Co-Creation to Improve Performance and Quality of Public Services

Abstract

This study aims to explore and analyze a service quality model—specifically the gap between service users' expectations and management's perceptions—within the context of public services for Population Administration and Civil Registration. Qualitative data were collected from key participants—including management (Heads of the Population Administration and Civil Registration Service Sub-divisions), service counter staff, and service users—until data saturation was reached. Data collection involved in-depth interviews, field observations, surveys, and an analysis of user complaint feedback, all of which were subsequently analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings reveal a stark perceptual gap centered on the dimensions of Assurance and Empathy, whereas Tangibles, Reliability, and Responsiveness showed low to moderate levels of divergence. Theoretically, this study contributes to public service literature by demonstrating that the SERVQUAL Gap-1 in public organizations is not merely a communication failure but a misalignment of cognitive orientations stemming from bureaucratic inertia. While management interprets service quality through the lens of internal regulatory compliance and procedural speed, the public evaluates quality based on psychological security, administrative transparency, and relational empathy. By framing Gap-1 as an institutionalized cognitive divide between administrative compliance indicators and public value co-creation, this article advances the SERVQUAL framework within public administration theory. In summary, managerial strategies such as Management by Walking Around (MBWA) and citizen review mechanisms are proposed to realign organizational cognition with public expectations. The study's strategic implications highlight the importance of leveraging Gap-1 mechanisms—such as suggestion boxes, opinion polls, citizen charters, and public consultations—to steer the co-creation process toward the realization of public value at the "value-in-use" stage.