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Founders’ flow: A qualitative study on the role of flow experience in early start-up stages

Flow experience is a state of complete absorption while performing an optimally challenging and enjoyable task. It is often experienced at work—both in the form of individual and team flow—and can have a positive effect on performance and well-being. However, start-up founders’ work situation differ...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Kloep, Leonie, Roese, Katharina, Peifer, Corinna
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Public Library of Science 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10553822/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37797077
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0292580
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author Kloep, Leonie
Roese, Katharina
Peifer, Corinna
author_facet Kloep, Leonie
Roese, Katharina
Peifer, Corinna
author_sort Kloep, Leonie
collection PubMed
description Flow experience is a state of complete absorption while performing an optimally challenging and enjoyable task. It is often experienced at work—both in the form of individual and team flow—and can have a positive effect on performance and well-being. However, start-up founders’ work situation differs from that in established companies, facing not only great autonomy but also new challenges, uncertainty, and risks. It can be assumed that flow also provides benefits in start-ups, however, this has not yet been examined in depth and the factors that may operate differently in start-ups in comparison to other work contexts have not yet been explored in detail. Using a qualitative research approach, 21 founders from different industries were interviewed. Enhancing and inhibiting factors of flow and team flow as well as consequences for the founders and the start-up in general were examined and structured with the help of a qualitative content analysis. A variety of contexts was identified in which founders experienced flow and team flow. Various factors on the individual, task-related and organizational sphere were found to be perceived as promoting or hindering flow and team flow, e.g. well-being, autonomy or the environment. The findings regarding the consequences of flow and team flow show that these mainly are very desirable states for founders, e.g. leading to better results, progress or team processes. Only few negative consequences were identified, e.g. perfectionism. Thus, it is helpful to foster flow in the start-up context. Possible approaches derived from the participants’ statements to this could be, for example, to design flow-promoting environments or participation in specific workshops.
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spelling pubmed-105538222023-10-06 Founders’ flow: A qualitative study on the role of flow experience in early start-up stages Kloep, Leonie Roese, Katharina Peifer, Corinna PLoS One Research Article Flow experience is a state of complete absorption while performing an optimally challenging and enjoyable task. It is often experienced at work—both in the form of individual and team flow—and can have a positive effect on performance and well-being. However, start-up founders’ work situation differs from that in established companies, facing not only great autonomy but also new challenges, uncertainty, and risks. It can be assumed that flow also provides benefits in start-ups, however, this has not yet been examined in depth and the factors that may operate differently in start-ups in comparison to other work contexts have not yet been explored in detail. Using a qualitative research approach, 21 founders from different industries were interviewed. Enhancing and inhibiting factors of flow and team flow as well as consequences for the founders and the start-up in general were examined and structured with the help of a qualitative content analysis. A variety of contexts was identified in which founders experienced flow and team flow. Various factors on the individual, task-related and organizational sphere were found to be perceived as promoting or hindering flow and team flow, e.g. well-being, autonomy or the environment. The findings regarding the consequences of flow and team flow show that these mainly are very desirable states for founders, e.g. leading to better results, progress or team processes. Only few negative consequences were identified, e.g. perfectionism. Thus, it is helpful to foster flow in the start-up context. Possible approaches derived from the participants’ statements to this could be, for example, to design flow-promoting environments or participation in specific workshops. Public Library of Science 2023-10-05 /pmc/articles/PMC10553822/ /pubmed/37797077 http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0292580 Text en © 2023 Kloep et al https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
spellingShingle Research Article
Kloep, Leonie
Roese, Katharina
Peifer, Corinna
Founders’ flow: A qualitative study on the role of flow experience in early start-up stages
title Founders’ flow: A qualitative study on the role of flow experience in early start-up stages
title_full Founders’ flow: A qualitative study on the role of flow experience in early start-up stages
title_fullStr Founders’ flow: A qualitative study on the role of flow experience in early start-up stages
title_full_unstemmed Founders’ flow: A qualitative study on the role of flow experience in early start-up stages
title_short Founders’ flow: A qualitative study on the role of flow experience in early start-up stages
title_sort founders’ flow: a qualitative study on the role of flow experience in early start-up stages
topic Research Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10553822/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37797077
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0292580
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