Operationalizing Leadership as a Governance Mechanism in Higher Education: A Conceptual and Methodological Framework for Empirical Inquiry

Muhammad Nadeem

Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand

Higher education scholarship widely recognizes the interdependence of leadership and governance, yet this relationship is rarely operationalized for systematic empirical examination. Building on scholarship that conceptualizes leadership as a governance mechanism, this article develops a conceptual and methodological framework that renders leadership as governance empirically examinable within higher education institutions. The framework identifies three governance functions enacted through leadership, namely coordination, accountability translation, and trust building, and translates each function into measurable constructs. These constructs are illustrated through dimensions, indicators, and potential data sources organized in a construct indicator matrix. To support empirical inquiry across institutional contexts, the article outlines mixed methods pathways combining survey-based measurement and structural modeling with qualitative case-based inquiry. This approach enables analysis of both patterned relationships and governance processes in practice. Four propositions are advanced to guide future research, positioning trust building as a mediating pathway, accountability translation as a moderating condition, coordination as a driver of institutional alignment and performance, and the joint enactment of all three functions as a synergistic configuration. While informed by governance challenges observed in Pakistan and comparable Global South systems, the framework is articulated in transferable terms to support comparative research across diverse contexts.

Article link: https://www.asianinstituteofresearch.org/EQRarchives/operationalizing-leadership-as-a-governance-mechanism-in-higher-education%3A-a-conceptual-and-methodological-framework-for-empirical-inquiry