Innovative Management Strategies to Drive Growth in the Creative Economy in the Digital Age

Abstract

The creative economy has become one of the fastest-growing contributors to global gross domestic product, yet its actors face mounting pressure to reinvent how they manage innovation, talent, and market access under accelerating digitalization. This article examines how innovative management strategies drive growth in the creative economy in the digital age, addressing a persistent gap in the literature: most existing studies treat digital transformation, talent management, and cross-sector collaboration as separate variables rather than as an integrated management system. Using a qualitative descriptive method grounded in a systematic literature review of peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2021 and 2026, this study synthesizes findings from twenty-five scholarly sources across Asia, Europe, and international bodies. The results show that five interrelated strategies determine competitive advantage in creative-economy organizations: digital transformation and platform-based business models, data-driven decision-making, digital talent management, cross-sector innovation collaboration, and adaptive organizational leadership supported by enabling public policy. The discussion demonstrates that these strategies function most effectively when integrated within a single adaptive management framework rather than applied in isolation. The study concludes that creative-economy actors who combine technological adoption with human-centered and collaborative management practices achieve more sustainable growth, offering practical implications for entrepreneurs, managers, and policymakers seeking to strengthen creative industries in an increasingly digital global market.