This research aims to study the effect of leadership, personality and job satisfaction on diplomat performance in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia. The research methodology was a survey with path analysis applied in testing hypothesis. It was conducted among 158 diplomats selected by simple random sampling from 657 young diplomat population. Data analysis and interpretation indicate that (1) leadership has a positive direct effect on job performance of diplomat/diplomat performance, (2) personality has a positive direct effect on diplomat performance, (3) job satisfaction has a positive direct effect on diplomat performance, (4) leadership has a positive direct effect on job satisfaction, (5) personality has a positive direct effect on job satisfaction.
Against the backdrop of fast-changing international sphere and mounting demand of domestic publics, diplomats of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) are expected to perform their jobs well. In MFA, diplomats are key actors to achieve the goals of the organization that its main business is diplomacy or foreign relations. Diplomats work to exercise foreign policy and formulate foreign policy based on their observations on and interactions with foreign diplomats and other actors of international relations.
Bearing its constitutional role, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia (MFA-RI) is mandated to coordinate foreign relations of the Republic of Indonesia with other countries. According to Laws no 37/1999 on Foreign Relations (
To gauge the diplomat performance, a simple preliminary research conducted on selected diplomats in the MFA-RI. The research shows that the diplomat performance has not yet reached the excellent level (with average score: 3,7 in the scale 1-5). Six elements of diplomat performance are relations building, negotiation ability, determinant attitude, crisis management ability, task accomplishment and foreign relations skills.
There are several factors affecting diplomat performance. Michael G. Aamodt (
My research stands on the specific type of MFA-RI employees: diplomats, having the fact that the human resources (HR) aspects of diplomats --key employees in MFA-- are rarely addressed in the HR research. In addition, many research on diplomacy or international relations focus mainly --if not merely-- on the substance by which diplomat will use in practice like international law, conflicts, free trade, regionalism, climate change, war, diplomacy, negotiation and so on. In contrast, only limited research conducted on diplomats who carry out diplomatic works and utilize the above-mentioned substance. Research on management or personnel aspect of Foreign Service Office will therefore contribute to the shortage of human resources research focusing on MFA as well as the lack of research on diplomats in the study of diplomacy and international relations.
As far as my professional observation is concerned and my research stands, there are three main factors affecting job performance of diplomats: (
Different from Asamodt’s factors affecting job performance, this research takes broader concept as follow: (
Based on this condition, the research seeks to understand the effect of leadership, personality and job satisfaction on the job performance. The research has hypothesis that there is direct effect of leadership, personality and job satisfaction on diplomat performance.
Job performance is defined as behaviors that is relevant the organization’s goals and that can be measured in terms of the individual’s contribution to organizational effectiveness, according to Ann Hanson and Borman (
As diplomats work as team to represent the country, the leader or the chief of diplomats plays an important role in determining how the diplomacy is conducted and how diplomats carry out their duties. In the context of diplomat performance, leadership (or the superior of diplomats) will have effect on such performance. Leadership according to Gary Yukl is the process of influencing others (diplomats) to understand and agree about what needs to be done and how to do it. (
Referring to the definition coined by Duane P. Schultz and Sydney Ellen Schultz (
Job Satisfaction, according to Angelo Knicki and Robert Kreitner (
My research is conceived based on previous relevant researches. Regarding the influence of leadership on job performance, the previous research conducted by Teddy Chandra and Priyono on teachers of Junior High School in Surabaya shows that the leadership style, work environment as well as job satisfaction have impact on job performance (2016:131). On the impact of personality on job performance, a research conducted by Cheng-Liang Yang and Mark Hwang among employees of financial institutions in Taiwan shows all big five personality traits significantly influence on job performance. (2014:6). With regard to the influence of job satisfaction on job performance, the research of Ferit Olcer and Margareta Stela Florescu on employees of textile companies in Turkey unfolds the job satisfaction significantly affects job performance. (2015: 5).
In the meantime, the influence of independent variables (leadership and personality) on intermediate variables (job satisfaction) is shown in the following researches. Raimonda Alonderiene and Modesta Mjauskaite’s research on faculty members and supervisor of state universities in Lithuania reveals significant positive impact of leadership style on job satisfaction of faculty where servant leadership has the highest positive significant impact and the autocrat leadership has the lowest impact (2016: 40). The study of Qingguo Zhai, Mike Willis, Bob O’Shea, Yubo Zhai and Yuwen Yang conducted among urban workers in China found that extraversion was the strongest predictor of both job satisfaction and Subjective Well Being (SWB). This finding implies that extraversion could be more important that other factor in the Big Five in predicting job satisfaction and SWB. (2013:1099).
