Purpose This study aims to stimulate a dialogue regarding the boring and voiceless language that is supposed to be used across the social sciences, including International Business (IB). Design/methodology/approach This is an essay arguing in favor of changing language use. Findings Freeing thought requires freeing language. Moreover, given the intrinsic multilingual character of IB, this is a particularly pressing issue in IB. Originality/value The plea to free language in order to enact literary and other styles of writing to better capture complex reality and unleash creativity, including poetry, is novel in IB.
Witteloostuijn et al. (Sat,) studied this question.