Reconciling Charismatic Authority and Managerialism: Kyai Transformational Leadership, Pesantren Quality, and Educator Performance
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62730/syaikhuna.v17i2.7867Keywords:
kyai transformational leadership, pesantren quality, educator performance, salafiyah pesantrenAbstract
This study examines the relationship between kyai transformational leadership, pesantren quality, and educator performance at Salafiyah Abu Zairi Islamic Boarding School, Indonesia. Despite growing scholarly attention to leadership in Islamic educational institutions, quantitative evidence from salafiyah pesantren remains scarce, and the mechanisms linking leadership to educator outcomes are poorly understood. A quantitative correlational design was employed with 173 respondents drawn from students, alumni, educators, administrative staff, parents, and ikhwan. Kyai transformational leadership and pesantren quality were assessed by eligible stakeholders, while educator performance was assessed only by peers and direct supervisors with professional observational access. Data were collected using validated five-point Likert-scale questionnaires and analyzed using Pearson product-moment correlation, discriminant validity assessment via the heterotrait-monotrait ratio, full collinearity assessment for common method bias, and partial least squares structural equation modeling for mediation analysis. The results indicate that kyai transformational leadership is strongly and positively associated with pesantren quality (r = 0.864, p < 0.001) and educator performance (r = 0.831, p < 0.001). Pesantren quality partially mediates the relationship between kyai transformational leadership and educator performance (indirect β = 0.237, p < 0.001). These findings suggest a contextual refinement of transformational leadership theory in salafiyah settings, particularly regarding the spiritualization of idealized influence. Practically, the results underscore the importance of integrating spiritual formation with managerial capacity in kyai leadership development and strengthening institutional quality systems to amplify leadership effects on educator performance.
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