Vol.
13 No .
: December, 2025 p-ISSN: 1978-3795.
e-ISSN: 2721-6721 Posted: 07 July 2025 Accepted: 24 September 2025 Published:2025-September-25 Spiritual Intelligence as a Moderator in the Influence of Work Loyalty.
Individual Characteristics, and External Motivation on Employee Performance Yossy Ariasanti 1.
Betti Nuraini2.
Dheo Rimbano3.
Herman Paleni4 Master of Management Program.
Bina Insan University.
Lubuklinggau Indonesia Master of Education Program.
Prof.
Dr.
Hamka Muhammadiyah University.
Jakarta Indonesia Master of Management Program.
Bina Insan University.
Lubuklinggau Indonesia Master of Management Program.
Bina Insan University.
Lubuklinggau Indonesia * Correspondence: yossy_ariasanti@univbinainsan.
Abstract: This research addresses the gap in public sector employee performance models in Indonesia, which are still dominated by structural factors such as incentives, while the integration of values .
sychological and spiritua.
is rarely tested quantitatively.
This research examines the influence of work loyalty, individual characteristics, and external motivation on employee performance, as well as the role of spiritual intelligence as a moderator at the Lubuklinggau City Agriculture Office.
A quantitative survey method was used on 81 employees.
data was collected through questionnaires, observations, and document reviews, then analyzed using simple linear regression, t-tests, correlation tests, and Moderated Regression Analysis (MRA).
The results show that all three variables have a positive and significant effect on performance, and spiritual intelligence strengthens the relationship between each variable and performance.
The findings emphasize the urgency of a value-based performance framework that integrates spiritual dimensions into bureaucratic performance management Limitations include a single-agency design, potentially biased self-assessment, and narrow scope.
Nevertheless, this study contributes empirical evidence of the moderating effect of spiritual intelligence and offers a value-based performance framework that integrates psychological and spiritual parameters in the context of government organization.
Keywords: Work Loyalty.
Individual Characteristics.
External Motivation.
Spiritual Intelligence.
Employee Performance JEL: O2.
L2.
INTRODUCTION
The effectiveness of public organizations depends not only on procedural and technological aspects, but also on practices centered on human resource recruitment, training, culture, leadership, and incentives that are aligned with the ASN performance framework, taking into maximum consideration: objectivity, measurability, accountability, participation, and transparency (PermenPANRB, 2.
Regarding digital transformation, the challenges are not only technical: the adaptation of the Indonesian public sector is hampered by resistance to change, digital literacy gaps, and uneven infrastructure (Hanan Rahmadi & Teti Rusmiati, 2.
Based on observations at the Lubuklinggau City Agriculture Office, there are signs of low work loyalty, reflected in weak responsibility and employee absenteeism.
This indicates a weakening of employees' emotional attachment to their work.
At the same time, individual characteristics .
specially among senior employee.
indicate that technological adaptation challenges have the potential to disrupt team collaboration, while external motivations such as remuneration, promotion, and recognition remain drivers of productivity (Alrashidi et al.
, 2.
Beyond these factors, spiritual intelligence, namely the capacity for work with organizational goals, is thought to influence work loyalty, individual characteristics, and motivation.
There is a limited of studies that integrate a value-based framework .
sychological and spiritua.
with HRM variables and examine the moderating role of spiritual intelligence in the https://equity.
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php/equity 33019/equity.
The Role of Career Development in Improving Employee Performance: The Influence of Internal Communication and Work Motivation on Organizational Performance relationship between work loyalty, individual characteristics, and external motivation on performance, particularly in local government bureaucracies in Indonesia.
Most studies are still additive in nature .
ssessing the main effects of each variabl.
and have not tested the boundary conditions that explain when and on whom these effects are strengthened or weakened (Hanan Rahmadi & Teti Rusmiati, 2.
