LEADERSHIP PATTERN OF RAUDHATUT THOLABAH ISLAMIC BOARDING SCHOOL: ANALYSIS OF STYLE, STEPS, AND STRATEGY

Abstract

This study aims to analyze in depth the leadership patterns at the Raudhatut Tholabah Setail Islamic Boarding School through three main dimensions: leadership style, managerial steps, and institutional development strategies. As a traditional Islamic educational institution that exists amidst the current of modernization, this Islamic boarding school exhibits unique leadership dynamics. This study uses a qualitative approach with a descriptive case study. Data were collected through participant observation, in-depth interviews with caretakers, administrators, and students, as well as documentation of the boarding school's curriculum and policies. The results show that the leadership patterns at the Raudhatut Tholabah Islamic Boarding School integrate charismatic-transformative leadership styles. The Kyai acts as the central moral authority and innovator in the development of an integrative curriculum. Leadership steps are implemented through bottom-up mechanisms in daily coordination and top-down in strategic vision. The strategies used include strengthening alumni networks, diversifying the boarding school's economic units, and adapting information technology without reducing salafiyah values. This finding implies that the sustainability of Islamic boarding schools is determined by the leader's ability to balance the maintenance of tradition (al-muhafazah 'ala al-qadim al-shalih) and the adoption of modern innovation (al-akhdzu bi al-jadid al-ashlah).