How Supervisor–Student Interactions Matter for Leadership Education: Insights From the ‘Shimen’ Ecosystem

ABSTRACT Leadership education in higher education has been extensively studied; however, the long‐term influence of the supervisor–student interactions in shaping leadership development remains insufficiently understood, particularly within non‐Western academic contexts. To address this gap, the current study investigates how leadership development is cultivated through shīmén, a traditional Chinese academic supervision network, and proposes a leadership education model grounded in this relational structure. Employing a mixed‐methods approach, the research integrates longitudinal textual analysis of supervisor–student interactions (1986–2025), interviews with leaders across industries, observation data, and survey responses to capture both process and outcomes of leadership development. The findings identify vision, culture, and emotion as the core dimensions through which shīmén influences leadership formation. Building on HeXie management theory and institutional theory, the study develops a shīmén‐based leadership model comprising four developmental stages: sense‐making, habituation, objectification, and internalisation. Results highlight the critical roles of informal organisational structures, mentorship, and adaptive practices, as well as culture attributes such as independent thinking, responsibility, inclusivity, and practicality. This study advances understanding of leadership education by demonstrating how traditional academic supervision networks can foster culturally grounded, adaptive, and responsible leaders, offering practical implications and theoretical insights for leadership education in the digital era.