This study aims to examine the influence of work loyalty, individual characteristics, and external motivation on employee performance.
assess spiritual intelligence as a moderating variable that has the potential to strengthen these relationships at the Lubuklinggau City Agriculture Office.
It is hoped that this study will expand the theory of public sector performance by positioning spiritual intelligence as a boundary condition that explains the heterogeneity of the effectiveness of HRM factors.
shift the approach from an additive model to an interactive model through moderation testing.
and provide contextual evidence on local bureaucracy in Indonesia, thereby increasing the external validity of the findings (Alrashidi et al.
Liu et al.
, 2.
This research is important because it integrates conceptual and empirical testing of spiritual intelligence as a moderator in a single quantitative model with HRM variables, with policy implications in the form of an operational value-based performance framework for performance management design in public organizations.
LITERATURE REVIEW
1 Work Loyalty Work loyalty demonstrates a vivid picture of the employeesAo commitment, attachment, and contribution towards the organization, which, in turn, reflects the dynamics of human resource management.
Work loyalty, as defined is most fundamentally based on affective commitment, which is an emotional linkage between employees and the organization.
Employees exhibiting high levels of affective commitment are said to derive joy from their roles within the organization and exhibit greater loyalty in the long term (Zanabazar et al.
Moreover, also pointed out that achieving a balance between work and family responsibilities tends to increase loyalty to the organization.
Employees who are able to achieve this balance tend to be more loyal.
The primary purpose of employee loyalty is to increase productivity while simultaneously decreasing turnover, improving engagement, and cultivating favorable workplace relations.
Loyalty plays an important role in retaining skilled employees and enhancing team retention and performance.
In this context.
Rahimpour et al.
, .
claims that loyalty can improve workforce morale, diminish clashes, and enhance employee-manager 2 Individual Characteristics Individual traits significantly influence the evolution of performance and behavior in the workplace.
These traits encompass abilities, values, attitudes, levels of motivation, and previous experiences, all of which shape responses to various work scenarios.
Every individual has distinct perspectives, goals, and needs that shape their organizational conduct and behavior (Resawati & Rinawati, 2.
That these characteristics include other critical factors, such as trust and expectations, which shape someone's actions within an organization.
Understanding individual traits, because these authors describe them as a mix of biological and environmental factors, including personality as well as values and motivation, which impact behavior in an organizational setting (Tian, 2.
(Sayuti & Safitri, 2.
also describe that personality, perception, and motivation are equally important to achieve optimal performance at work.
This demonstrates that individual traits stem not only from one's background but also from social interactions and experiences throughout one's career.
3 External Motivation https://equity.
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Spiritual Intelligence as a Moderator in the Influence of Work Loyalty.
Individual Characteristics, and External Motivation on Employee Performance Motivation in organizational behavior is an intrinsic and extrinsic element that influences how individuals engage with their work and pursue goals.
Intrinsic motivation, as explored by Swiatczak, is driven by internal factors such as perceived competence, autonomy, and meaningfulness, which are essential for fostering high levels of intrinsic motivation in the workplace (Swiatczak, 2.
Shin et al.
show that work motivation mediates the relationship between individualism and work engagement (Shin et al.
, 2.
The interaction between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation is also evident in goal Furthermore, perceived control, as studied by Studer et al.
, can increase persistence even when external rewards are reduced, suggesting that perceived control can be a powerful motivator in challenging situations.
Collectively, it is important to balance intrinsic and extrinsic motivators in organizational settings to optimize employee motivation and Understanding the nuanced interaction between these motivational forces can help organizations design more effective motivational strategies that meet the internal drives and external incentives of their employees.
For example.
Herzberg's Theory and the Job Characteristics Model provide explanations of how job design and the surrounding environment increase motivation by fulfilling intrinsic and extrinsic needs (Gould, 2.
Understanding the interaction between internal and external motivational factors allows organizations to align their motivation strategies with employee engagement, productivity, and satisfaction.
