The Effect of Agile Leadership and Digital Competence on Employee Performance Through Critical Thinking in the Use of the MySIMKARI Application at the North Sumatra High Prosecutor's Office

Authors

  • Debora Viliana Universitas Sumatera Utara
  • Prihatin Lumbanraja Universitas Sumatera Utara
  • Yeni Absah Universitas Sumatera Utara

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55927/ijems.v4i3.79

Keywords:

Agile Leadership, Digital Competence, Critical Thinking, Employee Performance, MySIMKARI

Abstract

Employee performance in utilizing the MySIMKARI application at the North Sumatra High Prosecutor's Office has not yet reached an optimal level, reflecting challenges in digital system utilization, adaptability to technological change, and effective decision-making. These challenges are presumed to be associated with Agile Leadership, Digital Competence, and Critical Thinking. This study examines the effects of Agile Leadership and Digital Competence on employee performance through Critical Thinking as a mediating variable. A quantitative causal research design was employed using census sampling of 215 employees. Data were collected through interval-scale questionnaires and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 4.0. The findings reveal that Agile Leadership and Digital Competence positively and significantly influence both Critical Thinking and employee performance in utilizing the MySIMKARI application. Critical Thinking also has a significant positive effect on employee performance and mediates the relationships between Agile Leadership, Digital Competence, and employee performance. These findings suggest that strengthening agile leadership, enhancing digital competence, and fostering critical thinking can improve employees' effective utilization of the MySIMKARI application and, consequently, their overall performance

References

Abdullah, M. A., Hamid, R. S., & Duriani. (2025). The role of digital leadership and digital capabilities on dynamic capabilities and digital performance of MSME employees. Al-Kharaj: Journal of Islamic Economic and Business, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.24256/kharaj.v7i1.6570

Aguinis, H. (2023). Performance Management (5th ed.). Chicago: Chicago Business Press.

Agile Manifesto. (2001). Manifesto for Agile Software Development. Diakses pada 12 Januari 2026. https://agilemanifesto.org

AlNuaimi, B. K., Kumar Singh, S., Ren, S., Budhwar, P., & Vorobyev, D. (2022). Mastering digital transformation: The nexus between leadership, agility, and digital strategy. Journal of Business Research, 145, 636–648. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.03.038

Armstrong, M. (2023). Armstrong's Handbook of Performance Management. London: Kogan Page.

Barney, J. B. (1991). Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of Management, 17(1), 99–120.

Basuki, V. K. J., Kirana, K. C., & Subiyanto, D. (2025). The impact of Agile Leadership and organizational culture on work-life balance. Jurnal Pamator, 18(3), 392–405.

Denning, S. (2018). The Age of Agile: How Smart Companies Are Transforming the Way Work Gets Done. New York: AMACOM.

European Commission. (2023). The Digital Competence Framework for Citizens (DigComp 2.2). Luxembourg.

Facione, P. A. (2020). Critical Thinking: What It Is and Why It Counts.

Grant, R. M. (1996). Toward a knowledge-based theory of the firm. Strategic Management Journal, 17(Winter Special Issue), 109–122. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.4250171110

Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2024). A Primer on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) (4th ed.). Sage.

Heidi Hyytinen, Jämsä, M., Tuononen, T., & Kleemola, K. (2025). Performance-based assessments of Critical Thinking in higher education. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education.

Jaramillo Gómez, D. L., et al. (2025). Determining factors for the development of Critical Thinking in higher education. Journal of Intelligence, 13(59).

Joiner, B., & Josephs, S. (2019). Leadership Agility: Five Levels of Mastery for Anticipating and Initiating Change (2nd ed.). Wiley.

Kartoyo, S. H., Ardi, A., & Berlianto, M. P. (2023). Digital transformational leadership on employee performance. Enrichment: Journal of Management, 13(4), 2668–2677.

Li, X., Zhang, Y., & Wang, H. (2025). Digital leadership and innovative performance: The role of knowledge sharing and employee creativity. Frontiers in Psychology.

Marrero-Sánchez, O., & Vergara-Romero, A. (2023). Digital competence of university students. Amazonia Investiga, 12(67), 9–18.

Northouse, P. G. (2022). Leadership: Theory and Practice (9th ed.). Sage.

Pradhana, A., & Sudjadi. (2025). Pengaruh kompetensi kerja digital dan kepemimpinan terhadap kelincahan pegawai dengan inovasi sebagai variabel mediasi. Jurnal Manajemen, 17(2), 182–197.

Pratama, A., & Almansur, M. (2024). Pengaruh Agile Leadership terhadap kinerja pegawai dengan kepuasan kerja sebagai variabel mediasi. Jurnal At-Tadbir, 4(2), 97–112.

Restika, L., & Sulaeman, D. (2025). Pengaruh budaya agile dan kompetensi digital terhadap kinerja pegawai di era digital. BISMA: Jurnal Bisnis dan Manajemen, 19(2), 155–170.

Robbins, S. P., & Judge, T. A. (2021). Organizational Behavior (18th ed.). Pearson.

Scriven, M., & Paul, R. (2023). Defining Critical Thinking. Foundation for Critical Thinking.

Shafariah, N., Abdullah, M., & Karim, A. (2024). Leadership transformation in the digital era. International Journal of Management Science and Information Technology, 20(1), 33–49.

Subariyanti, E., Prakoso, B., & Firmansyah, D. (2025). Enhancing employee performance through digital transformation, competence, and agility. Dynamic Management Journal, 9(2), 76–91.

Tria, D., Hidayat, A., & Wulandari, S. (2026). Pengaruh kompetensi digital, Agile Leadership dan organizational citizenship behavior terhadap kinerja pegawai. Jurnal Ekonomi, Akuntansi dan Organisasi, 8(1), 66–82.

Uhl-Bien, M., & Arena, M. (2024). Leadership for organizational adaptability. The Leadership Quarterly.

van Laar, E., van Deursen, A. J. A. M., van Dijk, J. A. G. M., & de Haan, J. (2020). Determinants of 21st-century digital skills for workers. SAGE Open, 10(1).

Vuorikari, R., Kluzer, S., & Punie, Y. (2022). DigComp 2.2: The Digital Competence Framework for Citizens. Publications Office of the European Union.

Wang, T., et al. (2022). Digital leadership and exploratory innovation: From the perspective of strategic orientation. Frontiers in Psychology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.902693

Wijaya, R., Nugraha, P., & Kurniawan, T. (2024). The effect of digital competency on employee agility and performance. International Journal of Scientific Research and Management, 12(6), 3200–3212.

Wulandari, F. A., Hamid, S. R., & Ikbal, M. (2025). Role of Digital Competence in increasing job satisfaction and employee performance. Bima Journal: Journal of Business, Management and Accounting, 6(1), 627–642.

Yukl, G. (2020). Leadership in Organizations (9th ed.). Pearson.

Zhao, Y., & Krishna, P. (2024). Transformational leadership in the digital era: Enhancing organizational performance through agile management and employee empowerment. International Journal of Core Engineering & Management, 10(5), 51–67.

Downloads

Published

2026-07-28

Issue

Section

Articles