Our aim is to make strategy knowledge, skills, and methodologies universally accessible to organisations of every scale and sector. By democratising mastery in strategising, we empower them to achieve their core objectives and contribute to a more equitable global economy.
Democratising Strategy for the Benefit of Everyone
Democratising strategy
Fundamentally, Open Strategising is a democratisation project, operating at both market and organisational levels. Externally, it lowers the barriers to strategy expertise, eroding the disproportionate advantage held by firms with the deepest pockets. Internally, it invites broader participation in future-oriented work, fostering more equitable organisations and superior performance.
Strategy accessible to everyone
We founded Open Strategising to advance fairness and engagement in strategy. By lowering barriers to expertise and enabling broader participation, the movement supports equitable competition and more robust institutions. This reinforces a core principle: that sustainable development and the "greater good" begin with transparent, inclusive strategising.
The humble beginnings of 2004
The foundations of Open Strategising date back to 2004, beginning with a bespoke Excel framework designed to support organisational management. Drawing on a background in both business and behavioural science, I have always rejected the notion of strategy as a static plan. To me, strategy has always been a living activity - a verb, not a noun; something people do, rather than something merely documented.
Milestones
From Wadström Management to Open Strategising
2013
Founding Wadström Management
In 2013, following a decade in consulting and senior strategy roles across listed corporations and start-ups, I founded Wadström Management. The objective was straightforward: to help organisations practise strategy more dynamically, bridging the gap between strategy intent, innovation, and performance management.
2014
Releasing the book “Strategy is a Verb”
Published in 2014, Strategy is a Verb argued that success requires more than smart choices; it demands continuous learning. The book was born of a conviction that the capacity to adapt is as essential to strategy as the decision-making process itself.
2016
Teaching executives and MBAs strategy
Driven by a desire to facilitate understanding, teaching strategy in Master’s and Executive MBA programmes became a natural progression. It offered a unique opportunity to learn while sharing knowledge. Working predominantly with executives required strategy to be framed in rigorous, practical terms—aligning perfectly with my own convictions. In 2016, I began organising strategy around four core themes: Aims, Arenas, Affairs, and Actions; a framework refined through practice and published as a textbook in 2017.
2018
A bold idea ahead of its time
The Four A’s framework provided a structured logic for strategy tools, marking the emergence of a formalised method. Around this time, I began discussing the digitalisation of strategy with co-founder Mattias Olsson. As our children played in a park, he posed a provocative question: "What if we could create a digital strategy brain?" The concept was bold, yet ahead of its time; the logic was compelling, but the technology had not yet caught up to our ambition.
2020
PhD at KTH and the evolution of the method
Alongside my practice, I continued to refine the strategy method and tools, which have now been utilised by nearly a hundred organisations. I presented at international conferences, published in peer-reviewed journals, and completed a PhD in corporate strategising—each milestone further sharpening the approach.
When the global landscape shifted online in 2020, I adapted the methodology for digital facilitation, creating a coherent virtual framework. By 2021, this was applied in full, bringing us significantly closer to the vision of a "digital strategy brain." My subsequent book, Change in the Mind of a Strategist, demonstrated how strategy and change can—and should—be seamlessly integrated.
2024
Open Strategising and the acceleration of AI
From 2023, Mattias Olsson joined to help realise the vision, followed by Tore Hundsnes, adding new perspectives and expertise. In 2024, Wadström Management became Open Strategising, reflecting the philosophy of strategy as an open, collaborative, continuous learning process. We launched our Academy to train leaders in strategy and change and clarified our advisory services. In 2026, Jesper Frick joined as founding AI engineer, and we launch Open Strategising Software, our first “digital strategy brain” for organisations.
Every stage has been shaped by collaborators as much as ideas, making Open Strategising a collective effort.