4 Spiritual Intelligence Spiritual Intelligence (SQ) is now recognized as an important type of intelligence, both from a psychological and managerial perspective, because it provides a framework for integrating spiritual values into one's personal and professional life.
In Zohar and Marshall's concept.
SQ is the ability to access deeper meaning and values, which can enhance critical thinking and decision-making (Watts & Dorobantu, 2.
Although Gardner does not recognize SQ as a separate form of intelligence, research has found that SQ can improve daily functioning and well-being (Amram, 2.
Other research results mention that spiritual intelligence is not separate but is used specifically in spiritual matters, supported by evidence showing its unique characteristics such as transcendence and interconnectedness (Watts & Dorobantu, 2.
In management practice, the influence of SQ can be seen in changes in leadership style, such as the integration of cultural principles to avoid ego centered leadership (Fry & Vu, 2.
Furthermore.
SQ has been shown to trigger cognitive and behavioral changes by offering new perspectives and mechanisms.
In general, evidence shows that SQ supports self-development, leadership development, entrepreneurial behavior, and mental health by providing mental support from the system in various actions and aspects of life.
5 Performance Performance in management and human resource relations is influenced by various factors such as ability and motivation as well as working conditions.
(Iqbal et al.
, 2.
define performance as the results of an individual's work that are pursued and measured based on certain benchmarks, where motivation, both positive and negative, is a major factor in achieving (Awaysheh et al.
, 2.
note that performance feedback can influence employees in certain efforts, especially when the feedback is in line with the perceived benefits.
Managerial skills also have an influence, as in this case.
McCarthy & Milner, .
also emphasize the importance of management training, which has a positive effect on employee innovation, although time is a constraint in its implementation.
(Schreck, 2.
examined the impact of performance information relative to task strategies, showing that detailed feedback is more beneficial in groups.
(Grabowski et al.
, 2.
examined work ethic and motivation, showing that both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation are important for performance.
Finally, (Hermanto & Srimulyani, 2.
found that organizational justice and citizenship behavior have a significant positive impact on employee performance, especially in educational settings.
These studies show that performance achievement is the result of an interrelated network of individual abilities, motivational factors, managerial practices, and organizational strategies, which require equal consideration in assessing and implementing managerial control.
https://equity.
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The Role of Career Development in Improving Employee Performance: The Influence of Internal Communication and Work Motivation on Organizational Performance METHOD This study systematically applies a quantitative approach to address the phenomenon under investigation.
The quantitative approach aims to formulate and test models and theories against empirically observable phenomena.
The research population includes all 81 employees of the Lubuklinggau City Agricultural Service.
Because the number of respondents is less than 100, the entire population is used as the sample .
aturated sampl.
, so this study is classified as a population study.
Data collection was conducted through a questionnaire designed with a 5-point Likert scale, designed to measure the attitudes, opinions, and perceptions of respondents towards defined social phenomena.
The questionnaire items were designed through a review of relevant literature and adapted to public organizations.
All items were formulated as statements that respondents could indicate their level of agreement on a scale of 1 .
trongly disagre.
to 5 .
trongly agre.
(Sugiyono, 2.
The validity of the instrument was assessed in two stages.
Construct validity was tested empirically through item-total correlation (CITC) for each scale.
The internal reliability of the questionnaire was estimated using Cronbach's alpha coefficient for each construct.
After the instrument was validated and proven reliable, the hypothesis was tested through the application of regression analysis based on the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) method to estimate the independent and dependent variables in accordance with the research model (Ghozali, 2.
To estimate the parameters correctly, the model residuals were tested against the regression The normality of the residuals was verified using the ShapiroAeWilk test, supported by a QAeQ plot.
the residuals were considered to meet the normality assumption if the p-value was greater than five percent and the points scattered on the QAeQ plot were consistent with the diagonal line without systematic deviations.
