The Influence of Leadership and Work Motivation on Employee Performance at Putra Abadi Langkat University

Abstract

Employee performance is a key factor in determining the effectiveness and quality of services provided by higher education institutions. This study aims to analyze the influence of leadership and work motivation on the performance of non-academic employees at Putra Abadi Langkat University, both partially and simultaneously, as well as to identify the most dominant influencing variable. This research employed a quantitative approach with a causal associative design. The population consisted of all 45 permanent non-academic employees of Putra Abadi Langkat University. Since the population was fewer than 100 individuals, a census (total sampling) technique was applied, resulting in a sample of 45 respondents. Data were collected through structured questionnaires using a five-point Likert scale and analyzed using SPSS through validity and reliability tests, classical assumption tests, multiple linear regression analysis, t-test, F-test, and coefficient of determination (R²). The findings reveal that leadership has a positive and significant effect on employee performance (β = 0.385; t = 3.420; p = 0.001), while work motivation also has a positive and significant effect (β = 0.475; t = 4.115; p = 0.000). Simultaneously, leadership and work motivation significantly influence employee performance (F = 28.450; p = 0.000). The coefficient of determination (R²) of 0.575 indicates that 57.5% of the variation in employee performance is explained by leadership and work motivation, while the remaining 42.5% is influenced by other factors not examined in this study. Furthermore, work motivation was identified as the most dominant variable affecting employee performance. These findings suggest that strengthening leadership practices and enhancing employee motivation are essential strategies for improving organizational performance and service quality in higher education institutions.