Abstract

Accelerating digital transformation is reshaping the strategic priorities of higher education institutions, intensifying the need for coherent leadership and people-management systems. However, educational leadership and human resource management (HRM) are often treated as parallel rather than integrated drivers of institutional performance. This paper develops a conceptual “dual-engine” model that explains how the strategic alignment of educational leadership and HRM can jointly optimize institutional effectiveness in the digital era. Drawing on strategic alignment theory, resource-based perspectives, and digital transformation literature, the model identifies key alignment mechanisms across vision setting, talent architecture, capability development, and performance governance. The paper proposes that synergistic interaction between leadership direction and HRM systems enhances organizational agility, digital readiness, and sustained performance in higher education contexts. The study contributes to the literature by offering an integrative framework that bridges leadership and HRM silos and by outlining propositions for future empirical testing. Practical implications highlight how university leaders and HR executives can co-design policies and structures to support digitally enabled institutional transformation