Organizational Culture and Leadership Style as Determining Factors of Employee Performance at the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) of the Special Region of Yogyakarta

This conceptual study explores how organizational culture and leadership style influence employee performance in high-risk public organizations. Design/methodology/approach: Based on Social Exchange Theory, this article synthesizes recent public sector literature to identify direct pathways from organizational culture and leadership style to employee performance, isolating the most relevant cultural and leadership signals related to operational reliability. Findings: The synthesis shows that inclusive cultural norms aligned with the mission, combined with empowering leadership characterized by clear direction, constructive feedback, and daily support, are associated with faster, more accurate, and more reliable performance. This effect is most pronounced in contexts requiring intensive cross-unit coordination and timely decision-making. Practical implications: Organizations can institutionalize social norms that enhance fairness, participation, and cooperation by modifying perceptions of leadership to emphasize clarity and inclusivity, and by coaching to reduce variability in frontline speed, accuracy, and consistency. Originality/value: This research proposes a focused, theory-driven framework for testing in high-risk public organizations (e.g., emergency management agencies) and examines three factors (organizational culture, leadership style, and employee performance). It is relevant to the design of a policy that focuses on enhancing employees’ performances.