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Abstract
This study aims to examine the influence of islamic leadership and competence on employee performance, with islamic work culture serving as a mediating variable at inisiatif zakat indonesia (IZI). A quantitative approach was employed using a survey of 141 IZI employees. Primary data were collected through a structured questionnaire based on a five-point Likert scale and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 3 software. The analysis included assessments of validity, reliability, discriminant validity, multicollinearity, coefficient of determination (R²), effect size (f²), mediation effects, and hypothesis testing. The findings indicate that competence has a positive and significant effect on both islamic work culture and employee performance. Furthermore, islamic work culture positively and significantly affects employee performance. In contrast, islamic leadership has no significant effect on either islamic work culture or employee performance. Moreover, the mediation analysis reveals that islamic work culture does not mediate the relationship between islamic leadership and employee performance, but it significantly mediates the relationship between competence and employee performance. These findings suggest that employee performance at IZI is primarily driven by employees' competencies supported by a strong islamic work culture rather than by islamic leadership alone.