noun
Refers to the group of top leaders or the leadership team of an organization, government, or company. Often used in news contexts.
党の首脳陣が会談を行った。
The party leadership held talks.
会社の首脳陣は新しい戦略を発表した。
The company's top leaders announced a new strategy.
指導部 is a more general term for the leadership or executive body, often used in political or organizational contexts, similar to 首脳陣 but slightly broader.
Compound of 首脳 (head, leader) and 陣 (camp, group), literally 'leader group'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word follows a common pattern for collective nouns.