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How Creativity Shapes International Entry Decisions: A Microfoundations View

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Executives should not choose foreign entry modes solely by crunching hard data. We explain how managerial creativity enhances entry decisions through a five-step cascade, evolving from individual ideas to optimized organizational decisions. Individual creativity triggers organizational sensemaking and cross-functional dialogue, leading to multiple viable entry options. Rather than treating foreign entry as a process focused on optimizing cost, risk, and control, some firms adopt a creativity-based approach, yielding more effective alternatives. We conclude with actionable guidance for activating creativity early, treating it as a developable skill that combines analysis with collaborative imagination, prototyping, and learning loops to improve internationalization decisions under uncertainty.

Source: AIB Insights

DOI: 10.46697/001c.166522

Authors: Sílvio Luís de Vasconcellos, Andreas Schotter

Institutions: Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing, Vienna University of Economics and Business, Western University, Prague University of Economics and Business, Ivey Business School

Language: English

Topic: International Business and FDI

Subfield: Strategy and Management

Field: Business, Management and Accounting

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Decent work and economic growth

Open Access status: diamond

OpenAlex ID: W7204256677