Employee performance in Bali's MICE industry: a social exchange theory perspective

Purpose This study examines how organisational commitment, organisational culture, employee motivation and performance appraisal jointly shape employee performance in Bali's Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions [MICE] and wider event industry. Grounded in social exchange theory, it explores how reciprocal exchanges between employees and organisations underpin these relationships in a post-pandemic, hybrid work context. Design/methodology/approach Explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was employed, combining a cross-sectional partial least squares structural equation modelling [PLS-SEM] survey (146 useable responses from event planners, wedding organisers, venue-based staff and related actors) with inductive thematic analysis of 18 semi-structured interviews. Quantitative and qualitative strands were analysed separately and then integrated through side-by-side comparison. Findings The structural model confirms significant positive paths among organisational commitment, organisational culture, employee motivation, performance appraisal and employee performance, with motivation emerging as a key mediating mechanism. Qualitative themes show that perceived fairness, supportive and learning-oriented cultures, hybrid work readiness and relational leadership are central to sustaining commitment and discretionary effort among predominantly young, early-career workers. Originality/value This research contributes a novel structural account of employee performance in Bali's MICE sector by showing that organisational culture operates primarily as a motivational antecedent rather than a direct performance driver, and that organisational commitment functions chiefly as a foundation for culture rather than a direct performance lever. This pathway configuration has not previously been documented in Bali's post-pandemic, hybrid-event context. The study additionally offers one of the first mixed-methods applications of social exchange theory in this setting, integrating PLS-SEM and thematic analysis to substantiate this configuration.