Building lecturer excellence: The interplay of teamwork, communication, and competency in an Indonesian Islamic university

Abstract

This study develops and tests an integrative model of lecturer performance, investigating the direct and mediated effects of teamwork and interpersonal communication via competency. Grounded in human capital theory and social exchange theory, the research posits that social-organizational factors enhance performance not only directly but also by building essential individual competencies. Data were collected through a cross-sectional survey of 93 lecturers at La Tansa Mashiro University (UNILAM), Indonesia. Path analysis revealed that competency is the strongest direct predictor of performance (β = 0.457, p < 0.001), with teamwork (β = 0.389, p < 0.001) and interpersonal communication (β = 0.231, p < 0.001) also exerting significant direct effects. Crucially, the analysis revealed that competency fully mediates the relationship between these social variables (teamwork and communication) and performance. This finding indicates that collaborative and communicative environments primarily boost performance by enhancing lecturers' professional capabilities. These findings contribute to the global discourse on educational management by validating a competency-mediated performance model within the unique context of an Indonesian Islamic university, aligning with multidisciplinary studies on human capital and organizational communication. The study provides actionable insights for university leaders, who recommend integrated strategies that combine competency-based development with initiatives to foster a collaborative institutional culture.