Cultivating collective human capital: leadership mechanisms for sustainable instructional reform in centralised school systems

Purpose This study examined how collective human capital is cultivated and mobilised to support sustainable school change. Drawing on an integrated conceptual framework combining human capital theory, the resource-based view and dynamic capabilities perspectives, it investigated the organisational processes through which school leaders in Cyprus transform professional expertise into durable reform capacity. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative cross-case study was conducted across eight primary schools operating within the centralised public education system of Cyprus. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with principals and teachers, non-participant observations of collaborative practices and document analysis. Cross-case analysis was used to identify recurring mechanisms associated with reform sustainability. Findings Sustainable instructional change was characterised by three interrelated leadership-mediated processes: structuring professional coherence through shared language and aligned routines, embedding collective expertise within recurring organisational practices and institutionalising adaptive feedback cycles that enable coordinated responses to implementation challenges. Schools in which these mechanisms were deeply embedded demonstrated more durable reform trajectories, even under structural constraints associated with centralised staffing systems. Originality/value The study reconceptualises collective human capital as a leadership-constructed organisational capability rather than an aggregate of individual teacher competencies. By clarifying the mediating processes linking leadership practice, organisational capability and instructional reform sustainability within a centralised primary education context, the findings contribute to educational administration research on capacity-building and sustainable change.