This phenomenon calls for a new leadership paradigm towards system leadership for fostering school innovation, networking, and suitability in the new era. Although the literature of principal system leadership has been emerged for more than 20 years, there are no system literature review has been investigated for principal system leadership. This narrative review consisted of 56 publications from its birth in 2005 to 2024 for 20 years. This review was guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) (Moher et al., 2009), supplemented by the updated PRISMA (Page et al., 2021). A conceptual framework consisting of drivers (e.g., collaborative culture, school mission and organizational design) and outcomes (e.g., leadership capacity, school improvement, school sustainability) of system leadership has been identified. The results provide theoretical, methodological, and practical implications for future research, policies, and practice on how to promote system leadership of school principals.

Keywords: System leadership, school principal, narrative review, antecedent, outcome.