The Impact of Situational Leadership and Organizational Culture on Employee Performance: The Mediating Role of Work Motivation

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the impact of situational leadership and organizational culture on employee performance, with work motivation serving as a mediating variable. The research was conducted at the Kelurahan offices within the Panggungrejo District of Pasuruan City, targeting a saturated sample of 86 employees. Data were collected through structured questionnaires using a 5-point Likert scale to measure respondents' perceptions. The analytical method employed was Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to test both direct and indirect relationships within the structural model. The findings reveal that both situational leadership and organizational culture have a positive and significant direct impact on employee performance. Notably, organizational culture emerged as the most dominant predictor of productivity. Furthermore, the results confirm that work motivation acts as a significant mediator, bridging the gap between leadership adaptability, cultural values, and overall performance. These results suggest that optimizing public service delivery requires a synergistic approach that fosters flexible leadership and a robust organizational culture to intrinsically motivate the workforce.