ADAPTIVE LEADERSHIP AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF MADRASAH RELIGIOUS CULTURE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24252/idaarah.v10i1.66077Keywords:
Adaptive Leadership, Religious Culture, Islamic Education ManagementAbstract
Educational leadership in Islamic institutions faces challenges in adapting Western leadership theories that are often more managerial and less attentive to ethical and spiritual dimensions. Many madrasahs frequently construct religious culture symbolically, failing to fully internalize it into their everyday organizational behavior. This study aims to analyze the adaptive leadership practices of madrasah principals in constructing religious culture and to reinterpret Hersey–Blanchard’s situational leadership theory within the context of Islamic education. The study employed a qualitative approach using a critical case study design at a madrasah in East Java, Indonesia. Data collection was conducted using qualitative techniques, including interviews, observation, and document analysis, involving principals, vice-principals, teachers, and administrative staff. The results suggest that the process of adaptive leadership in madrasas cannot be analyzed in a linear way by the S1-S4 situational leadership model since the practice is highly motivated by religion-based morality and ethical considerations. The critical case identified in this study indicates that the principles of shura (deliberation), amanah (moral responsibility), and especially uswah (exemplary behavior) function not merely as complementary values but as core dimensions that modify and strengthen the effectiveness of situational leadership practices in Islamic educational institutions. This study contributes to the development of a value-based adaptive leadership model as a contextual extension of situational leadership theory in Islamic education management.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Zainal Abidin, Laily Zunaida, Ahmad Qusairi, Musleh Harry, Ikmal Wahyudi
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