Impact of motivation and participative leadership style on employee performance: Mediating the role of job satisfaction

African higher educational institutions are characterized by limited resources hindering progress. Employees in such institutions are inclined to maintain dedication to their roles, address challenges and pursue excellence in their tasks. Motivation and leadership style play a crucial role in overcoming these challenges. Therefore, this study focuses on the relationship between motivation, participative leadership style, job satisfaction and employee performance at public universities in Ghana. It explored the impact of motivation and participative leadership style on employee performance as well as how job satisfaction plays a moderating role in achieving a goal. This study determined how work satisfaction mediated motivation, participatory leadership style and employee performance in six Ghanaian public universities. A quantitative approach was adopted and a structured questionnaire was administered to 306 university employees who were selected by using both cluster and simple random sampling techniques. The acquired data were analyzed quantitatively by using the Structural Equation Model (SEM) in response to the given hypothesis. The findings revealed that motivation and a participatory leadership style had a considerable positive impact on staff performance. Furthermore, the study revealed that job satisfaction served as a mediator in the relationship between motivation, a participative leadership style and employee performance. Based on the findings, it is recommended that employers at public universities enhance employee motivation and engagement. This can be done by fostering a work environment characterized by supportive leadership, opportunities for growth and development and cultivating a culture that emphasizes appreciation and acknowledgment of performance.