Leading Digital Transformation in Islamic Education: How Adaptive Leadership Mediates Institutional Readiness and Digital Governance in Madrasahs

Abstract

This study aims to examine the role of adaptive leadership in mediating the relationship between institutional readiness, digital governance, and digital transformation in madrasahs. A quantitative explanatory design using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed to analyze relationships among institutional readiness, digital governance, adaptive leadership, and digital transformation. Data were collected through structured questionnaires distributed to educational personnel involved in digital transformation practices within selected madrasahs. The analysis involved measurement-model assessment, structural-model evaluation, bootstrapping, and mediation analysis. Contextual interviews and observations were used only to support interpretation of organizational practices. The proposed findings emphasize that institutional readiness and digital governance provide essential structural foundations, while adaptive leadership translates these conditions into organizational action through flexibility, collaboration, professional learning, innovation, and continuous adjustment. The study concludes that sustainable digital transformation requires an integrated combination of organizational capacity, governance structures, and adaptive leadership. The framework contributes theoretically by positioning adaptive leadership as a mediating mechanism and practically by providing madrasahs with guidance for strengthening leadership development, digital governance, organizational readiness, and sustainable educational innovation.