<![CDATA[This study examines whether competence, work discipline, and career development are associated with employee performance in the Regional Personnel and Human Resource Development Agency of Asahan Regency, Indonesia. The Ability-Motivation-Opportunity framework was used as an organizing framework, with an explicit qualification: the work-discipline scale measures attendance, rule compliance, work standards, conscientiousness, and ethics, so it represents compliance-related effort rather than motivation as a psychological construct. A cross-sectional census survey obtained responses from all 50 agency employees. Ordinary least squares regression explained 82.1% of the variance in self-reported performance, R² = .821, adjusted R² = .810, F(3, 46) = 70.47, p < .001. Competence was positively associated with performance (B = 0.637, 95% CI [0.397, 0.877], ΔR² = .111, f² = .620), as was work discipline (B = 0.246, 95% CI [0.020, 0.472], ΔR² = .019, f² = .106). Career development was not significantly associated with performance (B = -0.058, 95% CI [-0.163, 0.047], ΔR² = .005, f² = .028). The null result does not establish career plateauing, weak promotion instrumentality, or psychological-contract strain; these remain plausible mechanisms for future testing. Because all variables were self-reported at one time and the sample was small, the high R² and predictor-specific estimates require caution. The findings support competence and compliance-related behaviour as correlates of performance in this agency but do not establish causal effects or comparative investment returns.]]>
