Although issues of leadership and organizational culture change in Islamic religious higher education institutions undergoing digital transformation have been discussed in several studies, research that specifically examines transformational leadership strategies in building an adaptive organizational culture within cyber-based work systems remains limited. This study aims to analyze transformational leadership strategies in responding to the challenges of digitalization to strengthen an innovative and collaborative organizational culture. A descriptive qualitative approach with a case study design was employed, involving leaders, lecturers, and students selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, document analysis, and literature review, and subsequently analyzed using thematic analysis techniques. The findings show that transformational leadership is enacted through four main dimensions: role modeling, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration. The implementation of these strategies has been shown to enhance the digital literacy of the academic community, strengthen work motivation, and encourage the development of an organizational culture that is adaptive to technology. These findings contribute theoretically to the development of transformational leadership studies in the context of digital transformation and broaden understanding of organizational culture development in Islamic religious higher education institutions. The study underscores the crucial role of transformational leadership in steering change toward progressive, globally competitive cyber-based work systems, while also opening avenues for further exploration of the challenges and strategies for strengthening digital culture in religious institutions.
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