Abstract: In the context of rapid global changes and intensified organizational competition, the demand for effective leadership development has become a critical challenge for nations, organizations, and individuals. Traditional leadership theories, predominantly rooted in Western paradigms, emphasize natural emergence through traits, behaviors, or situational factors, yet lack systematic frameworks for actively designing and optimizing leadership growth. To address this gap, this study proposes the Time-Space Design Theory of Leadership Development, a novel theoretical framework that integrates Chinese philosophical and practical wisdom with modern management science. The core premise of this theory is that leadership development is not entirely a process of natural emergence, but can be designed and optimized to a certain extent through specific methods within the time-space context. The paper proposes a framework for this theory, defining and explaining four key elements: the drivers, pathways, resources, and outcomes of leadership development, while exploring the interrelationships among these elements. This theory is grounded in the Three Laws of Time-Space Theory. These Laws state that the effectiveness (efficacy) of human thought and action depends on the time-space views (TV, SV) one holds and the time-space resources (TR, SR) one possesses, the degree of alignment between these views/resources and specific contexts, as well as the interaction between views and resources. This relationship can be expressed as the function E=f((TV, SV), (TR, SR)). According to these Laws, the drivers of leadership development and developmental pathways, derived from a design-optimization perspective, belong to the realm of time-space views. Meanwhile, the resources for leadership development constitute time-space resources. Together, these factors collectively determine the outcomes of leadership development. The literature synthesis, theoretical modeling, and case analysis are employed to develop and elaborate the proposed model, culminating in the formulation of twelve key propositions. The aim is to provide a new theoretical perspective for the field of leadership development research and practical guidance for nations, organizations, and individuals in cultivating capable leaders efficiently. The paper concludes with suggestions for future research directions based on the Time-Space Design Theory of Leadership Development, including theoretical refinement, empirical validation, and practical guidelines.

Key words: Time-Space Theory, Leadership, Leadership Development, Time-Space Design Theory