Motivation, Interpersonal Communication, and Transformational Leadership Effects on Employee Performance Through Job Satisfaction in a Subdistrict Office, East Kutai Regency

This study examines the effects of intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, interpersonal communication, and transformational leadership on job satisfaction and employee performance at the Kombeng Subdistrict Office, East Kutai Regency, Indonesia. A quantitative design was applied to all 53 employees (census) using a five-point Likert questionnaire, and the data were analyzed with partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). All indicators showed loadings above 0.70, average variance extracted above 0.50, and reliability above 0.70. The results show that all four independent variables positively and significantly affect job satisfaction, with interpersonal communication being the strongest (β = 0.663). Intrinsic motivation, interpersonal communication, and job satisfaction significantly affect employee performance, whereas extrinsic motivation and transformational leadership have positive but non-significant direct effects. Job satisfaction partially mediates the effects of intrinsic motivation and interpersonal communication and fully mediates the effects of extrinsic motivation and transformational leadership. The model explains 80.2% of the variance in job satisfaction and 88.2% in employee performance. The findings suggest that public organizations should strengthen communication and leadership practices and link rewards to performance to improve performance through job satisfaction.