https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/83351 Mon, 27 Apr 2026 13:31:03 GMT 2026-04-27T13:31:03Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/83472 Title: Mindfulness, flow and creativity : an exploratory study on how mindfulness training can affect creativity through the experience of flow Abstract: Creativity is often named as one of the most important skills of the 21st century. Especially for creative professionals such as designers, it is a lifelong task to understand and nourish their creativity. Building and maintaining a career in the creative industries not only requires disciplinary expertise and technical skills but also the capability to capitalize on different states of mind. This exploratory study suggests that mindfulness is a key player on the way to entering and maintaining a state of flow, which in turn positively influences creativity. In this context, creativity refers to the participants’ creative personal identity and their creative self-efficacy. A two-week mindfulness programme was designed to test the mediation model, where mindful meditation has a positive effect on flow resulting in enhanced creativity. During the intervention, 43 design students worked on creative projects related to their studies and practised mindfulness on a daily basis with the help of guided openmonitoring meditations. Following a quantitative research design, the participants filled out online self-assessment questionnaires to provide control variables for mindfulness, flow and creativity on a trait level before the intervention started. Every day during the mindfulness programme, the students submitted their experiences regarding mindfulness, flow states and self-perceived creativity through online surveys. Since different levels of engagement with mindfulness during the intervention were anticipated amongst the participants, a control group was not included in the experimental setup. Data was analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, where correlations, regression and mediation analysis were carried out. Interestingly, the effect of mindfulness in the model differed depending on the operational definition used. While mindfulness, operationalized as time spent meditating, had an indirect effect on creativity with flow as a mediator, no mediation took place when state mindfulness acted as the independent variable. Apart from the mediation, mindfulness, operationalized as time spent meditating, enhanced flow states, while state mindfulness had a direct effect on self-perceived creativity. These findings not only show the complexity of the involved constructs, but also suggest that the concepts of mindfulness and flow, often perceived as contradictory, work hand in hand while being in interplay with creativity. Description: M. CI(Melit.) Fri, 01 Jan 2021 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/83472 2021-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/83466 Title: Developing entrepreneurial intuition through a new training programme Abstract: Entrepreneurs often face environments that are highly fluid and characterised by uncertainties. Despite these circumstances, inaction or failure to respond rapidly can translate into costly mistakes or the loss of opportunities. In such conditions, intuition can lend itself to certain entrepreneurial tasks more effectively than analysis and has been found to play a key role in the entrepreneurial process. A small group of authors have endeavoured to outline guidelines and principles aimed at the development of intuition. Yet, their effectiveness remains largely unexplored, with little to no empirical evidence to back their legitimacy. Moreover, these guidelines have not been specifically adapted to the domain of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial intuition. In order to address these gaps, this study developed, implemented and evaluated an entrepreneurial intuition training programme on the basis of a six-step outline proposed by Baldacchino (2019), which was adopted as the conceptual framework. A mixed methods design was employed to elicit feedback from 12 entrepreneurship students and novice entrepreneurs as training participants, as well as from five academic educators within the field of entrepreneurship. Training participants completed the Rational-Experiential Inventory (REI-40: Pacini and Epstein, 1999) together with feedback forms, whilst the educators participated in semi-structured interviews. Both groups of participants evaluated the effectiveness of the programme very positively. In addition, training participants experienced an increase in their dispositional preference towards intuition when comparing Experientiality scores prior and post training. The study consequently indicates that intuition can be enhanced and developed through the proposed training programme. Description: M. CI(Melit.) Fri, 01 Jan 2021 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/83466 2021-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/83460 Title: Exploring creativity in co-working spaces Abstract: The main aim of this study is to explore how co-working spaces impact and influence creativity. The research addresses the following three research questions: (1) How effective are co-working spaces to facilitate or encourage collaboration among users of these spaces? (2) What effect, if any, does collaboration have on creativity in co-working spaces? and (3) What role, if any, does the organisational climate play in facilitating collaboration and creativity in co-working spaces? The study defines creativity and explores how it manifests itself to users of co-working spaces. It then discusses Rhodes’ 4P’s of Creativity which are incorporated as part of the conceptual framework. The literature defines co-working spaces as a recent phenomenon that has changed the way people work and collaborate. The role of space is explored as it is considered as a relevant factor in coworking spaces leading to collaboration. Five co-working spaces in Malta were selected. Participant observation was conducted to explore local co-working spaces. Factors such as climate and collaboration, or the lack of it, were observed. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with fourteen respondents who were selected from the five co-working spaces. Thematic analysis was applied and four main themes with further sub-themes were identified. The study concludes that coworking spaces offer convenience and less distractions to users who feel that they are more productive and creative in their work. Co-working spaces are effective spaces for collaboration and community building. Climate is a significant factor where collaboration and creativity are concerned. There are various elements that leave an impact on users such as socialisation, convenience, ability to work effectively, motivation and thinking time. The study demonstrates that the physical work environment in co-working spaces is a relevant factor that acts to enhance communication and collaboration, which, in turn, affects the creative process and which ultimately leads to increased creativity. Description: M. CI(Melit.) Fri, 01 Jan 2021 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/83460 2021-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/83452 Title: Innovation in tradition-based firms : a case study on the paradox between tradition and innovation in a craft bakery Abstract: In this thesis, I aimed to find out more about the underexplored relationship between tradition and innovation in a craft bakery, and how the management of this relationship may contribute to the success of a company in this industry. As Lewis (2000) regards the relationship between old and new as a tension, I used the model she developed as the theoretical framework to see how this tension can be managed effectively. I chose to conduct a case study according to the guidelines of Yin (2018) with the craft bakery Kaiser. Die Vollkornbäckerei GmbH, which I considered to effectively manage the paradox which arises when tradition and innovation interact. My primary data came mainly from 15 interviews that I conducted with seven members of the organisation and eight customers. I analysed the information thematically after Braun and Clarke (2006). For secondary data, I included relevant external documents such as newspaper articles, plus internal documents such as turnover from the last years. In the analysis, I found two core traditions of the company and six types of relationship between tradition and innovation. I found five of these in the literature, and I additionally identified a sixth during the case study, namely that the old becomes the new. Since I found this kind of relationship to be received very positively by customers, it is advisable to further investigate this relationship between tradition and innovation in other craft areas. Through my intensive engagement with the company, I make concrete recommendations to Kaiser. Die Vollkornbäckerei GmbH, including further development of their management model. Also, I am able to make recommendations for other traditional companies based on the company’s strengths. Description: M. CI(Melit.) Fri, 01 Jan 2021 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/83452 2021-01-01T00:00:00Z