Inventive leadership styles and their impact for achieving sustainable development goals in education at secondary schools: a case study from Multan, Pakistan

The paper examines how inventive leadership styles contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in Education (SDGsE), especially within Pakistan’s secondary schools (grades 9–10). It situates the study within the 2030 Agenda, noting that education is central to fostering critical thinking, responsible decision-making, and societal sustainability. Implementing SDGsE requires reorientation of curricula, policies, and practices, posing leadership and management challenges that affect institutions, educators, pedagogy, and content. The study focuses on leadership styles that can empower leaders, inspire learners, develop resilient visions, and lead transformation as pathways to align school practices with SDGs. Pakistan’s education system, mandated to produce responsible citizens and meet national education goals, depends strongly on effective school leadership and administration. The authors highlight the gap in empirical research linking leadership styles to SDGs at the secondary level and motivate a survey-based inquiry to understand how leadership variables influence SDGsE outcomes. The paper articulates four hypotheses that empowerment of leadership, inspiration for learners, resilient vision, and lead transformation each positively impact SDGs in education.

Theoretical underpinning: The study discusses several theoretical lenses relevant to strategic human resource management and leadership (institutional, stakeholder, paradox, risk society, organizational development, systems, and signaling theories), emphasizing the Ability-Motivation-Opportunity (AMO) framework as a widely used model for understanding HR strategies that support sustainability. Leadership is framed as influence that mobilizes followers toward social change and innovation, aligning with sustainability principles of meeting present needs without compromising future generations. Conceptual model: The model positions SDGs in education (dependent variable) as influenced by four leadership constructs (independent variables): empowerment of leadership, inspiration for learners, resilient vision, and lead transformation. Variable definitions include delegation and autonomy (empowerment), motivating and modeling for learners (inspiration), encouraging creativity and vision sharing (lead transformation), and adaptability and persistence under change (resilient vision). Prior literature links leadership and management practices to organizational and educational performance, but empirical work connecting leadership to SDGsE at the secondary level is limited. Hypotheses developed: H1: Empowerment of leadership positively impacts SDGsE. H2: Inspiration for learners positively impacts SDGsE. H3: Lead transformation positively impacts SDGsE. H4: Resilient vision positively impacts SDGsE.

Design: Quantitative survey study to test hypothesized relationships between leadership styles and SDGs in education. Participants and setting: 288 educators (teachers, principals, administrators) from 89 secondary schools under BISE Multan, Punjab, Pakistan. Convenience sampling was used across a population of 306 secondary schools in the region. Data collection: On-site administration of a survey with invitation and consent; participation was voluntary with assurances of confidentiality and the right to withdraw. Pilot testing: A pilot with 55 participants yielded Cronbach’s alpha of 0.88, indicating high internal consistency. Instruments: A single questionnaire measured five constructs: empowerment of leadership (EOL), inspiration for learners (IFL), lead transformation (LT), resilient vision (RV), and SDGs in education (SDGE). The instrument comprised 25 items, five per construct, on a 5-point Likert scale (1 strongly disagree to 5 strongly agree). Analysis: Data were analyzed using SPSS and SmartPLS 4.0. Measurement model assessment employed confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), composite reliability (CR), Cronbach’s alpha (CA), average variance extracted (AVE), and Heterotrait-Monotrait ratio (HTMT) for discriminant validity. Variance inflation factor (VIF) assessed multicollinearity. Structural model assessment used partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) with 10,000 bootstrap samples to estimate path coefficients, t-statistics, p-values, and effect sizes (f-squared). Model fit indices reported included SRMR, Chi-square, and NFI.

Sample characteristics: 288 respondents, 39.9% male and 60.1% female; most aged 26–35; majority held B.A/B.Sc (63.2%) and B.Ed (71.9%); most had 6–10 years’ experience (59.0%). Measurement model: Indicator loadings exceeded 0.50 across constructs (EOL: 0.689–0.891; IFL: 0.608–0.878; LT: 0.591–0.861; RV: 0.781–0.836; SDGE: 0.757–0.840). Reliability and validity were acceptable: CA and CR > 0.70; AVE ≥ 0.55; HTMT values < 0.90; maximum outer VIF = 3.040 (within acceptable range). Structural model and hypotheses: • H1 (EOL → SDGE): Accepted. Path coefficient = 0.135; t = 3.071; p = 0.002; f2 = 0.037; 95% CI [0.049, 0.223]. • H2 (IFL → SDGE): Accepted. Path coefficient = 0.171; t = 2.136; p = 0.033; f2 = 0.031; 95% CI [0.021, 0.331]. • H3 (LT → SDGE): Rejected. Path coefficient = 0.051; t = 0.663; p = 0.507; f2 = 0.003; 95% CI [−0.105, 0.195] (CI bounds as reported in table columns). • H4 (RV → SDGE): Accepted. Path coefficient = 0.593; t = 10.722; p < 0.001; f2 = 0.536; 95% CI [0.475, 0.694]. Model fit: SRMR = 0.055; Chi-square = 827.724; NFI = 0.921, indicating good fit. Overall, empowering leadership, inspiring learners, and resilient vision showed significant positive effects on SDGs in education; lead transformation did not show a significant effect in this sample.

The study demonstrates that specific inventive leadership styles are associated with better realization of SDGs within secondary schools. Empowering leadership likely supports teacher autonomy, participation, and meaningfulness, enhancing efforts aligned with SDGsE. Inspiration for learners reflects pedagogical practices that increase engagement, critical thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving, which are central competencies for sustainability education. Resilient vision equips leaders and teachers to adapt to disruption, maintain momentum, and reorient practices toward sustainability goals despite constraints. The non-significant effect of lead transformation suggests that, in this context, day-to-day empowerment, learner-focused inspiration, and resilience may be more salient drivers of SDGsE than broader transformational initiatives, which may face practical barriers or require longer horizons to manifest measurable outcomes. The results support leveraging leadership to cultivate inclusive, participatory, and innovative school climates that embed SDGs into curricula and practice, preparing students as informed, proactive global citizens.

The study contributes empirical evidence from Pakistani secondary schools that inventive leadership styles—particularly empowerment of leadership, inspiration for learners, and resilient vision—positively influence progress toward SDGs in education. It underscores the value of integrating SDGs into secondary education to build students’ awareness, agency, and competencies for sustainability. Recommendations include fostering collaborative approaches among stakeholders, ensuring policy support, investing in professional development for leaders and teachers, and adopting innovative practices that embed SDGs in teaching and school management. These strategies can help reform education systems to align with the UN 2030 education plan and enhance equitable and resilient educational outcomes. Future research should expand samples across more districts and provinces and examine additional leadership approaches to deepen understanding of how leadership drives SDGsE.

The study used convenience sampling of 288 educators from 89 secondary schools in Multan across four districts in Punjab, limiting generalizability within Pakistan’s 36-district province and nationally. Only four leadership constructs were investigated; other leadership styles may also be relevant. The cross-sectional survey design and reliance on self-reported measures further constrain causal inference.