Real-world application of classroom knowledge is one of the most effective ways of enhancing your critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
This type of experiential learning involves active participation in real-world situations, enabling learners to reflect on their experiences and apply their insights to future challenges in their own organisations.
The value of experiential learning is one of the reasons QUT Business School offers Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Executive MBA students a range of immersive learning opportunities.
The QUT Executive MBA is designed specifically for executives with at least ten years of industry experience who desire to hone their leadership skills with an elite cohort.
With annual intakes each January, the Executive MBA focuses strongly on creating an intensive learning experience (three days over one weekend once a month in Brisbane or bi-monthly in Canberra) within a cohort of like-minded executives.
With annual intakes each January in Brisbane and Canberra, the Executive MBA focuses strongly on creating an intensive learning experience within a cohort of like-minded executives.
Students can choose between two distinct pathways: International Leadership or Complex Program Leadership and Strategic Procurement. Depending on which pathway students take, they participate in either the MIT Immersion Program or the Complex Program Leadership (CPL) Study Tour.
Insights to Complexity
For Executive MBA student, Christine (Chris) Anderson, the attraction of the CPL Study Tour was the opportunity to explore her passion for solving big, complex organisational problems. Her fascination with solving the intractable issues faced by many modern businesses had grown over a 22-plus year career in People & Culture with well-known global brands.
“I’m very grateful for the journey my career has taken me; I’ve had the opportunity to work overseas in The Netherlands for global companies, including Foot Locker and Brunel, while also working with some incredible Australian businesses across diverse industries and geographies,” she said.
Her recent roles include Global Head of People & Culture at Brunel and Chief Operating Officer at Harness Energy, and she has just commenced in a Director, People & Culture executive role with energy company Genuity.
“I like working in really complex businesses and having the skills to navigate those problems. As a functional leader in People & Culture, deciding to take the CPL path was a strategic choice as part of the EMBA program because it gives you a holistic perspective of complexity within an organisation and gives you the tools to zoom in on the root cause to be able to effectively solve for driving culture, capability, and performance.”
A distinctive feature of the QUT program since 2008, the International Study Tour provides an immersive learning experience that allows students to engage at a senior level and be exposed to how organisations manage the diversity of challenges in large and complex programs.
This year’s European tour included visits to BAE Systems’ shipbuilding factory in Glasgow, the UK Government’s Ministry of Justice and Courts, the Swiss Cobotics Competence Centre (S3C), and Swiss rail operator SBB.
“We had a couple of days with each organisation, and it was fascinating to see how each of them were facing such a diverse range of complex issues across their workforce and within the country they operate,” she said.
“The Ministry of Justice was right in my wheelhouse as a HR executive. They are seeing rising incarceration rates while at the same time facing challenging workforce issues that are difficult to solve for. It was incredibly insightful to see how they are trying to bridge their workforce gap whilst actually having the opportunity to provide solutions to their complex problem as part of the challenge my team and I were set.”
“The most important thing that I took away is that it allowed me to think about my new role and what sort of leadership and capabilities I bring to it. The Executive MBA and the study tour have equipped me with the tools to think differently as a business partner for the organisation that takes a holistic systems perspective.”
It is much more than an academic exercise
Rick Staveley, an Executive MBA student at QUT, embarked on his postgraduate business study journey last year after nearly 20 years at disability employment services provider EPIC Assist.
“EPIC put a few senior executives through the Graduate Certificate in Business (Enterprise Leadership) at QUT a few years ago I was one of the first to go through,” he said.
“One of my lecturers really encouraged me to take the next step and sign up for the Executive MBA, and after seeing the doors that were opened from the Grad Cert, combined with the increasing complexity of my role, I thought it would be a great idea.”
After two years of study, he was one of 24students and alumni to attend this year’s MIT Immersion program at MIT Sloan School of Management, where students take a two-week deep dive into the world of entrepreneurship, digital transformation and innovation.
As part of the program, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, students participated in lectures, showcases and interactive sessions with leading global academics, researchers, and industry experts. As part of MIT Immersion, they form small groups that develop and pitch a new business idea.
“In was next level in terms of the learning experience,” he said. “The level of expertise and knowledge you are exposed to is amazing, and its immersive nature only amplifies everything you do,” Rick said.
“We were having meetings at all hours with all sorts of different people all over Boston. They were an open book in terms of their knowledge and only too happy to help.”
Rick was part of a start-up called BuildEase, an AI powered construction planning platform designed to support small-medium builders with powerful software.
“It’s not just an academic exercise; it’s a business with a MVP that’s been tested with real customers over the past 10 months. For the two weeks at MIT, we lived and breathed it with some of the sharpest minds in the world of entrepreneurship,” he said.
The BuildEase team ended up winning the pitch contest and is working on launching the platform next year.
Would he recommend the MIT Immersion to future Executive MBA students?
“Definitely. It wasn’t really on my radar when I started the program, but now I see it as one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. It was great capstone for all the other learnings and to put that into a real-world environment cemented a lot of the learning.”
Applications for QUT’s Executive MBA are open until 9am, Monday 16 December 2024. Find out more and apply now.
