Written by Dr. Iva Buljubašić, DBA Mentor at SSBM Geneva, and Dr. Mia Simcox, SSBM Geneva Dean.
As a DBA Mentor at the Swiss School of Business and Management, I have the privilege of mentoring DBA candidates alongside my colleague, the Dean, Dr. Mia Simcox.
Working with experienced professionals who bring real business challenges into academic research has taught us five important lessons:
Academic rigour and business relevance are not opposites.
A strong DBA project combines robust methodology with findings that leaders can understand, apply, and translate into action.
Mentoring is a partnership, not simply supervision.
Our role is to challenge assumptions, ask difficult questions, provide structure, and help
candidates develop their own scholarly and professional voice.
The DBA journey transforms the researcher as much as the organisation.
Candidates do not simply produce a dissertation. They become more reflective leaders, more
disciplined decision-makers, and more confident contributors to professional knowledge.
