Visionary Leadership in Islamic Boarding Schools: Implications for Institutional Management within the Barakka Framework

Islamic boarding schools (pesantren) in Indonesia faced increasing pressure to modernize their institutional governance while preserving their religious identity and cultural values. Despite growing interest in educational leadership in Islamic contexts, limited research had examined how local spiritual frameworks such as theBarakkaparadigm influenced institutional management practices. This study addressed that gap by investigating how visionary leadership, grounded in Barakka, a concept of divine blessing and moral authority, was translated into effective management strategies in pesantren settings. The research focused on the As’adiyah Sengkang Islamic Boarding School, a prominent pesantren in South Sulawesi known for its progressive yet tradition-based leadership model. The population for this study comprised key stakeholders within the pesantren community, including the lead kyai, senior administrators, Islamic teachers (ustadz), alumni in leadership roles, and senior students (santri). A total of 18 participants were selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected using three main instruments: in-depth semi-structured interviews, participant observation conducted over three months, and document analysis of institutional records, classical texts (kitab kuning), and strategic plans. The data were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis, which enabled the identification of core themes related to leadership experience and institutional change. The findings revealed that visionary leadership at As’adiyah operationalized the Barakka paradigm through strategic human resource placement (“the right person in the right place”), the shift from traditional to lean management systems, the adoption of digital technologies for data oversight, and the fostering of stakeholder collaboration. These leadership strategies improved coordination, enhanced institutional credibility, increased transparency and accountability, and opened new pathways for educational and da’wah (Islamic propagation) development. The study concluded that visionary leadership rooted in Islamic spiritual values significantly contributed to the modernization and professionalization of pesantren governance. It recommended that Islamic educational institutions consider integrating culturally embedded leadership frameworks with contemporary management principles to foster sustainable institutional growth.