Collaborative Leadership in Waste Management: A Case Study of Watampone City, Indonesia

Abstract

The concept and practice of leadership is continuously evolving. In public administration literature, collaborative leadership is a serious discussion and collaborative leadership is encouraged to be applied at all levels of leadership including the leadership of the Regional Head. Waste management as a very serious public problem is a challenge to modern civilisation and Indonesia is one of the countries with the largest populations in the world, producing more than 19 million tons of waste in 2022, while Watampone is one of the cities in Indonesia that certainly contributes to the waste pile. As a developing city, preventive measures must be taken before following in the footsteps of big cities that are dealing with waste problems because there is no inherent prevention. Therefore, its leadership model can be a key factor. In these terms, it is important to study waste management policy using a collaborative leadership approach. This study aims to look at the characteristics of collaborative leadership in waste management. This research uses descriptive qualitative methods and data collection techniques in interviews with relevant stakeholder leaders as informants combined with documentation studies. The results show that the collaborative leadership model in waste management has a positive impact; this is because the involvement of multiple parties helps manage waste problems and share roles. The characteristics of collaborative leadership expressed by Wilson as a reference in this study show that waste management must involve many parties with the characteristics of awareness of functions, division of authority, cooperation for a common vision, and mutual trust by all operators involved. As a suggestion, waste management using a collaborative leadership approach should be conducted by clearly mapping the roles of all stakeholders involved. Another aspect that supports and strengthens waste management collaboration in Watampone City is the culture of gotong royong (mutual aid) that has been rooted in the lives of the people of Watampone City.