The Mediating Role of Organizational Citizenship Behavior on the Effects of Organizational Justice and Motivation on Employee Performance

Abstract

Aims: This study aims to examine the effects of Motivation and Organizational Justice on Employee Performance, with Organizational Citizenship Behavior as a mediating variable. Study design:  The research employed a quantitative approach using survey-based method. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted at PT KAI (Persero) Daop V Purwokerto, Central Java, Indonesia, from September 2025 to November 2025. Methodology: Data were collected from 113 employees who had worked for more than one year, and analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling-Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS). Results: Motivation has a positive and significant effect on both Employee Performance and OCB. Organizational Justice does not directly influence Employee Performance, yet it has a positive and significant effect on OCB. Furthermore, OCB has a positive and significant effect on Employee Performance. Mediation testing confirms that OCB significantly mediates the relationship between Organizational Justice and Employee Performance, but does not mediate the relationship between Motivation and Employee Performance. The adjusted R² value of 0.681 for OCB indicates a moderate explanatory power, while the adjusted R² value of 0.759 for Employee Performance indicates substantial explanatory power. Conclusion: OCB serves as a key behavioral mechanism that strengthens the impact of Organizational Justice on Employee Performance. Although Organizational Justice does not directly influence performance, its effect becomes significant through the presence of OCB. Theoretically, this study contributes by integrating the Resource-Based View (RBV) and Social Exchange Theory (SET), demonstrating how organizational resources and reciprocal exchange mechanisms jointly explain employee performance through OCB. These findings emphasize the importance of fostering positive extra-role behaviors to enhance employee performance.