Jaqquline Lawrie, 19 December, 2023
To stay ahead in today's digital age, organisations must embrace new initiatives and technologies. As part of our commitment to help our MBA students develop their digital leadership and entrepreneurial skills, we offer a variety of global learning opportunities in in collaboration with some of the world's most renowned business schools. One such opportunity is the MIT Immersion Program, offered as a capstone unit in the International Leadership stream of the Executive MBA and open to select MBA students.
Despite 87% of senior business leaders prioritising digitalisation, only 40% of organisations have achieved successful large-scale digital initiatives.¹
This program offers students the unique opportunity to participate in a two-week exclusive study tour at MIT Sloan School of Management in Cambridge, Massachusetts. During this intensive two-week period, students become fully immersed in the MIT Sloan ecosystem, where they are taught by leading global academics and researchers. The immersion program focuses on leadership, entrepreneurship, and digital transformation.
Studying abroad at a world-renowned university
One of the participants in the study tour, Jacqui Drew, General Manager at Pronto iQ, shared her reasons for joining the MIT Immersion Program.
“These [reasons] include MIT's stellar reputation, the golden opportunity to gain valuable insights applicable to my current role, and the chance to learn from some of the world's leading thinkers in the fields of management and technology,” she shared.
Erwin Budde, CEO at NGH, echoed Jacqui’s reasoning, stating that the tour provided a great opportunity to gain insights applicable to his role.
“I took part in the MIT program as I had an interest in developing strategy, particularly strategy for new products, services and businesses, and I wanted to expand my knowledge in this area,” he said.
“Additionally, I was drawn to the opportunity to learn from high-calibre teachers and researchers, and the chance to spend two weeks at the exceptional MIT institution further motivated my participation.”
Learning from global thought leaders
Throughout the two-week study tour, students participated in lectures, showcases and interactive sessions with leading global academics, researchers, and industry experts.
Jacqui shared the proceedings of the study tour, stating, “The MIT Immersion Program provided an intense experience that combined lectures, workshops, and hands-on innovation development.”
“Each day, we participated in lectures and workshops led by MIT's faculty, gaining cutting-edge knowledge in management and technology.
“In the evenings, we put this knowledge into practice by developing our own innovations, which we later presented on Pitch Day.”
Tim Armitstead, Product and Process Support Manager at Orica, emphasised that learning directly from these experts was an invaluable opportunity and had a significant impact on his academic journey.
“The calibre of lectures we had access to during the MIT Immersion Program was phenomenal,” he said.
“I have referenced a lot of these people in my assessments over the past couple of years, and being able to learn directly from the people who developed the theories and frameworks was an amazing opportunity.”
Learning in the MIT ecosystem
In addition to their studies at MIT Sloan, students fully immerse themselves in both the MIT ecosystem and the culture of the sector.
Erwin highlighted that one of his favourite experiences was delta v Demo Day.
Delta v is a bi-annual exclusive showcase where students present their innovative pitches to an audience comprising of MIT students, mentors, friends, investors, and potential customers. This event marks the culmination of the study tour, representing the students' dedicated efforts.
Erwin shared some of the many other immersive highlights throughout his trip.
“The Venture Café was a great opportunity to experience American culture and meet interesting people,” he said
“The energy of the campus, simply walking around, was enjoyable.”
He further emphasised the value of learning from distinguished professors like Scott Stern and Erin Scott.
“I really enjoyed the entrepreneurship program, as we had researchers come and present their research to us, which was very eye-opening,” he said.
“Finally, spending two weeks with the cohort was great, and I enjoyed all the social activities and getting to know everyone better.”
Gaining versatile career skills
The skills and experience gained from participating in the MIT Immersion Program are highly transferable to students' current workplaces and roles across various industries. “The MIT Immersion Program has greatly improved my ability to refine my company's strategy,” Erwin shared.
“I've already used my learnings in key workshops and discussions, particularly the customer-focused philosophy and the tools we were taught.”
Jacqui also noted that it profoundly impacted her career.
“The MIT Immersion Program has been a transformative journey that profoundly impacted my career,” she said.
“Before attending MIT, I had undefined expectations of what I would encounter in Boston.
“However, one thing I can say without a doubt is that my understanding and appreciation of Entrepreneurship and Innovation have been entirely reshaped.”
In addition to its significant impact on their professional lives, it has also positively influenced their personal lives. When asked about his experience in the study tour, Tim said, “The experience of participating in QUT's MIT Immersion Program was truly as transformative as everyone says.”
“It isn't easy to put into words, but I've returned from the study tour with a newfound perspective on daily life.
“Having experienced the buzz and energy of MIT's campus, it's infectious, and I'm now actively looking for ways to infuse this energy into my own life and work environment.”
Take part in our MIT Immersion Program
Are you interested in experiencing the MIT Immersion Program for yourself? Find out more about our programs below and speak to our Program Managers:
[1] Gartner: Digital transformation success from strategy to execution. Retrieved on 7 November 2023. From: https://www.gartner.com.au/en/information-technology/insights/digitalization
