Digital Leadership and a Driving Framework for Sustainable Educational Administration

Abstract

This article aims to synthesize a new leadership framework for educational administrators navigating the dual challenges of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) revolution and the urgent need for Education for Sustainable Development. This article, through conceptual synthesis, proposes the “Sustainable Digital Leadership” concept. This concept integrates the human-centric approach of Transformational Leadership, defined by its four core components (Idealized Influence, Inspirational Motivation, Intellectual Stimulation, and Individualized Consideration), with Digital Leadership, which shapes organizational direction and culture in the modern era. Furthermore, this article presents a two-phase operational framework. Phase 1: Fostering Technology Adoption, focuses on personnel and is based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), emphasizing the promotion of perceived usefulness and perceived ease-of-use. Phase 2: Managing Strategic Change,
is guided by Kotter's 8-Step Change Model, which includes: 1) creating a sense of urgency, 2) building a guiding coalition, 3) forming a strategic vision, 4) communicating the vision,
5) removing obstacles and empowering action, 6) generating short-term wins, 7) consolidating gains and producing more change, and 8) anchoring new approaches in the culture.
The central conclusion posits that technology is merely a tool to achieve a greater goal: cultivating educational institutions that nurture ethical, high-quality global citizens prepared for a complex future. This new leadership framework serves as the critical mechanism for navigating this transformation.