Learning Value Through Craft: How Shoemaking Reshaped My Management Accounting Mindset

ABSTRACT Drawing on my experience in a shoemaking course, I reflect on how my mindset regarding management accounting has evolved. I now see how the management accountant can play a more strategic role in helping companies promote creativity and create value throughout the production process. I learned that management accountants should be involved early to help identify for whom a product or service is produced and why, and to participate in strategic design decisions—such as material selection—where value is often created. My perspective on costing has also evolved, particularly regarding direct labor and direct material. There is no single standard way to make a good pair of shoes; it requires quality materials, which are not always readily available, as well as skillful and thoughtful execution. I now consider direct labor and direct material not only as costs to be controlled but also as opportunities to create a better, more valuable product. I have also revised my initial view that there should be conflicts and trade‐offs between control and creativity. Instead, I now believe that these should coexist and that management accountants should establish controls while also being encouraged to find creative solutions within them. I conclude with key takeaways and suggestions for management accounting education, research, and practice. My final suggestion is to provide students, researchers, and practitioners with firsthand experiential learning opportunities, such as the one I had—handcrafting a product—to challenge assumptions and potentially reshape mindsets.