Transformational leadership as corporate strategy in the healthcare industry

Healthcare organizations increasingly expect nursing schools to operationalize corporate strategy through curriculum and pedagogy, yet the leadership mechanisms that translate strategic intent into classroom change remain under-specified in resource-constrained contexts. Building on global calls to align nursing education with health-system priorities and evidence that transformational leadership (TL) supports change implementation in nursing environments, this qualitative grounded-theory study examines how TL enables transformative nursing education (TE) in Dhaka, Bangladesh (World Health Organization [WHO], 2021; Ystaas et al., 2023). We conducted semi-structured interviews and field observations (April, 2024 to May, 2025) with 24 participants (four educational directors, 11 faculty members, nine nursing students) and analyzed data using constant comparison in MAXQDA. Findings conceptualize TL as a strategy-execution capability that coordinates four interacting enablers: 1) strategic leadership and change governance, 2) policy alignment and strategic control, 3) resource and capability deployment (supportive platforms), and 4) market/stakeholder orientation (community-based education). The resulting model explains how nursing colleges sustain curricular innovation and stakeholder responsiveness amid resistance and resource constraints, offering actionable implications for academic governance and health-sector strategy execution.