Building High Performance: The Role of Individual Characteristics and Discipline Through Job Satisfaction

Abstract

Employee performance is a strategic factor that determines organizational success in facing business competition, particularly in companies operating in the industrial equipment trading sector. This study aimed to analyze the effects of individual characteristics and discipline on employee performance, with job satisfaction as a mediating variable. The study employed a quantitative approach with an explanatory research design. The research sample was determined using a saturated sampling technique involving all 70 permanent employees of an air compressor trading company in Jakarta. Data were collected through questionnaires using a five-point Likert scale. Data analysis was conducted using Structural Equation Modeling–Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS) with SmartPLS 3.0 software. The results showed that individual characteristics had positive and significant effects on job satisfaction and employee performance. Discipline had a significant effect on job satisfaction but did not have a direct effect on employee performance. Job satisfaction had a positive effect on employee performance and partially mediated the relationship between individual characteristics and employee performance. Conversely, job satisfaction did not mediate the relationship between discipline and employee performance. These findings imply that improving employee competencies and fostering job satisfaction are important strategies for sustainably enhancing employee performance.