The assumption of no multicollinearity for each predictor was evaluated using variance inflation factor (VIF) and tolerance(Ghozali, 2.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Result 1 T-test Partial Test .
-tes.
for Work Loyalty Variables on Performance The t-test can be applied to observe the individual influence of each independent variable on the dependent variable.
The output from the t-test to test the first hypothesis that work loyalty influences performance in the Agriculture Office of Lubuk Linggau City is presented in the following table.
Table 1.
Partial Test Results .
-tes.
for Work Loyalty Variables on Performance Model Work Loyalty Individual Characteristics External Motivation Unstandardized Coefficients Std.
Error
0,581 0,066
Standardized Coefficients Beta
0,707
8,820
0,000
0,533 0,080
0,601
6,647
0,000
0,550 0,082
0,605
6,707
0,000
Sig.
Source: Primary data processed by researchers, 2024 The results show that the job loyalty variable (X.
has a significant effect on the performance (Y) of employees at the Lubuklinggau City Agricultural Office.
The t-test results show a t-value of 8.
820, which is greater than the t-table value of 1.
990 at a degree of freedom df = 78 .
Oe .
and a significance level of p = 0.
000 < 0.
These results prove that work loyalty optimizes employee productivity.
In general, work loyalty has been proven to encourage active participation and commitment of employees in carrying out their assigned tasks, which in turn increases individual and organizational unit The t-test also confirmed that individual characteristics (X.
have a significant effect on performance (Y).
The t-test results show that the t-value is 6.
647, indicating a strong and positive effect on employee work performance because the value is greater than https://equity.
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Spiritual Intelligence as a Moderator in the Influence of Work Loyalty.
Individual Characteristics, and External Motivation on Employee Performance the t-table value of 1.
990 at df = 78.
In addition, there is a strong relationship between external motivation (X.
and performance (Y).
Based on the t-test results, the t-value is 6.
707, which is greater than the t-table value of 1.
f = .
with a significance level of p = 0.
000 < 0.
Based on these findings, externally motivated employees have a positive and significant impact on employee performance.
In general, the results of this partial test show that work loyalty, individual characteristics, and external motivation each contribute positively and significantly to improving employee performance at the Lubuklinggau City Agriculture Office.
All tests show t values > t table .
and p<0.
2 Moderated Regression Analysis (MRA) Moderated Regression Analysis (MRA) test to investigate the fourth hypothesis, which states that Spiritual Intelligence (Z) can moderate Work Loyalty (X.
impact on Performance (Y) at the Lubuklinggau City Agriculture Office.
Moderated Regression Analysis (MRA) Spiritual Intelligence to moderate the impact of Work Loyalty on Performance The findings of the MRA concerning at the Lubuklinggau City Agriculture Office are illustrated in the following table.
Table 2.
Results of the Interaction Spiritual Intelligence to moderate the impact of Work Loyalty on Performance Moderating on the Performance Unstandardized Standardized Model Coefficients Coefficients Sig.
Std.
Error Beta (Constan.
16,444 1,791 9,182 0,000 Work loyalty * Spiritual 0,012 0,001 0,723 9,243 0,000 Source: Primary data processed by researchers, 2024 The analysis of Table 2 shows that the interaction with work loyalty (X.
and spiritual intelligence (Z) yielded a significance value of 0.
This value is indeed less Therefore, we can say that it is proven that Z as a moderator variable has a powerful impact on the connection between job loyalty (X.
with performance (Y) in the scope of the Agriculture Department of Lubuklinggau City.
Table 3.
R Square Values of the Interaction Spiritual Intelligence to moderate the impact of Work Loyalty on Performance Std.
Error of the R Square Adjusted R Square Estimate 00,723a 0,523 0,517 3,754 Source: Primary data processed by researchers, 2024 From the emphasizing as for work loyalty.
Wularsih & Octafian, .
