Welcome to Trimester 3 and welcome back to the MBA.
To those beginning your MBA journey this trimester, welcome. And to those continuing, welcome back. Each new trimester brings its own rhythm; new ideas, new connections, and new moments of friction that challenge the way we think and lead.
The program continues to evolve in response to the world around us, and in this edition, you’ll find updates on some exciting new program initiatives related to our capstone unit, alumni and student stories, and upcoming opportunities that speak to what it means to learn with intention.
As MBA Director, something that has been on mind a lot lately is how progress today is measured by how little effort we need to expend. We are demanding faster delivery, instant access, and frictionless service. To some degree we have even come to equate convenience with success.
But, by removing friction from our lives, I think we’ve also removed many of the experiences that teach us how to live meaningfully with others. The systems that serve us so efficiently now can also separate us; not only from one another, but from the texture of the world itself.
The Deakin MBA, in many ways, works as an antidote to that smoothness. It asks you to engage, to slow down, and to wrestle with ideas that don’t fit neatly into a search engine or LLM. Each unit, discussion, and reflection reminds us that learning happens in the gaps between knowing and not knowing. That’s why we value debate, difference, and even discomfort. They are not obstacles to progress; they are the conditions that make it possible.
Next year, we will take that philosophy beyond the classroom. From 7 – 18 June,June 2026, the international MBA Study Tour will return, visiting Milan, Paris, and Angers. In addition to visiting large corporations, we also spend time with family-run businesses, non-profits focused on global women’s rights, small and medium-sized enterprises, technology-driven companies and consultancies , and start-ups.
To our current students, I encourage you to start planning now. The study tour is one of the most transformative experiences in the program and an opportunity to apply what you have learned in complex, real-world settings while forming the kind of connections that last well beyond the degree. It is intentionally challenging in parts, sometimes unpredictable, and always rewarding. The lessons you take from it rarely come from what goes to plan, but from how you adapt when it doesn’t.
And for our alumni, for the first time, we’re excited to be able to extend the invitation for you to join us. In addition to the places for current MBA students, we will be opening five places for MBA Alumni to participate in the 2026 study tour as mentors. Our valued MBA alumni will travel alongside our current students, sharing experience, perspective, and the lessons learned since their own time in the program. There will be financial support to help alumni participate, and we are now calling for expressions of interest.
[Continued from Communiqué]
The idea is not just to travel but to reconnect with the spirit of learning that first brought you to the Deakin MBA. Study tours are intentionally inconvenient, but in the best possible way. They force us to navigate new cultures, adapt to uncertainty, and embrace the unexpected. They remind us that growth rarely happens when everything goes to plan.
For students, this is your chance to experience that kind of learning first hand, to see how leadership, culture, and collaboration unfold in real time. For alumni, we are calling for those who want to model that to students, not as polished experts, but as people still willing to be curious, vulnerable , and open to new experiences.
As MBA Director, something that has been on mind a lot lately is how progress today is measured by how little effort we need to expend. We are demanding faster delivery, instant access and frictionless service. To some degree we have even come to equate convenience with success.
But, by removing friction from our lives, I think we’ve also removed many of the experiences that teach us how to live meaningfully with others. The systems that serve us so efficiently now can also separate us; not only from one another, but from the texture of the world itself.
The Deakin MBA, in many ways, works as an antidote to that smoothness. It asks you to engage, to slow down and to wrestle with ideas that don’t fit neatly into a search engine or LLM. Each unit, discussion and reflection reminds us that learning happens in the gaps between knowing and not knowing. That’s why we value debate, difference and even discomfort. They are not obstacles to progress; they are the conditions that make it possible.
Of course, convenience has its place. There are plenty of times when I have jumped on the Milkrun app when I finish work at 8:00pm. Or ordered takeaway Thai from one of the many online food apps. It has made the world more accessible and efficient.
But I would argue that when convenience becomes our highest value, we risk hollowing out the experiences that give our lives meaning. Algorithms now tell us what we already like. They smooth the rough edges of uncertainty and remove the random encounters that once changed how we saw the world. The same can happen in our careers if we stop seeking out challenge or novelty.
Our MBA, along with experiences like the study tour, are designed to counter that. To go some way toward reintroducing discovery into lives that have become maybe a bit too predictable.
Psychologists have long shown that struggle and uncertainty are essential to learning. When we have to think harder, wait longer, or solve something unfamiliar, the learning lasts. It’s what researchers call ‘“desirable difficulty’..” It’s easy to manage when things are running smoothly, but it’s only in the moments of ambiguity and tension that we discover who we really are. That’s why discomfort in this program isn’t a flaw; it’s part of the pedagogy.
I would argue that the world doesn’t need more frictionless leaders. It needs leaders who understand friction. People who can sit with complexity rather than rush to solve it, and people who see the hidden systems behind efficiency and value the human connections that give business (and life) its purpose. That’s why the MBA matters. It’s an education in intentionality and should be approached in a way that embraces inconvenience.
As you move through Trimester 3, I would encourage to sometimes take the long route. Read slowly. Embrace the rabbit hole. Ask the harder question. Consider the pause before the answer arrives as the learning moment. Resist using technology to solve your problems.
Those small acts of resistance to speed are what deepen your understanding of the material, of others, and of yourself.
An MBA, at its core, is not really about learning what to do; it’s about learning how to be curious, present, and intentional in a world that constantly tempts us with convenience, smoothness, and efficiency.
If you ever want to talk about your studies, your goals, or the path ahead, whether as a student or an alumnus, please don’t hesitate to reach out. You will find more information about the study tour, including how to submit your expression of interest in this edition of The Communique.
I am always up for a chat and a coffee, or a Zoom meeting, so don’t be a stranger. Feel free to get in touch with me to discuss any aspect of your MBA throughout the trimester.
Photo by Ioana Trandafir on Unsplash