Meet , the Director and Senior Lecturer at the Edward de Bono Institute for Creative Thinking and Innovation. She coordinates various entrepreneurship-related incentives at the University of Malta, including the Global Entrepreneurship Week events hosted locally by The Edward de Bono Institute. Dr Baldacchino is a great animal lover and a passionate motorcyclist. Two recent research publications by Dr Baldacchino are; and .
Q: When were you first interested in Entrepreneurship?
A: My interest in entrepreneurship came about from two main sources: First, I used to work in our family business when I was a teenager during the summer holidays, and on a part-time basis while I read for my undergraduate degree in Psychology - this gave me first hand experience in managing a small business and I wanted to learn more about it. I therefore started a Masters degree in Creativity and Innovation at The Edward de Bono Institute (I was one of the Institute’s first students) and focused my dissertation on the role of creativity and innovation in start-up success - this really piqued my interest in entrepreneurship from an academic perspective, and motivated me to pursue a PhD in entrepreneurship at Warwick Business School, UK.
Q: Who inspires you from the Entrepreneurial scene and why?
A: I have a great deal of admiration for many people in the local entrepreneurship ecosystem, including those who work to develop young people’s entrepreneurial mindset and skills through education, mentoring and other initiatives, and of course the many start-up success stories that were born in Malta in recent years. However, I am particularly inspired by the , who are not only out to make a profit but are also on a mission to bring about positive change in the world by addressing social and/or environmental issues.
Q: Do you think there are more females than males in the entrepreneurial sector?
A: Local and EU statistics clearly show that men by far outnumber women in entrepreneurship, and that the gender gap is even wider in Malta than in the EU: According to the , 74.7% of the self-employed in Malta are men, which exceeds the (already high) 67.4% EU average.
As a result, the OECD considers women to be ‘’, i.e., an under-represented group in entrepreneurship.
Q: What are some of the challenges for women to become entrepreneurs? How do you think women cope when having a family to take care of?
A: Starting up a business is challenging for everyone, but women often face additional barriers due to socio-cultural factors that influence how people (including many women themselves) view the female’s role in society, such as the expectation that they should be the main caregivers in the family. Many female entrepreneurs say that autonomy and flexibility are important motivators for them to be self-employed, but research has shown that global crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic can be disproportionately difficult for women, particularly if they had to juggle their children’s home-schooling (during lockdowns) and business-related duties. Moreover, men tend to have better access to funding and larger networks than women, both of which are important to successfully start and run a business.
Q: What would you say to a young woman thinking about starting an entrepreneurial career ?
A: Besides the general tips that I would give anyone regardless of their age and gender, I would add that many women can be their own worst enemies, doubting themselves even when they are qualified and competent. Even though women are no longer lagging behind men in formal education, research has shown that they are still less confident in their knowledge and skills in work-related settings, including entrepreneurship. As a result, they tend to have lower expectations, strive for less and generally hold themselves back. I am not advocating for an overinflated ego of course, as this would be harmful in its own way, but it is important to believe in one’s abilities. A trusted mentor could help aspiring entrepreneurs to carry out a realistic assessment of their strengths and weaknesses, and to ensure that they capitalise on the former while finding ways to compensate for the latter.
Q: Did you ever have the opportunity to meet a famous entrepreneur?
A: I recently participated in the 12th Global Entrepreneurship Congress in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Among the highlights were inspiring fireside chats conducted by Booking.com co-founder and GEN Chairman with Apple co-founder and Netflix co-founder . Marc was quickly ushered away after his session, but Jeff and Woz stuck around for a chat and some photos - it was great!
Q: How do you think creativity and innovation play a role in entrepreneurship?
A: Creativity refers to the generation of new and useful ideas which, when implemented in a business context, lead to innovative products, services, business models, etc. Entrepreneurs require creativity to solve problems and pursue new opportunities, while innovation enables them to build and maintain competitive advantage. Creativity and innovation are therefore the lifeblood of entrepreneurship, as I found in my research on .
Q: Today the UN celebrates World Creativity and Innovation Day. What is this about, and how is Malta involved in this?
A: is an annual ‘Day of Observance’ to encourage people to use creativity in problem-solving for all issues related to achieving the 2015 Sustainable Development Goals. This is held on 21st April, which is the last day of . The University of Malta’s Edward de Bono Institute for Creative Thinking and Innovation is the national coordinator for these initiatives in Malta, and each year my colleague Dr Margaret Mangion organises a programme of events in collaboration with various partners. This year, one of the events was an online seminar organised for students enrolled on Psychology of Creativity (IOT1002). It was organised by the Edward de Bono Institute in collaboration with Dr Ali Summer, a senior consultant at BRAINPOWA, Australia. An upcoming event will be held on Monday 2 May which is an inter-faculty collaboration with the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Business Incubation (CEBI) at the University of Malta. This will be a research seminar on the 'New Standard Model’, a project aimed at supporting new ventures developed by Professor Russell Smith, Director at CEBI.
