The Influence of Leadership Style and Workload on Employee Performance Through Work Motivation as a Mediating Variable at the Human Resources Development Agency of the Ministry of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions

Employee performance has become one of the strategic issues in public sector organizations due to increasing demands for accountability and public service quality. Although leadership style and workload have frequently been associated with employee performance, previous studies have reported inconsistent findings regarding their direct effects, particularly when work motivation is considered as a mediating mechanism. This study aims to examine the influence of leadership style and workload on employee performance through work motivation among civil servants at the Human Resources Development Agency (BPSDM) of the Ministry of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions, Indonesia. A quantitative explanatory approach was employed using primary data collected from 115 civil servants selected through proportionate random sampling. Data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares–Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings indicate that leadership style and workload significantly affect work motivation, while workload and work motivation significantly influence employee performance. Leadership style does not directly affect employee performance but exerts an indirect effect through work motivation. The novelty of this study lies in confirming the mediating role of work motivation in explaining how leadership style contributes to employee performance within the context of Indonesian public sector organizations.