BOOSTING CREATIVE LEADERSHIP IN DIGITAL COMMUNITY GROWTH WITH FIVE BALA DHAMMA

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Buddhism was a social and cultural resource that influenced Thai society in many ways, from education and daily life to traditions and cultural practices that reflected the nation's identity. Buddhist teachings helped build cultural and spiritual resilience in responding to social changes such as demographic and economic shifts. The principle of the "Middle Path" enabled individuals to adapt and respond to changes in a constructive way, fostering peace in society. Buddhism also emphasized conflict management with patience, honesty, and fairness-qualities that were fundamental to good leadership. The development of leaders in this direction ensured that communities grew sustainably and strengthened in economic, social, and cultural aspects, thus establishing a solid foundation for the development of peaceful and sustainable communities and societies. The objective of this study was to examine the level of empowering creative leadership for community development in the digital era, to assess the level of applying the Five Bala Dhamma principles based on Buddhist teachings, to investigate the relationship between the empowering creative leadership and community development in the digital era through the application of the Five Bala Dhamma principles based on Buddhist teachings, and to develop recommendations for enhancing the empowering creative leadership for community development in the digital era by applying the Five Bala Dhamma principles based on Buddhist teachings.

Methodology: This research aimed to study the level of enhancing creative leadership potential for community development in the digital era, the level of applying the Buddhist principles of Five Bala Dhamma as a foundation, the relationship between enhancing creative leadership potential for community development in the digital era through the application of the Buddhist principles of Five Bala Dhamma, and to propose recommendations for enhancing creative leadership potential for community development in the digital era based on the application of the Buddhist principles of Five Bala Dhamma. This study employed a mixed-methods approach. The sample group consisted of 291 students and community leaders. The sample size was determined using Krejcie and Morgan's table. The research tool was a questionnaire with a 5-point Likert scale. The statistics used for the quantitative data analysis were the mean, standard deviation, and Pearson correlation coefficient. For the qualitative research, 15 key informants were selected purposefully. The data collection tool was a semi-structured questionnaire.
The content analysis method was used for synthesizing the data, and the quality was checked using triangulation techniques.

Main Results: The results revealed that the level of enhancing creative leadership potential for community development in the digital era was high ( = 4.10, S.D. = 0.32). The level of applying the Buddhist principles of Five Bala Dhamma as a foundation was also high ( = 4.07, S.D. = 0.32). The relationship between enhancing creative leadership potential for community development in the digital era through the application of the Buddhist principles of Five Bala Dhamma was moderate and statistically significant at the .01 level. The recommendations for development were as follows: 1) Continuous enhancement of creative leadership potential; 2) Integration of Five Bala Dhamma principles in practice; 3) Application of technology for community development; and 4) Building partnerships and cooperation at all levels.

Involvement to Buddhadhamma: This article explored Applied Buddhism and its role in cultivating wisdom and morality to enhance leadership development. Grounded in the principles of Five Bala Dhamma, it used relevance within the contemporary organizational context. Buddhist principles served as a fundamental foundation for empowering and strengthening leaders.

Conclusions: The study suggested that continuous enhancement of leadership potential, integration of Five Bala Dhamma principles into practice, the use of technology for community development, and fostering cooperation at all levels were key to achieving sustainable success in community development in the digital era.