The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
MBA International Experience - Navigating Leadership and Creator Mindset

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) is one of Asia’s leading academic institutions, ranked among the top 100 universities worldwide. Its Business School offers a highly regarded MBA programme designed to equip mid-career professionals with the skills and mindset required to thrive in today’s complex and rapidly changing business environment.

The MBA programme integrates international experience as a core component of its curriculum, giving students the opportunity to explore global leadership practices, build cross-cultural competencies, and develop innovative approaches to contemporary challenges.

With valuable experience from our earlier collaboration, PolyU returned to the Møller Institute for the second iteration of its MBA International Experience in Cambridge. The brief was to create a custom learning journey that would enhance students’ leadership confidence, strengthen their creative problem-solving skills, and provide real-world application through immersive project work.

The programme needed to balance conceptual learning with hands-on experience, encourage reflection, and expose participants to a range of perspectives from academia, business and industry. In keeping with PolyU’s emphasis on innovation and future-readiness, the programme also aimed to challenge participants’ thinking through themes such as AI, digital transformation, and the complexity of modern leadership.

The five-day residential programme, titled MBA International Experience – Navigating Leadership and Creator Mindset, was co-designed by the Møller Institute in close collaboration with the PolyU team to align with its updated MBA curriculum, the professional aspirations of the cohort, and the university’s emphasis on innovative leadership.

The design approach started with a comprehensive needs assessment, involving detailed consultation with key stakeholders to understand context, challenges, and desired learning outcomes. This collaborative, iterative process ensured the programme remained sharply aligned to the real-world complexity students will face in their leadership journeys.

Key design features of this programme included:

• Customisation around strategic themes – Topics such as design thinking, digital transformation, adaptive leadership and systems thinking were selected to reflect both the PolyU MBA ethos and the realities of modern business leadership in the Greater Bay Area and beyond.
• Integrated project learning – The Double Diamond framework was used to scaffold group project work, allowing participants to move through a creative process from problem discovery to solution delivery.
• Blending academic and applied learning – The programme brought together leading Cambridge-based academics, experienced facilitators and practitioners from industry, ensuring each session combined intellectual rigour with practical relevance.
• Focus on leadership development – Drawing on the Møller Institute’s evidence-based leadership development framework, the programme supported growth across personal, interpersonal and strategic domains, including self-awareness, team collaboration, and innovation in leadership.

The programme took place at the Møller Institute at Churchill College, University of Cambridge, and welcomed 15 MBA students from PolyU Business School.

Each day blended theory with practice, reflection with action. Participants were introduced to concepts such as creative leadership, systems thinking, user-centred design and adaptive strategy through a combination of lectures, workshops and coaching-style discussions. Sessions were led by a diverse group of contributors including University of Cambridge faculty, Møller Institute Associates, and guest speakers from business and industry.

A couple of highlights from the programme came on day two, where participants explored collaboration and disruption:

• Unlocking Leadership Potential: The Power of Collaboration in Action – Led by Dr Geraint Wyn Story, this highly interactive LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® workshop enabled participants to uncover their personal leadership styles, strengthen team communication, and deepen their capacity for creative problem-solving. Using hands-on model building and storytelling, the session provided a tangible and reflective approach to exploring how collaboration shapes effective leadership.
• Leading in the Age of Disruption: AI, Digital Transformation, and the Future of Leadership – In this thought-provoking session, Dr Stella Pachidi (King’s College London) explored the disruptive role of AI and digital technology in reshaping organisations. Participants examined the dual impact of these forces, both as sources of crisis and as tools for innovation, and considered how leaders can respond with resilience, critical thinking and adaptability.

Away from key sessions, the group challenge formed the backbone of the week. Working in teams, participants moved through each stage of the innovation process, from problem discovery to solution definition, culminating in a final pitch presentation on the last day. This was supported by daily project sessions and real-time feedback from facilitators.

Two Cambridge-based site visits offered deeper insight into applied creativity and leadership in action. At Ninja Theory, participants explored how organisations can thrive with a horizontal, flat leadership structure, and how such approaches contribute to success within the gaming industry. At Studio 17, the group explored how design thinking can be used to address commercial and strategic challenges.

The programme was rounded off with a formal dinner and celebration at Gonville & Caius College, providing a fitting close to a week of intense learning and cultural exchange.

Thank you to the Møller Institute team for curating such a wonderful International Experience programme that dovetails seamlessly with the PolyU MBA curriculum. Our students found the programme’s diverse elements both engaging and valuable for advancing their professional careers. The learning outcomes strongly resonated with the PolyU MBA’s motto: Lead to Create. I am confident that this unique and memorable experience will have a lasting impact on our students, inspiring them to apply what they have learned and to lead with creativity and innovation in their future endeavours.

-Dr. Justin Law, Programme Director, MBA programme, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University