, strengthen this connection by showing that a favorable organizational climate and managerial encouragement will promote loyalty.
thus, employee performance is also Therefore, the enhancement of work loyalty geopolitically moderated by spiritual intelligence is a practical pathway towards heightened performance for public offices, including the Department of Agriculture, by underscoring the need to foster psychological dimensions to achieve constructive work results.
Moderated Regression Analysis (MRA) Spiritual Intelligence to moderate the impact of Individual Characteristics on Performance https://equity.
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The Role of Career Development in Improving Employee Performance: The Influence of Internal Communication and Work Motivation on Organizational Performance Table 4.
Results of Interaction Spiritual Intelligence to moderate the impact of Individual Characteristics on Performance Unstandardized Standardized Model Coefficients Coefficients t Sig.
Std.
Error Beta (Constan.
17,248 2,067 8,343 0,000 Individual Characteristics 0,011 0,002 0,652 7,587 0,000 * Spiritual Intelligence Source: Primary data processed by researchers, 2024 According to the results of the analysis conducted and provided in Table 4, the interaction variable between individual characteristics (XCC) and spiritual intelligence (Z) yielded a significance value of 0.
This value is notably lower than 0.
This suggests that spiritual intelligence (Z) is a significant moderating variable on the relationship between individual characteristics (X) and performance (Y) at the Lubuklinggau City Agriculture Office.
Table 5.
R Square Values of the Interaction Spiritual Intelligence to moderate the impact of Individual Characteristics on Performance Std.
Error of the R Square Adjusted R Square Estimate 0,652a 0,425 0,417 4,123 Source: Primary data processed by researchers, 2024 The data in Table 5 shows an R square value of 0.
this means individual characteristics (X.
contribute to performance (Y) at a rate of 42.
5% after considering the moderating variable of spiritual intelligence (Z).
This illustrates that spiritual intelligence substantially strengthens the relationship between individual characteristics and performance.
As a point of reference, the R-squared value recorded prior to moderation was 0.
362 or 36.
Table 6.
Results of Interaction Spiritual Intelligence to moderate the impact of External Motivation on Performance Unstandardized Standardized Model Coefficients Coefficients Sig.
Std.
Error Beta (Constan.
16,862 2,091 8,063 ,000 External Motivation*Spiritual 0,012 0,002 00,656 7,683 0,000 Intelligence Source: Primary data processed by researchers, 2024 As highlighted in Table 6, the interaction variable's significance value of External Motivation (X.
with spiritual intelligence (Z) is 0.
000 which is less than 0.
This demonstrates that Z significantly moderates the relationship between X3 and performance(Y) in the case of the Agriculture Department of Lubuklinggau City.
As per the empirical study undertaken at the Agriculture Office of Lubuklinggau City, external motivation has a notable impact on performance, with the spiritual intelligence of the individual acting as a moderating factor.
The results of the moderation test revealed a significant value (Si.
000, which is below the threshold of 0.
This means that spiritual intelligence (Z) substantially strengthens the impact of external motivation (X.
on performance (Y) (Nursabilla et al.
, 2.
R Square analysis was employed to determine the extent to which an independent variable .
xternal motivatio.
impacts a dependent variable .
in the presence of a moderating variable.
Before applying the moderator, the R Square value stood at 0.
366, reflecting that external motivation explains 36.
6% of the variance in https://equity.
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Spiritual Intelligence as a Moderator in the Influence of Work Loyalty.
Individual Characteristics, and External Motivation on Employee Performance The incorporation of spiritual intelligence as a moderating variable raised the R Square value to 0.
431, meaning that the contribution of external motivation to performance increased to 43.
1% (Apriyanto et al.
, 2.
Table 7.
R Square Values of the Interaction Spiritual Intelligence to moderate the impact of External Motivation on Performance 00,656a R Square 0,431 Std.
Error of Adjusted R Square the Estimate 0,423 4,100 Source: Primary data processed by researchers, 2024 The note attached to Table 7 indicates an R square value of 0.
