The Effect of Participative Leadership, Trust, and Work Autonomy on Employee Performance Mediated by Job Satisfaction at PT Semua Dari Alam

Abstract

This study examines the effect of Participative Leadership, Trust, and Work Autonomy on Employee Performance, with Job Satisfaction as a mediating variable. The object of this study is 35 permanent Generation Z employees of PT Semua Dari Alam, a company whose turnover reached 102.8 percent in 2025. The sample was selected through saturated sampling. Data were collected using a five-point Likert-scale questionnaire and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 3 and a bootstrapping procedure of 5,000 resamples. Results show that Participative Leadership has a significant positive effect on Job Satisfaction and on Employee Performance through the mediation of Job Satisfaction. Trust and Work Autonomy have positive but non-significant effects. Job Satisfaction has a significant positive effect on Employee Performance. The model explains 57.9 percent of the variance in Job Satisfaction and 49.8 percent of the variance in Employee Performance. These findings suggest that management should prioritize participative leadership and job satisfaction programs to improve retention and performance.