Participatory Communication for Management Efficiency in the Context of Local Administrative Organizations

Abstract

This academic article aims to analyze approaches to using participatory communication to enhance the management efficiency of Local Administrative Organizations (LAOs) amid the challenges of the digital era. It highlights that “participatory communication” is not merely a supplementary activity for public relations, but a fundamental infrastructure and an important strategy for driving LAOs toward excellence in the digital age. The study employs document analysis and related literature, together with a case study of the waste-to-energy power plant project in Pak Chong District, Nakhon Ratchasima Province. The findings reveal that a key obstacle behind local public opposition was one-way communication and an information vacuum, which led to a crisis of trust. The article proposes adjusting the role of LAOs from policy announcers to facilitators of dialogue (Facilitators) by integrating mixed media and creating public spaces for constructive debate. It recommends elevating communication from the level of “Informing” to “Consultation” and “Partnership” in order to reduce spatial conflicts, lower social and budgetary costs, enhance confidence and trust, increase the competitiveness of local areas, create transparency, and strengthen civil society, aiming toward excellence in sustainable local governance.