Summary Rationality has since long been one of the central been issues in the discourse ofmanagement. Among the classics voices propagating a reductionist rationalism dominated andthere are still many contexts where such a view is taken for granted. On the other hand, criticssince the times of classics have been arguing for a less linear approach to management andmanagement thinking. However, little attention has been paid to some of the different dimensions of management rationality, such as imagination. This paper sets out to address this gap inknowledge through presenting a narrative study focused on a literary character well known for hisrationality, Sherlock Holmes, and revealing that this, to many, very epitome of rationality isactually an example of an extended type of rationality, including imagination. Following thefictional protagonist of our study, we consider some aspects of its relevance for management thought and practice