The Relevance of Spiritual Leadership in Educational Leadership in Indonesia in the Era of Disruption

• Asep Sopian

  Indonesia University of Education

  Author

The disruptive era—characterised by digital transformation, value globalisation, and rapid social change—has profoundly affected Indonesia’s educational landscape. These changes demand not only pedagogical innovation but also leadership transformation capable of integrating spiritual, moral, and humanistic dimensions. In this context, spiritual leadership emerges as a relevant paradigm emphasising meaningful work, calling, hope/faith, and altruistic love. This study presents a conceptual analysis exploring the relevance of spiritual leadership in Indonesian educational leadership during the disruptive era. Employing a conceptual literature review method, 30 scientific articles indexed in Sinta (2023–2025) were reviewed. The findings reveal that spiritual leadership strengthens teachers' intrinsic motivation, fosters collaborative school culture, and balances technological innovation with spiritual educational values. The paper proposes an integrative conceptual model linking spiritual leadership with mediating factors such as career calling, emotional intelligence, and school culture, with the disruptive era serving as an environmental moderator. This model contributes theoretically to the development of a distinctive Indonesian educational leadership approach that is value- driven, humanistic, and adaptive to modern transformation.

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