Lessons on the Resource-Based View and Generic Competitive Strategies From Kinky Boots: The Musical

Abstract

Kinky Boots: The Musical is a filmed version of the London West End production that tells the story of the unlikely collaboration between Charlie Price, inheritor of a struggling family business, and Lola, a high-energy and creative drag performer, who together radically change Price & Son’s focus from men’s dress shoes to fetish footwear. The musical lends itself well to use in strategic management and organizational behavior courses as a video case or source of video clips. This article explains how strategic management instructors may use the film to discuss sustainable competitive advantage through the resource-based view and generic competitive strategies, while organizational behavior instructors may use the film to illustrate concepts such as managerial roles, diversity, conflict management, and more.