated excellent model fit (R²=0.78, Q²=0.56, SRMR=0.051, NFI=0.95). All three dimensions had significant positive effects on efficiency; transformational leadership exhibited the strongest effect with a path coefficient of 0.46 (t=8.47, f²=0.42), identified as the primary predictor.
Conclusion
The integrated model of transformational leadership, smart city technologies, and organizational ergonomics provides an effective framework for analyzing and enhancing municipal employees' efficiency in smart cities. This approach is expected to improve service efficiency and citizen satisfaction. The findings underscore the need to shift from purely technology-driven approaches to a systemic, human-centered perspective integrating leadership, technology, and job design.
