Reflections on “Strategic Creativity: How to Shape the Future to Change the Present”

By Ralf Hirt, CEO, CovQ by 8W8

When Professor Simon Grand of St. Gallen University (HSG), Switzerland, handed me Strategic Creativity: How to Shape the Future to Change the Present during our long conversation over coffee in Zurich, together with a Magritte postcard, it was immediately clear that this is not just another management book. It is a conceptual bridge connecting imagination and analysis, creativity and strategy, art and management, and an invitation to think differently about how we shape the future and change the present.

Co-authored by Professors Simon Grand and Christoph Weckerle and published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Strategic Creativity captures something rare: a true synthesis of creativity and strategy. A German-language edition, published by Vahlen Verlag, further reflects the book’s academic reach and international relevance. Professor Grand is also the co-author of the latest edition of the St. Gallen Management Model, one of Europe’s most influential frameworks and methods in strategic and organizational thinking, conceptualizing holistic and system-oriented integrated management.


Strategic Creativity shows that creativity and strategy are not opposites but deeply interdependent. The book demonstrates how individuals and organizations can act creatively while thinking strategically and use that mindset to design the future rather than simply adapt to it.Rooted in the intellectual tradition of the St. Gallen Management Model, yet extending far beyond it, Strategic Creativity offers a framework for how leaders can navigate uncertainty, design with purpose, and create lasting value. It challenges conventional thinking by showing that creativity is not a moment of inspiration and strategy is not a fixed plan. Both are systemic practices that connect imagination, intention, and disciplined execution.

The book’s visual language is particularly striking. Its geometric diagrams illustrate how ideas, systems, and actions interrelate, creating a dynamic structure that resonates deeply with anyone who thinks in frameworks and networks.


The Magritte postcard Professor Grand included, depicting “Ceci n’est pas une pipe” (This is not a Pipe), adds an additional layer of reflection. It reminds us that what we see is not always what is, and that recognizing this distinction is essential for creative and strategic thinking alike.

This is not a Pipe

Strategic Creativity encourages readers to view uncertainty not as a threat but as an opportunity to invent something new. This perspective aligns closely with the principles behind the CovQ® Value Creation Management Platform, which connects strategic clarity with creative intelligence to unlock compounding value across organizations and ecosystems.A thoughtful and inspiring work that bridges the analytical and the imaginative, Strategic Creativity deserves a place among the most forward-looking contributions to management and design thinking. It captures the future-shaping mindset modern leaders need.

Availability:
Strategic Creativity: How to Shape the Future to Change the Present is available on Amazon.

About the author:
Ralf Hirt CEO & Founder - CovQ by 8W8
Chief Executive Officer and founder, Ralf Hirt, launched CovQ by 8W8 with a vision to empower business owners, management teams, partners, and investors to achieve their full potential and create compound value. Ralf brings extensive experience from diverse roles across volatile phases in the tech, marketing, and commerce industries, holding operational executive positions worldwide, including Hong Kong/China, Sydney/Australia, London/UK, Munich/Germany, and New York City since 2005. Throughout his career, Ralf has driven growth for tech companies such as Harri, TUNE (acquired by Branch & Constellation Software), MODE, DoubleClick (acquired by Google), fit CRM (acquired by Omnicom), in addition to advising Prion Group from inception to successful sale to Accenture. A 'fun fact': Ralf's global experiences inspired the creation of 8W8, the 'New World Modelling Engine,' introduced in his fiction work "8W8 – Global Space Tribes" in 2007 and expanded in summer 2020. With a background spanning companies of various sizes and mentoring dozens of tech businesses, Ralf consolidated his learnings into CovQ by 8W8 leading to the development of the CovQ Value Creation OS and the briefing paper 'Mastering Value Creation by Centering Strategy and Execution' produced by Harvard Business Review Analytic Services in association with CovQ by 8W8.