Strategic Creativity: A Framework for the Creative Sector
In the often volatile context of creative work, cultural organizations often borrow strategic approaches from corporate, government, and nonprofit sectors—yet these imported frameworks frequently fail to accommodate the unique challenges of creative institutions. My Master’s Capstone Project sought to address this gap by developing a strategy formulation framework tailored specifically for creative organizations, with The Banff Centre—one of the world’s largest arts incubators—serving as the primary case study:
The Need for a New Strategic Approach
The research underscored that organizations in the creative ecology—spanning artists, institutions, and cultural enterprises—face distinct challenges:
Fluid and Mixed Business Models: Many creative organizations blend nonprofit, for-profit, and public sector activities. Traditional strategic models struggle to accommodate this hybridity.
Stress-Driven Strategy: Unlike corporate settings, where strategy often follows structured forecasting, creative institutions respond dynamically to external pressures, funding cycles, and cultural trends.
Diversity of Voices: Decision-making in the creative sector is often non-hierarchical, requiring participatory and flexible strategic tools.
Work Product as Storytelling: Creative organizations use narrative not only as an artistic output but as a means of institutional identity and strategy communication.
Key Innovations in the Strategy Framework
Rather than imposing rigid structures, the framework I developed embraces experimentation and adaptability, helping organizations navigate the unpredictable nature of creative work. The model consists of several iterative stages:
Discovery – Establishing a vision for the institution’s future through participatory reflection on past successes.
Coalition-Building – Creating interdisciplinary working groups to explore possible strategic directions.
Generation – Developing a wide range of strategic options that align with artistic, financial, and social goals.
Experimentation – Testing small-scale initiatives before committing resources to long-term plans.
Implications for the Broader Creative Ecology
This framework does not dictate a single “correct” path but instead provides a structure for institutions to generate, evaluate, and refine strategies that are responsive to their unique contexts. It is offered under a Creative Commons license, allowing other arts organizations to adapt and evolve the model based on their specific needs.
Conclusion: Strategy as an Artistic Act
By recognizing that strategy itself is a creative process, this approach transforms institutional planning into an ongoing artistic practice. Just as artists iterate, experiment, and refine their work, so too must creative organizations embrace strategic fluidity to remain relevant in an ever-changing cultural and economic landscape.
For those leading creative institutions, strategy should not be a static document but a living, breathing narrative—one that evolves in response to new artistic, financial, and societal conditions.
If you’re interested in adapting this framework for your own practice, I encourage you to explore the full document and engage in the ongoing conversation around how strategy can serve creativity, rather than constrain it.