Abstract
This study examines the causal mechanisms of the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) to address a key gap in public sector quality management research. Unlike previous CAF-based studies that mainly describe associations among criteria, this research empirically tests the relationships among its core enabler criteria, the causal links between enablers and results, and the mediating role of process management. Using a standardised cross-national questionnaire design and partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM), the findings show that leadership significantly drives strategy and planning (β = .91, p < .001) and people (β = .51, p < .01) but not partnership and resources. However, process management does not mediate the relationship between enablers and results. Instead, people (β = .27, p < .001), citizens/customers (β = .44, p < .001), and social responsibility (β = .22, p < .05) contribute significantly to overall organisational performance. These insights offer practical guidance for managers and policymakers by showing that performance improves most when leadership is strengthened, strategies are aligned with people and resource management, and improvement actions are explicitly linked to their intended people, citizen, and societal results.