Integrating Digital Leadership with Workforce Agility: A Conceptual Model for Malaysian Public Schools

The integration of digital leadership and workforce agility has become increasingly vital for managing digital transformation in educational systems. This conceptual paper explores how school leaders in Malaysian public schools can navigate technological change while cultivating a teaching workforce that is adaptive, self-regulating, and resilient. Grounded in transformational and distributed leadership theories, and informed by frameworks on learning agility and professional development, the study presents a context-sensitive conceptual model. Drawing on a synthesis of literature and practitioner experience, the paper articulates five key theoretical propositions linking digital leadership competencies such as emotional intelligence, strategic vision, and inclusive governance to workforce agility outcomes. It further examines organizational enablers including professional development, collaborative culture, and infrastructure support. The end product is a framework that?provides a comprehensive picture of how the practices of educational leaders can contribute to institutional resilience, innovation, and inclusive capacity-building in the case of Malaysia's public schooling. This study adds to leadership theory and application by situating Western models within?Southeast Asian environments and provides a basis for further empirical testing and policy development.