Building Organizational Climate through a Woman Principal's Transformational Leadership

Abstract

Women increasingly lead schools, yet how they build a positive organizational climate through transformational practice remains underexamined, particularly in faith-based settings. This study addresses that gap by examining the leadership of a woman principal at SMA Assa'adah Bungah, a senior high school within the Pondok Pesantren Qomaruddin complex in Gresik, Indonesia. A qualitative case study design guided the inquiry. Data came from in-depth interviews with seven key informants, three months of participant observation, and documentary study, supported by a teacher questionnaire. Thematic analysis followed the interactive model of Miles and Huberman and yielded three findings. The principal earned her authority through modeling, since she met the standards she set before asking others to meet them. Teachers then experimented and grew because the school treated failure as material for shared learning rather than grounds for sanction. A collaborative climate followed, sustained by two-way communication and by recognition that valued trust over material reward. Together these findings point to a model of value-based transformational leadership, one in which the values of the pesantren give the four leadership dimensions their legitimacy and meaning. The study implies that leadership development for women principals in religious schools should begin with modeling and value grounding rather than technique alone.