The Influence Of Job Characteristics And Situational Leadership On Employee Performance: Motivation As A Mediating Variable At The Human Resource Development Agency Of Karo Regency

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of job characteristics and situational leadership on employee
performance, with motivation serving as a mediating variable, at the Human Resource
Development Agency of Karo Regency. The research population consisted of 33 permanent
employees at the agency. Given the relatively small population, a saturated sampling method was
employed, incorporating all 33 employees as respondents. Data were gathered through primary
sources using structured questionnaires and supplemented with secondary data obtained from
documentation studies. Quantitative analysis was performed using SPSS version 25, applying t
tests, Sobel tests, and path analysis to assess the relationships among variables. The study’s
findings reveal several significant results: first, job characteristics have a positive and significant
effect on motivation; second, situational leadership positively and significantly influences
motivation; third, job characteristics significantly affect employee performance; fourth,
situational leadership positively impacts performance; fifth, motivation significantly contributes
to performance; sixth, job characteristics indirectly influence performance through motivation as
a mediating variable; and seventh, situational leadership also indirectly affects performance
through motivation. These findings highlight the critical roles of job design and leadership style
in enhancing employee motivation, which in turn improves overall performance. The study
underscores the importance for organizational management to focus on optimizing job
characteristics and adopting situational leadership approaches to foster motivation and achieve
higher employee performance within government human resource institutions.
Keywords: Job Characteristics, Motivation, Performance, and Situational Leadership.