Innovation in higher education leadership programs: how learner agency, leadership and organizational conditions interact

Purpose Innovation in higher education is widely emphasized but remains unevenly enacted, with limited understanding of the organizational conditions through which it emerges in practice. Existing research identifies learner agency, leadership and institutional structures as relevant factors, yet typically examines these domains independently. This study examines how innovation emerges through the interaction of these organizational conditions in graduate higher education leadership programs. Design/methodology/approach Using a qualitative research design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 program directors in US higher education. Abductive reasoning informed the analytical approach, with data analyzed through iterative coding and cross-case comparison to develop an analytical explanation of how organizational conditions shaped innovation. Findings Innovation was not produced by learner agency, leadership culture or structural conditions, but emerged through their interaction as a system-level outcome. Learner participation and agency contributed to innovation when supported by leadership practices that legitimized experimentation, while structural conditions shaped where and how innovation became possible. Innovation therefore emerged conditionally, unevenly and contextually across institutional settings. Originality/value This study advances a system-level explanation of innovation by specifying how innovation emerged through interacting organizational conditions. The findings suggest that innovation is not simply a property of isolated practices but emerges through broader organizational processes, providing a more precise explanation of how innovation is produced within higher education leadership contexts.