The study was conducted in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia in the headquarter in Jakarta and “its branches”, the Indonesian representatives abroad: Indonesian Embassies/Consulate Generals/Consulates around the world where data is collected through questionnaire as the instrument of the research for diplomat performance (Y) variable, leadership (X1), personality (X2) and job satisfaction (X3). Instrument development for each variable is elaborated from conceptual definition, operational definition, instrument grid, instruments validity test and reliability calculation. Survey results and test will proceed by using path analysis using Microsoft Excel 2010 and SPSS v.22 software, which will then generate the level of influence of the independent variable to verity hypothesis.
Coefficients
Dependent Variable: Job Performance (Y)ModelUnstandardized CoefficientsStandardizedCoefficient TSigBStd ErrorBeta1(
Table 2
Coefficients
Unstandardized Coefficients | Standardized |
|||||
B | Std Error | Beta | ||||
( |
24.084 | 6.838 | 3.522 | .001 | ||
Leadership (X1) | .242 | .056 | .276 | 3.684 | .000 | |
Personality (X2) | .507 | .079 | .480 | 6.395 | .000 |
Dependent variable: Job Satisfaction (X3)
Based on the calculation and testing of the path coefficient, the relations among the variables can be described are as follows: (
Based on the statistical testing, the research suggests the influence of leadership on job performance of diplomats. In practice, superiors in the MFA-RI thus should develop the effective leadership skills to influence their staff in carrying out diplomacy works. As this research uses dimensions of leadership like being a role model, motivating staff, being inspirational, open for discussion, coaching staff, decision making, giving feedback, facilitating staff and establishing relations with staff, superiors/supervisors should thus enhance such dimension. As Gary Yukl said that leadership is the process of influencing others, the dimensions of leadership should be developed to improve the skill of influencing subordinate in order to accomplish shared objectives of organization. Following Fred C. Lunenburg and Allan C. Ornstein’s theory (2008: 148), the behaviors of leader significantly influence the behaviors of subordinates, therefore the good behavior/performance of leaders will influence the behaviors of subordinates to accomplish the organization’s objectives.
The findings of the research show that the performance of diplomats is influenced by their personality. Personality traits affect the behavior and the performance of diplomats in the context of the organization. Hence, having personality traits like extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability and openness to experience, diplomats are likely to perform better in their diplomatic tasks. The results of the research support the previous research and study on the influence of personality on job performance such as those of Muhammad Bhatti, Mohammed Batour and Ahmed Ismail (2014: 73-96) and Ioannis Nikolau (2003: 69-648).
As job satisfaction is frequently mentioned as a key factor to the job performance, this research similarly proves that job satisfaction of diplomat influences their job performance. This is further explained by Don Wicker (2011: 3) :
Being satisfied, diplomats will show creativity, flexibility, innovation and loyalty in daily works. The organization should create and maintain situation that contribute to the feeling of satisfaction among diplomats. As Jason A Colqutte, Jeffery A. LePine and Michael J. Wesson indicate that pay satisfaction, promotion satisfaction, supervision satisfaction, co-worker satisfaction, and satisfaction with the work itself are factors affecting job satisfaction, in the context of MFA-RI, it needs further to research which factor most significantly affecting job performance of diplomats so the relevant policy could be passed.
Related to the job satisfaction of diplomats, the empirical findings of the research show that leadership determines job satisfaction of diplomats, beside leadership directly affects job performance of diplomats. Effective leadership proves to create the job satisfaction of diplomats. This condition, according to Dimitros Belias and Athanasios Koustellios, can only work in flexible organizations with participative management type with emphasis in communication and employees rewards. (2015: 104).
While job satisfaction is often determined by external factors of employees, internal factors of individuals in fact also play an important role in determining job satisfaction. This research reveals that personality of diplomat such as extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability and openness to experience has an direct positive impact on job satisfaction of diplomat. The previous study conducted by Qingguo Zhai et al reveals extraversion is the most influential factor (2013: 1099) to job satisfaction while the research of Christopher A. Cooper, Dale Carpenter, Audrey Reiner and David M. McCord found that extraversion and agreeableness is most influential to job satisfaction.(2014: 155-162)
Based on the above findings, the research concludes that (