This signifies that considering the moderating variable of spiritual intelligence (Z), the external motivation variable (X.
influences performance (Y) to the extent of 43.
This is enough to show that the degree to which spiritual intelligence functions as a motivator for enhancing the impact relationship between external motivation and performance is Earlier, the noted R square value without the moderation variable stood at 366 or 36.
2 Discussion 1 Work loyalty significantly affects performance at the Lubuklinggau City Agriculture Office The results of the analysis show that job loyalty (X.
has a positive and significant effect on performance (Y) at the Lubuklinggau City Agricultural Office.
This is in line with empirical findings in Indonesian public institutions that confirm the positive relationship between employee loyalty and performance, for example in local government agencies.
Affective bonds and loyalty increase, participation and work behavior strengthen, which in turn drives individual and work unit performance.
Furthermore, these findings are consistent with public sector work research in Indonesia that documents the contribution of psychosocial factors, such as motivation, commitment, and work spirituality, to employee performance and engagement.
In the civil service and government auditor environment, a number of studies also show that psychological strength contributes to performance and organizational integrity (Lestari & Margaretha, 2.
Individual characteristics have a significant influence on performance at the Agriculture Office of Lubuklinggau City The findings of this study indicate that individual characteristics (X.
have a positive and significant effect on the performance (Y) of employees at the Lubuklinggau City Agriculture Office.
This is in line with evidence from Indonesian government agencies which found that individual characteristics contribute significantly to the performance of government (Arifin & Narmaditya, 2.
employees (Octaviani et al.
, 2.
Their findings also report good construct reliability and no multicollinearity, strengthening the validity of regression inferences related to this The consistency of the results is also evident in other Indonesian public sector research, which confirms that factors at the individual level .
, commitment, work behavior characteristic.
are related to the performance of civil servants (Arifin & Narmaditya, 2.
The study mentions that the influence of personal characteristics does not stand alone but operates within the ecosystem of work behavior in government External motivation has a significant influence on performance at the Agriculture Office of Lubuklinggau City https://equity.
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php/equity 33019/equity.
The Role of Career Development in Improving Employee Performance: The Influence of Internal Communication and Work Motivation on Organizational Performance The findings show that external motivation has a positive and significant effect on employee performance at the Lubuklinggau City Agricultural Office.
These results confirm that external support and incentives, such as compensation, formal recognition, and adequate working conditions, significantly improve employee performance.
This pattern is consistent with quantitative evidence from the Indonesian population, which shows that motivation .
hich in practice is often operationalized through extrinsic factor.
improves performance.
This correlation is also supported by evidence from the Indonesian public sector.
Research (Hariyono et al.
, 2.
found that motivation has a positive and significant effect on employee performance, reinforcing the generalization that external encouragement and support are relevant for local government officials.
This evidence is consistent with your findings that strengthening external motivational factors can improve employee work performance.
However.
Indonesian literature also shows mixed findings.
Research (Karepesina, 2.
found that motivation did not have a significant effect on performance in a small sample of employees, while organizational culture was this suggests that the effect of motivation can be influenced by governance and organizational climate.
Thus, the results of this study show that the strong influence of external motivation can be understood as a consequence of supportive institutions .
, reward/compensation systems, procedural justice, and clear working condition.
Spiritual intelligence is capable of moderating the effect of work loyalty on performance at the Agriculture Office of Lubuklinggau City The findings of this study indicate that spiritual intelligence (Z) moderates the relationship between work loyalty (X.
and performance (Y) at the Lubuklinggau City Agricultural Office.
The moderation test produced a significance value of p = 0.
This confirms that the effect of work loyalty on performance depends on the level of spiritual intelligence of employees.
In addition.
RA increased from 0.
499 to 0.
523 after including the moderating variable, indicating an additional explanatory power .
RA = .
and reinforcing that spiritual intelligence strengthens the influence of work loyalty on performance.
