The landscape of higher education institutions (HEIs) has changed and become increasingly complex, making it crucial for colleges and universities to cultivate and hire savvy individuals who can effectively implement change initiatives and lead faculty, staff, and students. Higher education institutions (HEI) have unquestionably experienced a successful period of transition and transformation over the past decade. This achievement can be ascribed to the pressures they faced in securing,

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... ing, and retaining their position in the university rankings. In light of all these shifts, it's clear that the head of an educational institution faces significant difficulties in adjusting to the new circumstances. Much literature suggests that leaders can boost important metrics like employee job satisfaction and commitment by tuning in to and responding to the needs of their followers. Contingency or situational theory has been proposed to support the whole body of study. This study was developed to assess these two specific areas. The first was a comprehensive review of leadership style preferences among leaders in HEIs as a collective group. The second was to determine whether leadership style was significantly able to measure organizational performance. The suggested conceptual framework was able to discover a significant preference differential between transactional leadership and transformational leadership, with academics expressing a greater preference than staff as well. Overall, the proposed framework can be adapted to any scenario variable or future research field. It will effectively contribute to the advancement of China's education system.