Achievement Motivation as the Critical Mediator Linking Digital Self-Efficacy and Change Readiness to Administrative Performance in Universities

Amid Indonesia’s ambitious Smart Campus reforms, the performance of non-academic administrative staff—despite their pivotal role in data governance, system integration, and compliance—remains empirically underexplored, particularly in relation to psychological antecedents. Drawing upon Social Cognitive Theory and model of organizational readiness, this study investigates a sequential mediation pathway wherein digital self-efficacy and readiness to change influence job performance through the intervening mechanism of achievement motivation. Utilizing a cross-sectional design, data were collected from 267 administrative personnel across private universities in Java and Bali. Structural equation modeling via PLS-SEM confirmed all hypothesized paths: self-efficacy (B = 0.476, p 0) and strong effect sizes (f² ≥ 0.252), attesting to both statistical and practical significance. These results challenge infrastructure-centric narratives of digital reform, redirecting policy attention toward the cultivation of internal motivational resources as the linchpin of sustainable transformation.  JEL classification numbers: I23, M12, M54, O35.