Consistency of results is also evident in studies (Astuti et al.
, 2.
, which show that spiritual intelligence improves performance, both directly and through strengthening work attachment, indicating that the value dimension determines loyalty to produce good performance.
These findings provide an empirical basis that in Indonesian public organizations, the values, meanings, and orientations inherent in spiritual intelligence increase the influence of loyalty on performance, consistent with the moderation pattern obtained in this study.
Implicitly, performance improvement through work loyalty will be more optimal if public organizations also build a work spirituality ecosystem, for example by clarifying their vision and mission, leadership practices, value-based reflective training, and strengthening the ethical climate.
Indonesian literature shows that when work spirituality is present, the relationship between psychosocial variables and performance strengthens, in line with increased performance.
Spiritual intelligence is capable of moderating the influence of individual characteristics on performance at the Agriculture Office of Lubuklinggau City The analysis results show that spiritual intelligence (Z) acts as a moderating variable that strengthens the influence of individual characteristics (X.
on performance (Y) at the Lubuklinggau City Agricultural Office.
The significance value of the moderation test was p = 0.
000, and the increase in RA from 0.
499 to 0.
RA = 0.
after including the moderator shows evidence that spiritual intelligence strengthens the relationship between psychosocial work factors and performance.
Consistency is also evident in the results of a study (Astuti.
Astuty, & Febrianti, 2.
which found that work spirituality is positively related to performance through psychological mechanisms such as employee engagement, which in turn improves Spiritual intelligence is related to stress management, psychological https://equity.
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Spiritual Intelligence as a Moderator in the Influence of Work Loyalty.
Individual Characteristics, and External Motivation on Employee Performance resilience, and self-regulation, mechanisms that explain why the relationship between individual characteristics and performance becomes more pronounced when spiritual resources are high.
Spiritual intelligence is capable of moderating the influence of external motivation on performance at the Agriculture Office of Lubuklinggau City As per the empirical study undertaken at the Agriculture Office of Lubuklinggau City, external motivation has a notable impact on performance, with the spiritual intelligence of the individual acting as a moderating factor.
The results of the moderation test revealed a significant value (Si.
000, which is below the threshold This means that spiritual intelligence (Z) substantially strengthens the impact of external motivation (X.
on performance (Y) (Nursabilla et al.
, 2.
R Square analysis was employed to determine the extent to which an independent variable .
xternal motivatio.
impacts a dependent variable .
in the presence of a moderating variable.
Before applying the moderator, the R Square value stood at 0.
366, reflecting that external motivation explains 36.
6% of the variance in performance.
The incorporation of spiritual intelligence as a moderating variable raised the R Square value to 0.
431, meaning that the contribution of external motivation to performance increased to 43.
1% (Apriyanto et al.
, 2.
CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION
CONCLUSION
The findings of this study confirm that job loyalty, individual characteristics, and external motivation have a positive and significant effect on employee performance, while spiritual intelligence as a moderator strengthens these effects.
Theoretically, these results expand the public sector work behavior model by integrating the social exchange framework, human resource development, and ethical climate.
Practically, the implications direct HR policies to combine competency- and disposition-based recruitment and placement, loyalty management through fair goal communication and career paths, transparent and conducive incentives, and development programs that foster spiritual intelligence .
eflective coaching, work design, and ethical climate This integrated approach makes performance improvement more stable and sustainable in public sector organizations.
SUGGESTION
It is recommended that HR practices in the public sector integrate recruitment, competencyand behavior-based job placement, loyalty management through communication of performance goals and fair career paths, as well as transparent incentives and a conducive work environment.
Development programs that foster spiritual intelligence, through reflective coaching and the strengthening of an ethical climate, need to be prioritized so that the effect of psychosocial factors on performance is stronger and more sustainable.
To enrich the relevance of the policy, further research should include the variables of leadership and training, so that the impact of HR policies is more targeted.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS