The Edward de Bono Institute
Dissertation Abstracts
UNIVERSITY OF MALTA
The Edward de Bono Institute for the Design and the Development of Thinking
Abstracts 2009-2010
Table of Contents
Master in Creativity and Innovation
Graduation 2010
Fay Camenzuli
Opportunity Identification and Exploitation among Established Entrepreneurs:
Habitual Heuristic or Cognizant Creativity?
4
Franco Curmi
The Role of Collective Intelligence Networks in Innovation
5
Lisa Gafa
Creativity and Mental Illness in Malta
6
Leire Garcia Olaizola
Innovation in Television: An Analysis of Innovative Elements in Television
Programmes
7
Clifton Pulis
Innovation Patterns in the Mobile Telephony Industry: A Case Study of
iPhone Usage
8
1|Page
The Edward de Bono Institute
Dissertation Abstracts
Master of Arts In Creativity and Innovation.
Graduation 2010
Anthony Cardona
Stress vs Creativity: A Corporate Perspective
9
Clayton Mercieca
An Exploration of the Development of Coaching in Malta and its Creative Aspects
10
Maria Elizabeth Schembri
Culture and Creativity in Vittoriosa : A Case Study Analysis
11
Graduation 2009
Rachel Rose Blackburn Sciberras
Innovation Management in Audiovisual Production Organisations in Malta
12
Patrick Cuschieri
Benchmarking Aviation Security Training Standards to achieve an Innovative
Training Programme for Malta
13
Carla Farrugia
Pop/Jam: Creativity and Meaning - Making in Popular Media Cultures
14
Gavril Flores
Leadership and Creativity: An Analysis of Creative Leadership at Visual Trends
International
15
Kim Galea
Why do we Choose who we Choose? What Women want: A Creative Study
on Human Behaviour
16
Esther Huy
Climate is Changing, when will Malta be Energy Saving? Local attitudes towards
Renewable Sources of Energy, and the generating of ideas to aid Green Energy in
Malta
17
Christopher Magri
Stimulating Innovation through Demand Side Policies: A Case Study of Malta’s
Innovative Public Sector Procurement Policy
18
2|Page
The Edward de Bono Institute
Dissertation Abstracts
Stella Robertson
A Comparison of the Creative Processes of Psychodrama and Design (Through
thinking, feeling and action)
19
Kevin Schembri
The Thinking Cardiac Surgeon: An Analysis of intra-operative Decision Making
20
Martin Schwarzer
Assessing the correlation of Creativity and Foresight - A grounded theory-related
approach
21
Andrea Stellato
The Role of Benchmarking and Foresight in Malta’s R&I Policy Design
22
Zoltan Wysmyk
Creativity and Cognitive Skills of Leadership: The catalytic role of Creativity in the
development of Cognitive Skills of Leadership
24
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The Edward de Bono Institute
Dissertation Abstracts
Master in Creativity and Innovation
Graduation 2010
Fay Camenzuli
Opportunity Identification and Exploitation among Established Entrepreneurs: Habitual Heuristic or
Cognizant Creativity?
This study investigated the role of heuristics and biases amongst successful established entrepreneurs in
Malta, and explored whether these entrepreneurs are creative and innovative in their opportunity
identification and exploitation process. This research made use of the qualitative method of data
collection, with semi-structured behavioural interviews conducted amongst 15 entrepreneurs who have
owned and managed one or more businesses in Malta for over ten years. This study has demonstrated
that the majority of the entrepreneurs who participated in this study do not rely on the heuristics and
biases investigated herein when identifying and exploiting opportunities. Instead they process thoughts
effectively and conduct ample research before agreeing to start a new venture. It has also indicated that
the entrepreneurs in this study are creative in their way of thinking, and the creative processes
employed are both deliberate and unconscious. However the creativity and innovation revealed in this
study is somewhat limited in that little evidence was found that these entrepreneurs generate their own
ideas - most refer to foreign markets to try and bring new concepts to adapt to Malta. This study
suggests that entrepreneurs in Malta may gradually lose some of their creative edge as they become
entrenched in routine on their journey down the entrepreneurial path.
KEYWORDS: Entrepreneurship, Heuristics, Biases, Creativity, Innovation, Opportunity
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The Edward de Bono Institute
Dissertation Abstracts
Franco Curmi
The Role of Collective Intelligence Networks in Innovation
Literature indicates that a number of studies have explored collective intelligence and innovation
separately. However, analysis of the links between the two seems to be missing. This study explores the
role of collective intelligence networks in innovation. This is done by analysing four firms that use
collective intelligence to generate innovative outcomes. The primary analytical methodology is a content
analysis of sources that have referenced, discussed or presented research on the firms. In support to
this, is a set of quantitative longitudinal statistics related to the firms and triangulated by existing studies
in collective intelligence and innovation. Both fields are highly complex grounds and their combination
may seem chaotic. However, while it might be impossible to control all the parameters of these
multifaceted phenomena, there is support for the fact that key attributes are decisive for obtaining
predefined specific outcomes from such complex networks. This study shows that the external input to
the network is indeed imperative, as in the case of the external dynamics and influences generated by
the firms in the study. The main contribution of this dissertation is in identifying nine key factors that
influence the innovation outcome due to collective intelligence. The research also indicates that both
the increase as well as the decrease of communication, in specific collective intelligence settings, may
facilitate the augmentation of the intelligence factor within an innovation process. This empirically
deduced outcome has both pure and applied use within the research and innovation discourse.
KEYWORDS: Collective Intelligence, Innovation, Communication, Crowdsourcing, Diversity
5|Page
The Edward de Bono Institute
Dissertation Abstracts
Lisa Gafa
Creativity and Mental Illness in Malta
This dissertation aims to reveal what links creativity and mental illness together, and how this
connection is perceived by eight mental health professionals in Malta, including four psychologists and
four psychiatrics who were interviewed for the purpose of this research. An in-depth literature review
delves into this highly debatable topic with an emphasis on two main disorders: bipolar disorder and
schizophrenia. Attestations from the interviewees’ transcripts support the vast body of literature that
suggests that a link between bipolar disorder and creativity is much more likely than the link between
schizophrenia and creativity. Nevertheless, although it is implied that in the initial stages it may
complement the work of the artist, mental disorder is definitely not seen as an asset. A comprehensive
analysis also reveals that the way creativity is perceived by psychologists varies from the way it is
perceived by psychiatrists, and that this affects their modus operandi and their patients’ ability to retain
their creativity. Data analysis shows the psychologist’s approach is more open to accept creativity in
relation to mental health and foster a more sensitive method in treating creative individuals. A number
of recommendations for further research conclude this research, in relation to how creativity can be
respected, enhanced and acknowledged in society, especially among professionals.
KEYWORDS: Creativity, Mental Illness, Attitudes, Professionals
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The Edward de Bono Institute
Dissertation Abstracts
Leire Garcia Olaizola
Innovation in Television: An analysis of Innovative Elements in Television Programmes
Television has been the medium of biggest impact in society over the last decades. However, rapid
technological advances and globalization are reshaping the long-established characteristics of this
media.
A comprehensive review of the literature reveals that in this new context, television has to face new
challenges in order to survive. On the one hand, immersed in a process towards media convergence, the
role of television in the modern media scenery appears blurry. On the other hand, emerging digital,
interactive, personalized and transnational television is being criticized for not innovating in the inner
content and for not respecting television’s traditional objectives of informing and educating society.
I have developed this research with the objective of learning how to benefit from the advantages
offered by new technologies, how to respond the demands of the audience and how to respect the
principles of quality in order to create innovative television contents. With the intention of exploring
these questions, I analysed 340 innovative television programmes from 54 countries and I conducted
four interviews with international experts in television producing.
This research concludes that there is a direct relationship between innovating, creating quality contect
and reaching success. It confirms that modern television can become a place for participation,
democracy and intellectually challenging entertainment although the need to redefine audiovisual
contents in order to turn television into a successful and socially positive media in the future is stressed.
KEYWORDS: Innovation, Creativity, Television, Audiovisual Content, Media Convergence
7|Page
The Edward de Bono Institute
Dissertation Abstracts
Clifton Pulis
Innovation Patterns in the Mobile Telephony Industry: A Case Study of iPhone Usage
This study explores innovation patterns among iPhone owners. It comprises a comprehensive review of
the literature related to innovation and presents a definition of innovation as well as an explanation of
the different types of innovation, processes of innovation diffusion and the characteristics of an
innovation affecting its diffusion. Literature pertaining to the consumer’s buying decision and the
adoption process of new products, which the author considers fundamental to this study, are also
reviewed. Focus group discussions formed the methodology of this research. The data was collected
from iPhone users. Thematic analysis of the data was carried out based on coding. Data obtained from
this research was then related to previous studies. The data gathered reflects the attitude of
participants towards new technological innovations, specifically towards their usage of the iPhone. The
data reveals that there is a high level of interest by participants in newly launched innovative
technologies. Moreover, it was established that users are extremely satisfied with the innovation that
the iPhone possesses. The main research investigates the usage and attitude of users toward the
iPhone’s innovative features and applications. This study includes recommendations for further research
in the field of innovation.
KEYWORDS: Innovation, Early Adopters, Lead Users, Innovation Patterns, iPhone
8|Page
The Edward de Bono Institute
Dissertation Abstracts
Master of Arts in Creativity and Innovation
Graduation 2010
Anthony Cardona
Stress vs Creativity: A Corporate Perspective
World business leaders recognise that creativity is playing an important role in their survival in today’s
globalised economy. These individuals understand that they share partial responsibility in leading,
shaping and directing the way people live and work. Traditional business models do not meet today’s
challenges, but applying innovation concepts to these models success rate is higher. Yet creative
leadership is necessary for innovation to succeed and all this to happen within an organisation. Despite
management efforts to incubate creativity in their internal procedures, various factors (barriers) to
creativity may be overlooked – stress is one. A degree of stress, such as to meet realistic project
deadlines, may highly contribute to creativity. Long term stress on the other hand disturbs an
individual’s cognitive behaviour that is much needed to access creative thinking processes.
This dissertation presents findings from a quantitative study conducted in a corporate environment with
the aim to gain further insight in respect to stress and creativity and any correlations between them.
These issues and several related sub-themes are discussed, and suggestions to improve creativity and
stress management are also presented.
KEYWORDS: Stress, Creativity, Correlation, Organisation, Innovation
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The Edward de Bono Institute
Dissertation Abstracts
Clayton Mercieca
An exploration of the development of coaching in Malta and its creative aspects
Internationally, coaching has grasped the attention of individuals and organisations coming from
different backgrounds as it claims to improve performance and facilitates goal achievement towards
success. Issues of concern among professionals and academics on its true nature and its effectiveness
have been raised. Research has scrutinized the profession and, as evidence-based coaching literature
becomes more available, coaching is able to claim to be a practice with unique characteristics and
approaches. In Malta, however, coaching is still in its infancy and popularity is still scarce.
The purpose of this study is to explore the development of coaching in Malta and its creative aspects.
The research endeavours to investigate the following questions: How is coaching in Malta characterised
by those who practice it? What are the models and techniques applied across the various coaching
domains? Is creative thinking embedded in the coaching process? To date, no research has been
conducted in Malta with regards to the coaching profession.
Seven individuals who claim to offer coaching services participated in the study through individual semistructured interviews. Thus, a qualitative research strategy was undertaken in the form of an
exploratory approach. Each coach in the sample represented a specific coaching domain (life, health,
executive and sports).
The findings indicate that the nature and characteristics of coaching in Malta are following similar traits
to the ones portrayed in the international coaching literature as common concepts were identified such
as the focus on goal achievement and the facilitation of knowledge. Differences from other helping
professions were also highlighted. Various techniques are employed by the coaches, some of which are
found to be common across the different practices while others were more specific. All the participants
in the study engage in techniques to re-programme client’s mindsets and stimulate imagination. The
creative process becomes evident in the way coaches engage their clients to overcome complex
problems and make sense of ill-defined solutions.
KEYWORDS: Coaching, Coaching Models and Techniques, Creative Thinking, Malta, Developing
Profession
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The Edward de Bono Institute
Dissertation Abstracts
Maria Elizabeth Schembri
Culture and Creativity in Vittoriosa: A Case Study Analysis
This research investigates theories proposed by Florida, Zukin, Landry, Hospers, Throsby and other
authors on creative communities and creative cities. The literature review explores various viewpoints
related to what constitutes a ‘creative city’ capable of generating creativity, innovation and economic
growth. The research uses qualitative methodological tools to explore matters related to culture and
creativity in Vittoriosa. In view of this, one-to-one semi structured interviews were held with various
stakeholders which were composed of the local community and the business sector operating within the
town as well as policy makers such as governmental entities. After establishing and describing the
methodology of the study conducted, the analyses and results of the study are presented. A discussion
on the idea of whether Vittoriosa is earmarked as a destination where a creative community may be
developed is explored vis-à-vis the theories set out within the literature review. Comparisons are
outlined so as to indicate the similarities or differences that emerge in relation to developed theories on
creative cities. This is then followed by an attempt to explore and understand the significant role of
creative production of Vittoriosa and what relation it has to economic and social growth. The final
chapter proposes recommendations and conclusions regarding the impact of culture on creativity and
innovation in the locality of Vittoriosa. From the study, it has emerged that in an ever more competitive
economy, the locality considers investment in art and culture as one of the main pillars for Vittoriosa to
flourish and that for the locality to be successful, it must develop, attract and retain talented and
creative people who generate innovations and power economic growth.
KEYWORDS: Creative Cities, Creative Communities, Innovation, Creativity, Culture, Social
Sustainability, Culture Sustainability
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The Edward de Bono Institute
Dissertation Abstracts
Graduation 2009
Rachel Rose Blackburn Sciberras
Innovation Management in Audiovisual Production Organisations in Malta
Creativity and innovation are two separate yet inherently interconnected concepts. Innovation cannot
exist without the impetus of creative ideas; nevertheless, an abundance of creative ideas does not
predispose an organisation to be innovative. Innovation management is understood as the efficient and
effective management of the innovation process (Tidd et al., 2001) which involves the identification of
innovation opportunities and the facilitation of their implementation.
The purpose of this study is to examine how audiovisual production organisations in Malta harness
creativity and manage innovation. The research endeavors to investigate the following questions:
Which organisational factors need to be considered in innovation management? What strategy can be
used to measure creativity and innovation in organisational settings? How do audiovisual production
organisations in Malta manage innovation? Are there any trends in innovation management in the
audiovisual sector in Malta? Audiovisual production organisations were chosen as to date no research
has been conducted in Malta nor abroad on innovation in this sector.
Five organisations were identified to be researched, their selection was based on the following criteria:
the organisation provides audiovisual production services; more than 30 members of staff are employed
on a full-time basis and the organisation is Maltese owned or partnered. The organisations involved in
the research account for five out of a total of seven organisations that meet the established criteria.
The literature review indicates that innovation management on an organisational level is concerned with
six factors: strategy, leadership, structures and systems, resources, skills and knowledge, culture and
climate and barriers to innovation.
The research elicits qualitative and quantitative data. The quantitative data was gathered by
distributing an anonymous focused questionnaire to all full-time members of staff employed by each
organisation (n = 109). The qualitative data was collated from five managers from each organisation (n =
25) and feedback was also sought from a contact person in each entity.
The findings indicate that although each organisation has its own unique way of managing innovation,
common strengths and weaknesses were identified. The results suggest that sufficient skill pool, space
to innovate and role-modelling for innovation are the organisational factors least well managed by the
audiovisual sector in Malta. Whereas the sector’s ability to alleviate fear of failure, manage knowledge,
foster open communication and encourage risk-taking behaviour appear to be well managed.
KEYWORDS: Innovation Management, Creativity, Innovation, Audiovisual Production, Organizations
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The Edward de Bono Institute
Dissertation Abstracts
Patrick Cuschieri
Benchmarking Aviation Security Training Standards to achieve an Innovative Training Programme for
Malta
Following the 11 September 2001 incidents in the USA, immense investment was exerted to develop,
enhance and harmonise aviation security at EU airports. The main objective of the research is to
establish and benchmark aviation security training methodologies of airports in the eight European
Union Member States (MS). An innovative aviation security training programme for Malta International
Airport (MIA) shall be designed on the outcome.
The research methodology consisted of a quantitative dichotomous questionnaire to eight MS, followed
by an interview to a Malta International Airport (MIA) target group. The outcome of the findings was
queried with an aviation security expert from the European Commission (EC). The study reveals
significant problems hindering EU airport security standards and eventual harmonisation within these
airports. The research discloses obstacles hindering security duties within the participating countries
with inappropriate recruitment being highlighted as a major predicament. Company owned staff versus
outsourced staff provides various insights with most airports agreeing that their staff are paid well.
Malta’s complication in the area is the division of outsourced and company owned staff that is paid
differently while performing the same duties.
While all countries recognise that quality, efficiency and effectiveness are the main drivers for screener
training, the majority of MS confirmed that the development of training courses reduces the time to
acquire skills. All MS link competencies and selection methods to knowledge, skills and abilities
necessary to perform security tasks. Twelve important competencies for security staff were identified.
Almost all countries expect security staff at their airports to possess these competencies.
Following the evaluation of data a new model of security staff qualification criteria was established for
the MIA. An innovative ‘training for impact’ programme was formulated. Furthermore, quality meetings,
tests, the creation of innovation teams and a new approach to share experiences with foreign airports
are being proposed. The projected training methodologies are: classroom training, case studies,
discussions, prompt listing, computer based training, self reading, audio visual training, x-ray image
identification, role play, on-the-job training and role reversal.
Although the objectives of the study were met, coming up with a set of training methods is not enough.
Communication and training aspects are vital; hence the importance of an instructor who is well
conversant with aviation security operating practices and regulations. This study would still be a letdown
in the hands of an inept instructor.
KEYWORDS: Aviation Security, Innovation Process, Training, Competencies, MIA
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The Edward de Bono Institute
Dissertation Abstracts
Carla Farrugia
Pop/Jam: Creativity and Meaning-Making in Popular Media Cultures
This study describes how creativity functions in meaning-making in popular media cultures, when
meaning is made through iconic texts. It begins by asking what creative mechanisms are involved in the
meaning-making processes in popular culture iconic texts. It also describes how creativity functions
differently between a closed and an open text and identifies the meaning made through each. Due to
these investigations, this study also distinguishes what are the main values prevalent in popular
cultures, those which are perpetuated in the mass media and which are so important in the meaningmaking processes in popular media cultures. It also identifies how the two different types of culture
jamming texts, namely open and closed, react to these values and how creativity functions in each. The
study addresses popular culture texts, like culture jamming, in the light of different theoretical
approaches, including creativity theory, memetic engineering and conceptual blending. Texts from
popular culture, namely iconic adverts, their corresponding subvertisements and culture jammed
images from the Adbusters magazine covers are semiotically analysed and discussed in the light of the
various theoretical approaches presented. One of the core issues that came out of this dissertation is
that creative mechanisms are present in both closed and open texts, however they evoke different
responses and readings from readers. Another key aspect which links to the above idea is that the
semantic network around concepts is a fluid structure, meaning-making is helped by creativity to remain
in flux and meaning is constantly being reconstructed. Another core element is that an idea is truly
creative because it does not only challenge the main ideology, but engages the consumer above passive
consumption level. Finally, an additional central finding is that the main values of sexuality, unequal
power relations or violence and consumerism in popular cultures are perpetuated continually, even in
adverts that should sell an indistinct product like vodka, which is the product featured in the adverts
analysed.
KEYWORDS: Creativity, Popular Media Cultures, Meaning-Making, Culture Jamming, Advertising
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The Edward de Bono Institute
Dissertation Abstracts
Gavril Flores
Leadership and Creativity: An Analysis of Creative Leadership at Visual Trends International
Creativity and leadership have been the subject of academic analysis for decades, however, research
studies on the impact of leadership on creativity are still limited, especially in areas like leading clients,
suppliers and the industry. This research studied ways in which leadership in the marketing
communication industry leads to creativity in relation to the seven pillars of creative leadership: Leading
Yourself, Leading People, Leading Clients, Leading Suppliers, Leading the Enterprise, Leading Vision and
Innovation, and Leading the Industry. Using a qualitative approach, this study investigated a local case
that is known for its creative output: Visual Trends International (VTI). Data was collected through indepth interviews with leaders of the organisation and relevant stakeholders, including staff, clients,
suppliers, and industry and creativity experts. These were asked how leadership at VTI functions in
relation to the seven pillars in an attempt to understand the ways this leads to creativity. The case study
highlighted the importance of VTI leaders’ personal characteristics and a relationship was found
between a leader’s values and the concept of authentic leadership. An emphasis on the leader’s ability
to select was pinpointed throughout the research, and this was reflected in a number of areas such as
choosing the right people, suppliers and clients. The study pointed out the importance of contingent
rewards in leading people to creativity, not as an end in themselves, but as a sign of recognition for the
individual’s personal achievements. In leading both clients and suppliers there is a stress on the
importance of building trustworthy relationships, knowing the client and the problems well, and
performing outstandingly. The balance between the leader’s active presence and absence is perceived
as essential in nurturing autonomy, independence and inspiration, which positively affects creativity.
The study identified ways in which creative leadership can drive the organisation towards innovation,
and VTI uses its own particular method in doing so. On the other hand, it was found that short deadlines
and heavy workloads might prompt people to use past ideas and solutions rather than novel ones. This
study also shows how in marketing communications, leading the industry involves leading both one’s
own industry and that of the client, thus putting more responsibility on the creative leader.
KEYWORDS: Leadership, Creativity, Creative Leadership, Strategy, Management
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The Edward de Bono Institute
Dissertation Abstracts
Kim Galea
Why do We Choose who we Choose? What Women want: A Creative Study on Human Behaviour
This study explores women and what they want from an intimate relationship, how they project
themselves with regards to body language and what affects their selection when choosing a partner,
both consciously and unconsciously. It investigates how women feel about sex and how they experience
the act of intimacy. This study aims to analyze this subject by putting into practice Edward de Bono’s
technique of the Six Thinking Hats. Two types of questionnaires were randomly distributed to willing
participants, one using the Thinking Hats as a guide to aid respondents to follow the concept of parallel
thinking, while the other set of questionnaires held the exact same questions but were listed in a way
that the questionnaire gave no order to its process. This was done to analyze if by using de Bono’s
concept of parallel thinking, one would quicken the thinking process while also being more efficient in
the information that one provides. This would allow the findings to be compared and contrasted. The
respondents were selected on the criteria of being female and of 18 years of age or more. This study
shows that women are far more open when it comes to discussing the subject of sex than one would
have anticipated, that women are increasingly taking more control when it comes to choosing their
partners, that women have clear and defined strategies and values when it comes to knowing what they
want from intimacy and relationships, and, last but not least, that the Six Thinking Hats concept is an
effective tool to gather reliable and honest information since its efficient process allows one to think
and focus on a theme one step at a time.
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The Edward de Bono Institute
Dissertation Abstracts
Esther Huy
Climate is Changing, when will Malta be Energy Saving? Local attitudes towards Renewable Sources of
Energy, and the generating of ideas to aid Green Energy in Malta
Energy and its production have become chief focal points in recent global issues. High emission rates
and fluctuating oil prices have instigated the renewable energy revolution.
This technology is not only sustainable, but also extremely adaptable, making it open to creative
opportunities. In Malta this reform has not arrived yet, which is curious since Malta needs to attain both
energy security and the energy targets imposed by the EU.
Hence why is this switch-over so impaired? This study aimed at uncovering the current local attitudes
towards renewable sources of energy, alongside ideas generated on the subject, and whether these
attitudes are susceptible to change. A qualitative design was employed, and data was gathered through
the application of the Six Thinking Hats by Edward de Bono to two focus groups comprising of either
semi-expert or non-expert participants, and via open-ended questionnaires carried out with local
experts on renewable sources of energy. The main findings suggest a significant gap between semiexpert and non-expert awareness that influences both attitude and creativity, creating a polarization
caused by pre-existing knowledge. The study illustrates that knowledge, attitudes, and creativity are
interrelated and produce differences in perception and ideas. It further outlines the dire need for public
education on energy issues, and the barriers that need to be overcome to change current thinking
structures to foster a creative culture. This study contributes to the understanding of the influences
exerted upon creativity by attitudes and knowledge, and how these three constructs can aid in the local
development of renewable sources of energy.
KEYWORDS: The Six Thinking Hats, Attitudes, Renewable Sources of Energy, Creativity, Thinking
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The Edward de Bono Institute
Dissertation Abstracts
Christopher Magri
Stimulating Innovation through Demand Side Policies: A Case Study of Malta’s Innovative Public
Sector Procurement Policy
Innovation is very important for economic growth and competitiveness. Government policy can
stimulate innovation that assists the economy to grow and compete internationally. Innovation policy
can either provide resources to private initiatives in the form of supply side policy, or influence outputs
as demand side policy. In practice a policy mix is tailored to the characteristics of the country and its
markets.
Large customers play a critical role in the success of innovative products by providing an early customer
base. Public procurement is one of the most direct forms of demand side innovation policy. Such a
demand side policy is increasingly being adopted as a way to stimulate innovation by developed
countries including the United States, Japan and South Korea. In pursuance of the Lisbon Agenda, the
European Union has been very active in pushing public procurement for innovations as a demand side
policy. However, in a small state like Malta it is questionable whether public procurement for
innovations can succeed. This study looks at the Maltese public procurement for innovations initiative as
a case study cognisant of its particular context: conservative public procurement by an unadventurous
public sector within an industry populated by small operators and where critical mass is a challenge.
The research looks at the Island’s public sector procurement for innovations initiative, assesses its
progress, strengths and weaknesses so as to provide a learning platform for the future.
A conceptual model of the factors influencing public procurement for innovations was constructed from
the literature review, and together with an evaluation of the Maltese context in terms of innovation,
was used as the basis for the flexible qualitative research design. The one-on-one semi-structured
interview was adopted as the data collection tool. Data collected was analysed using the template
technique. The study concludes that public procurement in Malta has the potential to stimulate
innovation but this will not happen by itself particularly in view of the difficulties that characterise a
small market, served by small operators, where legislation and its application are conservative, and
where the public sector is cautious of change and risk. The main recommendations of the study relate to
increased decentralisation of public procurement towards the contracting authorities and the adoption
of motivating factors to stimulate the public sector to be more open to public procurement for
innovations.
KEYWORDS: Demand-Side Policies, Public, Procurement, Public Policy
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The Edward de Bono Institute
Dissertation Abstracts
Stella Robertson
A Comparison of the Creative Processes of Psychodrama and Design (Through thinking, feeling and
action)
This main objective of this research is to compare and contract the similarities and differences between
two apparently different creative processes: the design process and the method of psychodrama.
Qualitative interviews focused on the thinking, feelings, actions and strategies of the respondents (n = 6)
during their creative processes. According to the respondents there are three main differences between
the creative processes. These are as follows:
• The physical actions carried out during these two processes are very different, for example drawing is
completely different to role playing.
• The designers experience their process primarily as a thinking process, while the psychodramatists
experience their process primarily through feeling.
• The thinking styles used during these respondents’ processes are particularly different during the
latter stages of creation. An example of this is the use of thinking that uses judgment towards the end of
the designers’ process while the psychodramatists aim to suspend judgemental thinking especially
during the last stage of a drama.
According to the respondents the main similarities between the creative processes are in the areas of:
• Feelings experienced during the creative process, for example, all the respondents (n = 6) experienced
feelings of joy when their creative process is working.
• The ways of being that assist the creative process are also similar, for example, being open and flexible
is believed to assist both creative processes.
• The aims of the strategies used in the processes also correspond. For instance, drawing during idea
generation encourages the exploration of number ideas and role playing in a drama encourages
exploration of multiple viewpoints.
Analysis of the similarities and differences between the processes also led to ideas about how role-play,
maximisation and the sharing phase in psychodrama could benefit the designers’ creative processes.
The findings in this study also support the idea that individual and high creativity (Cropley, 2006) overlap
during the most explorative parts of creative processes.
KEYWORDS: Creativity, Design, Psychodrama, Thinking, Feeling, Action
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The Edward de Bono Institute
Dissertation Abstracts
Kevin Schembri
The Thinking Cardiac Surgeon: An Analysis of intra-operative Decision Making
A third of claims against health care organisations result from cognitive and diagnostic errors in the
operating theatre and these diagnostic errors are associated with a higher morbidity than any other
types of medical errors. The subject of decision making in the surgical domain is not very well
researched by the scientific community.
This research looks at that ‘Thinking Surgeon’ and analyses the cognitive processes that go on during
surgery and the factors that shape the decision process. The literature review looks at the history of
decision making theory, the strategies of decision making applicable to the surgical domain and research
on this subject by the armed forces and civil aviation. Grounded theory was the qualitative approach
used in building theory from data acquired during interviews and field work. The results show that there
are layers of thinking that are concerned with Technical Cognitive Processes and Non Technical
Cognitive Processes (NTCP) together with sub layers of the conscious and subconscious. The focus
remains on the NTCP which is concerned with decision making. It shows that the NTCP is composed of
Data Acquisition and Processing (DAP), Decision Strategies and Decision Shapers.
The recommendations include adaptation of measures in the surgical field that have been developed for
the aviation industry, mainly crew resource management, and which are being tested in the anaesthetic
domain. It also recommends that this work should be expanded and tested as is currently being
practiced in the United Kingdom.
KEYWORDS: Surgeon, Decision Making, Cognitive Process, Operative Non Technical Skills
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The Edward de Bono Institute
Dissertation Abstracts
Martin Schwarzer
Assessing the correlation of Creativity and Foresight - a grounded theory-related approach
Although creativity might not be a fundamental prerequisite to conduct foresight, it can be inferred that
creative thinking contributes to a positive outcome of a foresight exercise. In the light of current
economic developments, which are impacting on the ability of private and public organizations to
safeguard their long term survival in particular, foresight offers an increasingly popular approach to
address these difficulties.
This dissertation investigates the correlation of creativity and foresight with a view to determining the
extent to which knowledge on creativity is disseminated and accessible to the foresight community.
Involving representatives of the foresight community, it analyses possible short-comings of the
prevailing knowledge, and discusses the effects which an expanded understanding of creative thinking
can have for foresight.
After delivering a review of the theoretical progression of both subjects, the selected research
methodology is introduced. Then, results of data collection and data analysis are given and discussed.
The findings refer to “platforms of understanding” for both the phenomena of creativity and foresight,
which indicate an essential understanding of both the phenomena of creativity and foresight, as well as
their overlapping characteristics. Further findings refer to the understanding of creativity prevalent in
the foresight community, and the improvements creative thinking might provide with regards to the
knowledge foresight provides, e.g., by identifying inevident drivers of change, by influencing the
behavior of foresight actors, or by enhancing the implementation of foresight results.
KEYWORDS: Foresight, Corporate Foresight, Creativity, Innovation, Grounded Theory
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The Edward de Bono Institute
Dissertation Abstracts
Andrea Stellato
The Role of Benchmarking and Foresight in Malta’s R&I Policy Design
Over the last four decades, there have been growing indications worldwide of an increased use by
governments of Benchmarking and Foresight as policy tools in national Research and Innovation (R&I)
policy design. Intergovernmental organisations have played an important role in promoting the use of
these tools and in providing support for their development. The European Union has in particular
stimulated the use of Benchmarking and Foresight in policy design through the Scientific and Technical
Research Committee (CREST) and the Framework Programmes (FPs), by complementing this with the
Open Method of Coordination (OMC), peer review and joint-programme initiatives.
Benchmarking the inputs and outputs of national systems of R&I is primarily based on the development
and refinement of R&I indicators and scoreboards, by Eurostat, World Economic Forum (WEF) and
OECD. There is a trend across most countries worldwide to focus the efforts of various national
resources towards one common front, with the aim of promoting the national R&I indicators as the basis
for more evidence-based policy approaches using international R&I benchmarks. These latter indicators
are not only related but, to an extent, also complementary because of the spill-over effects of each
benchmark.
The link between investments in R&I and future economic growth has been proven – R&I measures
support local industries by providing them with the technology and competitive edge required to trade
in today’s aggressive global markets. Benchmarking increasingly relates to efficiency of efforts in
implementation by governments to facilitate and catalyse the R&I development process. Countries are
constantly in competition amongst themselves in terms of SMART policy design in order to gain some
form of competitive edge over one another. Competition has led many of the more advanced
economies to outsource the policy design activity to organisations with specialised expertise in policy
design. Yet, at the same time, Foresight has evolved as a strategic and accessible policy tool for
exploring and defining long-term R&I policy visions and priorities for national investments in R&I, on the
basis of more systematic and participatory approaches.
Developments in R&I policy design, in terms of concepts and approaches, have helped Benchmarking
and Foresight to evolve and adapt in order to meet current and new challenges of globalisation,
knowledge societies, competitiveness and economic recession, amongst other factors.
In recent years, Malta has invested in a short space of time in both R&I Benchmarking and Foresight
activities, and there are growing trends of outsourcing elements of policy design and implementation.
This dissertation analyses Malta’s R&I experiences between 2000 and 2008 with a view to identifying
lessons learnt from R&I policy design. This dissertation will help to provide the input for the
development of an improved national R&I growth pattern. As far as referenced benchmarks are
concerned, the author has analysed the EU Trendchart and World Economic Forum Global
Competitiveness Rankings in order to monitor Malta’s R&I progress and its international rankings.
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The Edward de Bono Institute
Dissertation Abstracts
Malta is different in many respects from other transition economies due to its small size and lack of
natural resources. It is therefore not feasible to simply import R&I strategies and implement them
without adaptation to the local context. The main focus of this study is to explore the role of R&I policy
design within the Maltese economy and to identify the most innovative approaches, in the realm of R&I
policy design currently being used by advanced and transition economies, both in Europe and
worldwide.
The approach used for this study will be phased in three main stages. Stage 1 consists of a general
analysis of the most widely used international Benchmarks and Foresight approaches, as well as current
R&I best practices and successful strategies in national policy design, deployed both locally and
overseas, with a view to formulating a national strategy tailored to the Maltese Economy. Stage 2
presents the results of the data collected from a number of local R&I workshops and a sample survey, in
the form of a semi-structured questionnaire sent to a number of major Maltese stakeholders, in both
the public and private sector. A final stage discusses and compares all the data collected with the
literature reviewed by the author and concludes by recommending a national policy design approach
that can be realised using both Benchmarking and Foresight approaches.
KEYWORDS: R&I, Foresight, Benchmarking, Indicators, Scoreboards, Malta’s Policy Design.
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The Edward de Bono Institute
Dissertation Abstracts
Zoltan Wysmyk
Creativity and Cognitive Skills of Leadership: The catalytic role of Creativity in the development of
Cognitive Skills of Leadership
The aim of this dissertation is to examine theories, as well as the results of empirical research in order to
find evidence for the intuition that while cognitive skills and creativity are essential for every individual,
in the context of the power-structure of an organizational environment, their prevalence in leadership is
not always so obvious. Creativity is seen to have been catalytic to the development of science, however,
the more the ‘scientific’ definition of ‘objective reality’ prevails, the more it imposes constriction on
creativity. Thus, changing the perception of reality can broaden the boundaries of rationality and the
territory of thought on which creativity can thrive. Creativity is related to the highest level of the
hierarchy of our needs, and self-actualising people are considered to be creative. Beyond this static
view, it is shown what forces are at play behind group dynamics, and how they relate to creativity. The
problem of alienation and its relation to creativity is also presented from a social theory point of view.
As much as early organisational theories aimed to regulate management by ‘scientific methods’, the
trend towards ‘subjectivity’ substituted the paradigm of the ‘rational organisation’ as well. The
development of organisational theories has lead to increased ‘self-awareness’ of the role of leaders in
the enhancement of the ‘creative environment’. By understanding the intrinsic forces of motivation and
the role of empowerment, the resulting free expression of the self seems to solve the age-old problem
of the working man, alienation: for ‘leaders’ and ‘followers’ as well.
KEYWORDS: Perception, Creativity, Cognitive Skills, Empowerment, Leadership
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