STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVING PUBLIC SERVICE QUALITY AT THE DELTA TIRTA REGIONAL WATER COMPANY, SIDOARJO REGENCY, EAST JAVA, INDONESIA

Muhammad adli Al fawwaz

doi:10.36526/sosioedukasi.v15i3.9466

Authors

Muhammad adli Al fawwaz Universitas pembangunan nasional veteran jawa timur

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36526/sosioedukasi.v15i3.9466

Keywords:

Strategic Management; Strategy Formulation; Strategy Implementation; Strategy Evaluation; Regional Water Company (PDAM)

Abstract

This study analyzes service quality improvement strategies at Perumda Delta Tirta Sidoarjo (PDAM Sidoarjo), the sole piped water provider in Sidoarjo Regency. Despite serving approximately 78% of the regency, the utility faces persistent challenges of ageing pipe networks and high Non-Revenue Water (NRW). Using a qualitative single-case embedded design, data were collected from November 2024 to April 2025 through in-depth interviews with four internal staff and five customers from diverse sub-districts, field observations, and documentary analysis of the 2023 Annual Performance Report and service SOPs. Data were analyzed using Miles and Huberman's interactive model with source, method, and theoretical triangulation. Findings show a coherent four-pillar strategy: infrastructure rehabilitation, digital transformation, HR competency development, and governance strengthening. A qualitative assessment informed by SERVQUAL dimensions reveals a patterned outcome: assurance, empathy, and tangibles were perceived positively by the interviewed informants, while reliability and responsiveness remained constrained by infrastructure conditions and uneven field staff distribution. The most substantive gaps concern the technocratic nature of formulation without formal citizen participation, geographic inequity in service quality, and digital exclusion risks. This study contributes an integrated framework combining David's strategic management cycle, SERVQUAL, and New Public Service to assess efficiency, perceived quality, and equity simultaneously.

References

Bryson, J. M. (2018). Strategic Planning for Public and Nonprofit Organizations: A Guide to Strengthening and Sustaining Organizational Achievement. John Wiley & Sons.

Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2017). Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing Among Five Approaches. SAGE Publications.

David, F. R. (2011). Strategic Management: Concepts and Cases. Pearson Education.

Denhardt, J. V., & Denhardt, R. B. (2015). The New Public Service: Serving, Not Steering. Routledge.

Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic Inquiry. SAGE.

Kurniawan, A. (2021). Infrastructure challenges in East Java’s water utilities: NRW analysis and mitigation strategies. Jurnal Administrasi Publik Nusantara, 4(1), 23–38.

Nkrumah, B. (2019). Digital transformation in African water utilities: Efficiency gains and equity risks. African Journal of Public Administration, 7(2), 112–129.

Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative Data Analysis: An Expanded Sourcebook. SAGE.

Olum, Y. (2014). Public administration and management: Modern approaches. Fountain Publishers.

Osborne, S. (2020). Public Service Logic: Creating Value for Public Service Users, Citizens, and Society Through Public Service Delivery. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003009153

Osborne, S. P., Strokosch, K., & Radnor, Z. (2018). Co-Production and the Co-Creation of Value in Public Services: A Perspective from Service Management 1. In Co-Production and Co-Creation. Routledge.

Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V. A., & Berry, L. L. (1985). A Conceptual Model of Service Quality and Its Implications for Future Research. Journal of Marketing, 49(4), 41–50. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224298504900403

Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V. A., & Berry, L. L. (1986). Servqual, a Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Customer Perceptions of Service Quality. Marketing Science Institute.

Pratiwi, R. D. (2023). Measuring PDAM service quality using the SERVQUAL model: A comparative study of major Indonesian cities. Jurnal Ilmu Administrasi Negara, 11(2), 88–103.

Perumda Delta Tirta Sidoarjo. (2023). Ringkasan Kinerja. https://pdam.sidoarjokab.go.id/004/1563640643

Salahudin, S., Abdullah, M., & Samsudin, S. (2016). Strategic management practices and performance of water utility companies in Malaysia. Asian Journal of Business and Management, 4(3), 71–80.

Santoso, B., & Rahayu, S. (2022). Digital transformation in BUMD water companies: Impacts on operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. Jurnal Kebijakan Publik dan Manajemen, 9(1), 45–62.

Yin, R. K. (2017). Case Study Research and Applications: Design and Methods. SAGE Publications.