Redefining Leadership Frames: Understanding the Frames of Female Leaders in Indonesian Islamic Higher Education Institutions

Siti Nur Hidayah; Mohamad Abdalla; Nezar Faris; Salah Kutieleh

doi:10.20414/ujis.v29i2.1518

Siti Nur Hidayah UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta
Mohamad Abdalla University of South Australia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3288-7166
Nezar Faris University of South Australia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5391-5058
Salah Kutieleh University of South Australia and Flinders University

DOI: https://doi.org/10.20414/ujis.v29i2.1518

Keywords: Female leadership, Islamic higher education institutions (HEIs), leadership frames, religious frame

Abstract

This study aims to uncover the leadership frames of women in Indonesian Islamic higher education institutions (HEIs). Drawing on in-depth interviews with eleven women leaders serving as rectors and deans, the study employs a theory-driven thematic analysis to explore leadership meaning-making through the leadership frames framework developed by Deal and Bolman (1984). The findings show that women leaders employ structural, human resource, political, and symbolic/religious frames in fluid, interconnected ways rather than as discrete leadership orientations. Structural authority is exercised as an ethical stewardship oriented toward organizational responsibility and reform, while relational practices associated with the human resource frame, such as trust, care, and nurturing, function as strategic mechanisms for sustaining organizational cohesion and legitimacy. Contrary to assumptions that women avoid organizational politics, participants demonstrate strong political consciousness, engaging in negotiation and alliance-building to secure representation, amplify women’s voices, and advance gender equity. This study highlights the limitations of the symbolic leadership framework in non-Western, religiously embedded contexts. Participants view leadership as amānah (divine trust), worship, and sacred responsibility, framing religious belief as a moral framework that shapes accountability, decision-making, and ethical use of power in leadership. This study emphasizes women's leadership narratives in Muslim-majority higher education, broadening leadership theory beyond Western models. It offers a culturally responsive and decolonial perspective by defining power as relational, ethical, political, and spiritually grounded.

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