TRI HITA KARANA-BASED SCHOOL LEADERSHIP: AN ENDIGENOUS FRAMEWORK FOR SUSTAINABLE EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP

Abstract

Contemporary educational leadership remains heavily influenced by Western technocratic and managerial paradigms that prioritize standardization and efficiency, often at the expense of cultural relevance, social cohesion, and ecological responsibility. This conceptual article addresses this lacuna by introducing Tri Hita Karana (THK) a Balinese philosophical triad as an endogenous and sustainable framework for school leadership. Grounded in the cosmological principles of harmony, THK posits that human well-being emerges from the balanced cultivation of three interconnected relationships: with the spiritual/moral realm (Parhyangan), with fellow human beings (Pawongan), and with the natural environment (Palemahan). We theorize these philosophical tenets into three actionable leadership dimensions moral stewardship, relational community-building, and ecological governance offering a holistic alternative to reductionist management models. The article's central theoretical contribution lies in its articulation of THK's endogeneity, whereby its deep cultural rootedness ensures authentic stakeholder engagement and contextual relevance, and its multidimensional sustainability, which simultaneously fosters ecological resilience, social equity, and cultural continuity. By challenging the universalist assumptions of imported reform agendas, the framework provides a values-driven, context-sensitive response to contemporary crises of educational alienation and environmental degradation. Ultimately, this article argues that THK-based leadership not only revitalizes indigenous wisdom but also enriches global leadership discourse by demonstrating how non-Western epistemologies can generate rigorous, actionable, and sustainable solutions for schools worldwide.