Strategic change as creative action

This paper draws attention to a nascent stream of strategy process research in which action is seen as primarily creative, rather than rational or normative. It shows how creative action theory, which emphasises the importance of embodied expression, emergent intention and social interaction, might furnish valuable new insights into strategic change. In particular, the paper highlights the importance of considering the strategist as fully embodied, intuitive and expressive. The paper draws on a novel empirical illustration to demonstrate both the potential and challenges of using creative action to reframe our understanding of strategic change.