Transformational leadership and strategic management affecting sustainable development of Thai higher education institutions

This study aimed to examine the causal relationships among transformational leadership (LEAD), strategic management (STRM) and sustainable development (SUST) of Thai higher education institutions (HEIs). Data were collected from a sample of 420 respondents who are administrators, lecturers, and university staff, and were analyzed using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to test the hypothesized relationships among latent variables. The results of Structural Equation Modeling Analysis revealed that the proposed model demonstrated an excellent fit with the empirical data (Chi-square (χ 2 ) = 124.625; df = 121; Relative Chi-square (χ 2 /df) = 1.029; p-value = 0.386; GFI = 0.915; NFI = 0.903; TLI = 0.992; CFI = 0.994; RMSEA = 0.015; RMR = 0.032). The results supported all four hypotheses, indicating that transformational leadership had a positive effect on strategic management (β = 0.824, p < 0.001) and sustainable development (β = 0.648, p < 0.001), while strategic management strongly affected sustainable development (β = 0.882, p < 0.001). Additionally, the indirect path (LEAD → STRM → SUST) was significant (β = 0.721, p < 0.001), confirming that strategic management mediates the relationship between transformational leadership and sustainable development of Thai higher education institutions. The findings underscore the practical implication that achieving long-term sustainable development in Thai higher education institutions requires the integration of transformational leadership and systematic strategic management processes as key mechanisms for success, aligning institutional performance with sustainable development goals (SDG 4 = Quality Education).