Advancing Strategy through Behavioural Psychology

Pontus Wadström is an independent consultant and advisor in strategy and change based in Stockholm, Sweden, and has worked with all types and sizes of organization in almost all industries. He is also an affiliate researcher and lecturer at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm. His research focus is on how large and complex organizations 'do' strategy in practice, all influenced by his previous studies in both management and behavioural psychology.

Section - ONE: A theory of everything;


Chapter - 01: Introduction to strategy and behaviour;
Chapter - 02: Strategy, change and behavioural psychology;
Chapter - 03: A common language;
Chapter - 04: Behaviour – The least common denominator;


Section - TWO: Arbitrariness is over;


Chapter - 05: Old management principles are no longer good enough;
Chapter - 06: The organization, its development and lack of development;
Chapter - 07: Evidence and measurement;


Section - THREE: Unexpected simplicity;


Chapter - 08: Behaviour – The foundation of everything;
Chapter - 09: Activators – The igniting spark;
Chapter - 10: Consequences – No feedback is also feedback;


Section - FOUR: Strategy is behavioural change;


Chapter - 11: A behavioural view of strategy;
Chapter - 12: To realise strategy is to change;
Chapter - 13: Exploiting competitive advantages – Big, best, fast and beautiful;


Section - FIVE: Smart as a competitive advantage;


Chapter - 14: From individual insight to competitive edge;
Chapter - 15: Smart and behavioural strategising;
Chapter - 16: The future of competitive advantage

"Too often, we try to control the hyperactive world of business with staid and passive strategies, enshrined in documents and presentation materials rather than in hearts and minds. Pontus Wadström's excellent book on active, behaviourally engaged strategy is a welcome antidote to this passivity, and offers a scintillating take on making strategy a living, breathing thing, without turning it into something convoluted and verbose. It outlines the future of behaviour-sensitive strategizing for an ever more complicated world, and will be a powerful tool for any executive trying to develop smart, straightforward strategies."

"This book has been a great source of inspiration for our company's strategy work and was read by our entire management team. It has helped us de-dramatize and concretize the concept of 'strategy' and clearly demonstrates how long-term goals are achieved by prioritizing shorter-term goals, and by continuously driving and developing behaviour linked to such priorities. Pontus' book can be highly recommended."

"In this book Wadström presents a truly crucial link between strategy and behavioural science as well as sharp and concrete advice to everyone who wants to make strategies come alive in business. This book is an 'Aha!' experience that inspires one to action!"

"Pontus describes, in a truly accessible way, how organizations can work to realize strategies in practice. This book is, in my opinion, one of the few management books that can really make a difference in your organization."

"Pontus Wadström presents an intelligent combination of the usually separated domains of strategy and behavioural psychology. It is a tangible and hands-on guide to how to actually realize your strategy, which is achieved only by fully understanding and affecting the behaviour of the organization."

"I hope that many will read this book, it makes such an important point! Truly great strategies can be perfectly formulated and yet be a total waste of time since it is not clear how they should be realized by the individuals of the organization. Pontus Wadström has clearly and credibly captured the essentials of psychology and management to present how strategy must be linked to behaviours if we are to improve our organizations. This book is therefore as relevant to the CEO, the board and the management team as it is to the psychologist in occupational healthcare or anyone trying to develop an organization and its members. Pontus' background in both academia and practice shines through as he presents in a simple, understandable and theoretically substantiated way both organizations' strategy realization challenges and pitfalls, and how to manage them in real life. This captured me as a reader."

"In today's turbulent time, finding the 'right' strategy is not enough: excellence in realization has become an utterly critical imperative. By introducing the behavioural dimension of strategy work, this book presents a powerful complement to existing management books. Wadström's own practical experience from leading change processes in major firms, in combination with deep insights into relevant research, makes this text a must read for people interested in strategizing processes in organizations."

"This truly usable book is a must read for all organizations trying to create competitive edge and value for their customers. Its methods built on science and proven experience will help you thrive in today's changing, challenging and fluctuating markets. Clearly presented and to the point in each chapter, Pontus Wadström forms a system and recipe for company success at all levels. Your clients, staff and colleagues will thank you, and your competitors will gasp and wonder what happened."

"An inspiring and accessible one-stop-shop for change makers in search of understanding and accessing the sweet spot where successful strategy execution moves beyond just plans and metrics into a place of people-centric continuous evolution of learning, changing and adaptation."

"Wadstrom strives to create a common leadership language of behavioural psychology that would make an organization continuously eager and self-sufficient, with empowered people moving in the right direction; a behavioural strategy to engage within. This is a book worth reading, to understand and to utilize in any organization today. It is well and clearly written but tough to implement."