The Role of Work Motivation Mediation on the Influence of Leadership on Employee Performance

This study critically examines the role of work motivation as an intervening variable in the configuration of the relationship between leadership and employee performance at Chuckwie Restaurant Denpasar. Using a quantitative approach and associative-causal design, the entire employee population of 38 people was studied through total sampling techniques. The questionnaire instrument was used as a data collection tool, which was then analyzed through path analysis assisted by SPSS version 25.0. Empirical findings indicate that leadership plays a positive and significant role in influencing both work motivation and employee performance. Furthermore, work motivation was identified as an effective and significant mediator in bridging the relationship between leadership and performance, reinforcing the effects of leadership on individual work output indirectly. These findings emphasize that effective leadership is not just a managerial issue, but touches on the affective and cognitive aspects of employees in shaping a sustainable work ethic. Therefore, motivation cannot be separated from leadership in formulating systemic and transformative performance improvement strategies.