Teacher's Perspective on the Management Team at the Islamic Boarding School

EDUSOSHUM Journal of Islamic Education and Social Humanities Vol. 6, No. 2, May-August 2026, pp. 1195-1205 ISSN 2776-5229 1195 Teacher's Perspective on the Management Team at the Islamic Boarding School 1,2,3 Siti Alsyah1*, Inom Nasution2, Rusydi Ananda3 Universitas Islam Negeri Sumatera Utara Medan, Indnesia * ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Article history Received April 5, 2026 Revisied May 17, 2026 Accepted May 23, 2026 Keywords: Teacher's,Management, Boarding School The background of the research arises from the need for pesantren institutions to build an effective educational governance system thru the role of institution managers who can direct program implementation. This is because the policy-making process in many educational institutions is still dominated by the main leadership, leaving little room for educators to engage in management functions and institutional decision-making. Teachers' assessments of the management of the pesantren influence the work atmosphere and discipline, so this research examines teachers' opinions on the tasks and composition of the management team, then reviews the communication process, decisionmaking factors that affect teachers' views, and their impact on the pesantren environment. Thru interviews, observations, and documentation, the researcher collected data from the principal, vise principal, administrative staff, and teachers at the Al-Kautsar Al-Akbar Modern Islamic Boarding School. A qualitative phenomenological approach was chosen to understand the experiences and views of teachers regarding the management of the boarding school, and the findings were analyzed to identify patterns emerging from each piece of information obtained. The research results show that the pesantren already has a fairly organized division of management tasks, although some decisions are still largely determined by the leadership. Meanwhile, the communication relationship between the managers and teachers is open, both thru meetings and digital media. Decision-making is carried out thru deliberation, although teachers more often provide suggestions. The way teachers view management is influenced by work relationships, communication patterns, pesantren culture, and their involvement in management. Additionally, the positive views of the teachers contribute to a comfortable work atmosphere, enhance discipline, and foster responsibility and professionalism in the pesantren. 1. INTRODUCTION The success of educational institutions is not only determined by the principal as the main leader but is also influenced by the management team's ability to organize and execute all educational activities. Meanwhile, the implementation of participatory management in modern education provides broader opportunities for teachers to engage in organizational communication, decisionmaking, and program evaluation, thereby creating a better work atmosphere, enhancing discipline, and strengthening the professionalism of teachers both in schools and pesantren (Likert 1967). Many educational institutions, including pesantren, still use a leadership model centered around the principal, resulting in suboptimal teacher involvement in policy-making. This situation can reduce Siti Alsyah et.al (Teacher's Perspective on the Management Team…) EDUSOSHUM Journal of Islamic Education and Social Humanities Vol. 6, No. 2, May-August 2026, pp. 1195-1205 ISSN 2776-5229 1196 the sense of ownership toward institutional rules and affect teachers' work motivation, even tho teachers are the main implementers of educational policies directly related to students and the school environment (Robbins & Judge 2017). Several previous studies have shown that the effectiveness of management teams is closely related to the quality of educational organizations because teachers who work in participatory management systems tend to have higher job satisfaction levels compared to authoritarian systems, while open communication and teacher involvement in decision-making positively influence school organizational effectiveness. Additionally, leadership quality is also related to teacher discipline and work commitment in schools (Gaziel 1992; Turnbull 2003; Naidoo 2019). Other research explains that collaborative decision-making can create a more supportive and inclusive school environment, while the success of educational management teams is influenced by effective communication, psychological safety, and cooperation among organizational members (Ainscow et al. 2022; Chiriac 2024). Studies on educational leadership have indeed been conducted extensively, but most of the research still places the school principal at the center of discussion, making studies that review the management team as a whole quite limited. Additionally, discussions on teachers' views toward the management team in modern pesantren environments are also scarce because previous research has often been conducted in public schools and has not linked teachers' perspectives with organizational communication, decision-making processes, work atmosphere, or discipline in pesantren. The research gap is evident in the lack of comprehensive studies discussing teachers' views on the management team of modern pesantren, particularly concerning communication, decision-making processes, and their impact on teachers' working conditions and discipline. Therefore, this study was conducted to understand how teachers perceive the structure, function, and effectiveness of the management team at Pesantren Modern Al-Kautsar Al-Akbar. This research aims to examine teachers' views on the structure, functions, and roles of the pesantren management team, then assess the effectiveness of communication and decision-making processes, identify factors influencing teachers' evaluations of management, and observe their impact on the work atmosphere and discipline within the pesantren environment. 2. METHODS This research uses a qualitative approach with a phenomenological design aimed at understanding teachers' direct experiences in interacting with the pesantren management team because this approach emphasizes the interpretation of individuals' life experiences regarding a phenomenon (Moustakas 1994). The research was conducted at Pesantren Modern Al-Kautsar AlAkbar located at Jl Pelajar Timur No 246 Medan and started on November 12, 2025, considering that the institution has an active and well-organized management system that meets the research needs. The participants in this study consisted of six individuals selected based on recommendations from the school, including the principal, vise principal, head of administration, and three teachers who were directly involved in management activities. The selection technique used was purposive sampling, which involves determining informants based on their understanding of the phenomenon being studied (Creswell & Poth 2018). All participants agreed to their involvement in the study, and their identities were protected th (...truncated)