Innovative School Leadership in Centralized Systems: A Narrative Review of Roles, Antecedents, and Outcomes

This study aims to analyze the evolving roles of school principals in the age of innovation and the contribution of this transformation to schools’ development capacity in light of the existing literature. In order to clarify conceptual ambiguities within the field of educational administration, a narrative review method was adopted, and 51 studies meeting the specified criteria were included in the analysis. The findings indicate that innovative school leadership (ISL) represents a distinctive paradigm that synthesizes instructional, transformational, and distributed leadership models within a hybrid meta-synthesis, while simultaneously differentiating itself through its emphasis on risk tolerance and organizational flexibility. The review also reveals that the concept has not yet reached full theoretical maturity in the literature. In particular, empirical evidence regarding the impact of ISL on school outcomes remains limited, and potential risks (such as change fatigue) have largely been overlooked. Furthermore, in centralized educational systems such as Türkiye, innovation appears to emerge within “micro-autonomy” spaces created through the entrepreneurial mindset of school principals. The study highlights the necessity of a school climate that incorporates psychological safety and tolerance for error in order to ensure the sustainability of innovation. The findings provide a strategic guide for school administrators and establish a theoretical foundation for future research.