Design-Inspired Leadership Practices Toward Educational Transformation: Evidence from Schools in Oman and Kuwait

This study uses design-inspired leadership (DIL) to examine school leadership roles and practices in Oman and Kuwait during the educational transformations imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Data from nine schools clarify school leaders’ role as designers of learning systems, position schools as complex problem-solution design spaces, highlight the role of technology in remote leadership, and identify autonomy as a design agency enabler. The study suggests 42 DIL practices to support adaptive and innovative school leadership. It offers a novel contribution to empirical global evidence on school leadership during crises and transformation by extending its adaptive capacity through structured DIL practices.