What do people see and say about my book?
First reviews on Identity as Strategy are in, and they are very positive! Here’s what people have to say about it:
A breath of fresh air
Finally, a management book that doesn’t focus on grand and sweeping change but on returning to the core. A breath of fresh air. Stijn shows why it is important to stay close to yourself and search for the organization’s identity. Once you’ve found that, it becomes easier to engage and captivate people, and to survive in the network in which many organizations must operate.
The book reads easily and smoothly thanks to its extensive case studies. Each chapter is introduced with a case study, which is then analysed using a very comprehensive set of models. Stijn has a lot in his toolkit and knows how to connect, enrich, and deepen them. Through this twist, you stay alert as a reader because each time you recognize a model, Stijn gives it a new spin.
You can see the power of having a good understanding of an organization’s, sector’s or region’s identity and how you can further leverage this. What you become increasingly curious about while reading is how you can determine an organization’s identity. Stijn provides many examples and starting points here but explains there is no ready-made model to do this. At the same time, it stimulates curiosity to get started with this approach. I see too many organizations mainly looking at each other and copying proven successes, which ultimately makes them anonymous and bland.
Dr Rob Poels is an organisation consultant, scientist and supervisory board member with a specialisation in digital transition and organisational change.
A compelling scope
Anyone who has worked on a corporate identity project knows the twist: what starts with values, tone of voice, logos and colors quickly turns into a deep dive into strategy. Suddenly, questions surface that cut to the very heart of the organization – questions that often remain unanswered until then. In Identity as Strategy, Stijn van Diemen turns this paradox into a method. His premise is simple yet powerful: only when an organization understands who it is – not just what it does – can it shape its future and define a coherent strategy.
Van Diemen grounds his ideas in over 30 years of consulting practice, illustrated with real-world cases. What makes the book especially compelling is its scope: beyond companies, he draws on projects from the public sector, industries, and even entire regions. The Netherlands, his home turf, has long treated corporate identity as a tool not only for business but also for municipalities, institutions, and cultural initiatives.
A standout example is the concept of alterity – consciously embracing difference – which helps municipalities within a region create a shared identity for major sporting or cultural events. Lessons like these translate seamlessly into corporate contexts, from mergers to cross-industry collaborations. Another strength lies in the book’s curated toolbox of methods. Because they are illustrated with projects van Diemen personally worked on, the models come alive. They’re never abstract frameworks but practical instruments ready for application.
I’ll admit: I hadn’t touched a book on corporate identity in years. Too much theory, too little relevance to the actual craft of design. Identity as Strategy offered me fresh perspectives and tangible tools – enough to recommend it warmly to brand managers, consultants, and designers alike.
Peter Post is a communication, UX, and service designer with more than 25 years of experience in leading design and branding agencies including Total Design, Tel Design, and Studio Dumbar in the Netherlands. For 15 years, he served as managing director of the creative agency Scholz & Volkmer, overseeing major brand projects. Today, he is a partner at Studio Peter Post × Petra Esveld, where he develops brand strategies and communications for globally active NGOs and foundations with a focus on democracy, digital resilience, and independent media. The studio also initiates and runs its own civil society projects. Peter is a board member of the International Design Center Berlin, ambassador of the UX Design Awards, and serves on several juries. As a keynote speaker he regularly contributes to the international design discourse.
A practical and refreshingly candid guide
This book offers a wealth of practical insights into how the concept of identity can shape the strategy of organizations, sectors, and regions. Through richly detailed case studies, it uncovers lessons that are directly applicable in similar contexts. Each case highlights a different dimension of identity: how it provides direction for growth and value creation, brings coherence to ambitions and activities, offers stability amid constant change, clarifies organizational meaning, and enables clear expression of who you are. Above all, the book demonstrates the true power of identity. It is a practical and refreshingly candid guide that will prove valuable to anyone involved in making strategic choices.
Dr Renate van der Meer, lecturer, Communication programme, researcher, Marketing & Customer Experience research group, Utrecht University of Applied Sciences. PhD research: Collective identity & Multi-party collaboration: Steering and connecting in a context of differences.