Personnel Management Based on Moral Principles of a Well-Behaved Person in Private Higher Education Institutions in Bangkok and Surrounding Areas

Background and Aim: Effective human resource management in higher education involves not just contemporary management approaches but also strong ethical foundations. The Seven Qualities of a Virtuous Person (Sappurisa-dhamma) provide a thorough ethical framework that stresses honesty, openness, and moral behavior in Buddhist contexts. This study aims to provide guidelines for personnel management grounded in Sappurisa-dhamma for private higher education institutions in the Bangkok Metropolitan Area. Materials and Methods: The design used was mixed-methods. 1,106 academic specialists, faculty, graduate students, and administrators from five private universities made up the population. Purposive sampling was used for the qualitative interviews, and cluster random sampling was used to get a sample of 100 participants for the quantitative phase. Research equipment comprised a validated questionnaire (IOC = 0.80–1.00; reliability α = 0.95) and a semi-structured interview guide. ANOVA, t-tests, and descriptive statistics were used in the quantitative data analysis, whilst thematic analysis was used in the qualitative data analysis. Results: It was discovered that personnel management techniques based on the Seven Qualities of Sappurisa-dhamma were applied at a generally high level. Among the seven principles, Parisanuyuta (understanding the community) obtained the greatest evaluation, whilst Mattanyuta (knowing the proper measure) received the lowest. Gender, age, and educational attainment did not significantly affect perceptions; however, work experience had a substantial impact on the concepts of "knowing the result" and "knowing the proper measure." Conclusion: The incorporation of Sappurisa-dhamma into people management fosters ethical leadership, strengthens community participation, and promotes organizational harmony within private higher education institutions. Institutions should provide ongoing training to increase staff members' comprehension of these concepts, and policymakers are urged to support the implementation of ethical management frameworks. Future studies should look more closely at the lived experiences and real-world difficulties staff members face when using Sappurisa-dhamma in their work positions, as well as expand the study to include public universities.