THE ROLE OF LEADERSHIP AND QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS OF PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION INSTITUTIONS IN STAKEHOLDER TRUST AND PERCEIVED GROWTH OF CONSTRUCTION COMPETENCY CERTIFICATION

Abstract

This study investigates the effects of leadership effectiveness and the effectiveness of the quality management system of Professional Certification Institutions (LSPs) on stakeholder trust and perceived growth of construction competency certification activities. The study employed an explanatory quantitative design using survey data from 70 qualified respondents and annual data on construction Competency Certificates (SKK) obtained from the Indonesian Construction Services Development Board (LPJK) for the 2021–2025 period. The structural relationships were examined using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with 5,000 bootstrap subsamples, while SKK data were analyzed descriptively to provide contextual information. The results indicate that leadership effectiveness has a significant positive effect on stakeholder trust (β = 0.459; p < 0.001) and perceived certification growth (β = 0.368; p = 0.011). The effectiveness of the quality management system significantly influences stakeholder trust (β = 0.331; p = 0.001), but its direct effect on perceived certification growth is not significant at the 5% significance level (β = 0.249; p = 0.055). Furthermore, stakeholder trust does not significantly influence perceived certification growth and does not mediate the relationships between leadership, quality management systems, and certification growth perception. LPJK data show that the number of construction SKK increased from 2,791 in 2021 to 247,136 in 2023, followed by a decline to 237,189 in 2024 and 207,393 in 2025. The novelty of this study lies in integrating leadership, quality management systems, stakeholder trust, and certification growth perception within a single structural model while contextualizing the findings with actual annual SKK trends.