The Internalization of Javanese Leadership Values Through Wayang: A Cultural Historiography Analysis at The Wikasatrian

Abstract

This study is grounded in the contemporary crisis of leadership, which increasingly tends toward individualistic orientations while neglecting moral dimensions and local cultural values. Within this context, Javanese culture, particularly wayang kulit purwa (classical Javanese shadow puppetry), offers leadership values that merit examination as an alternative model of leadership that is more humanistic and collective in nature. This study aims to analyze the process of internalizing Javanese leadership values through wayang kulit purwa from the perspective of cultural historiography at the Wikasatrian Institute. The study employed a qualitative approach within an interpretive paradigm and a cultural historiography perspective. Data were collected through participants’ written reflections, in-depth interviews, and documentation of training activities based on wayang performance and gamelan music. Data analysis was conducted using thematic analysis to identify patterns of meaning and processes of leadership value internalization. The findings indicate that the internalization of leadership values occurs through four principal dimensions. First, the symbolic dimension of wayang generates processes of self-reflection. Second, the practical dimension of gamelan performance fosters collective harmony. Third, the psychological dimension encourages a transformation from individualistic orientations toward collective consciousness. Fourth, the cultural dimension, represented through the Javanese concept of rasa, shapes contextual leadership intuition. The study further reveals that wayang and gamelan function not merely as cultural representations, but also as experiential learning media that cultivate leadership awareness grounded in local values. Accordingly, this research affirms that Javanese culture may serve as a source of alternative leadership epistemology and practice that remains relevant to contemporary organizational contexts and leadership development.