New Delhi

Westland Books, through its Westland Business imprint, released its new book Atypical by Prateek Raj. In this compelling book, Raj explores how businesses can succeed by thinking outside the box and moving beyond conventional strategies. Using real-world stories, Atypical illustrates how companies can adapt, innovate, and grow in a world that’s changing faster than ever, making it a must-read for anyone in leadership or management.

Blending practical insights with solid strategic theory, the book addresses the critical challenges businesses face today. Raj highlights the importance of creating a culture where leadership is about responsibility and accountability, not just titles. He contrasts this with organizations where a “yes-man” mentality prevails, leading to a lack of ownership—citing the DuPont Teon poisoning scandal as a stark example of what can go wrong in a culture of evasion. Atypical calls for a shift in mindset, urging businesses to embrace engagement, responsibility, and transparency to thrive in today’s complex world.

In this book, Prateek highlights several real-life examples that not only transformed the business environment but also positively impacted people at large. Additionally, he outlines the top five rules of business that have the potential to change the entire work environment.

Businesses can promote goods and services that generate large positive externalities for their customers downstream. The iodization of salt consumed in households is one such business innovation that has led to significant positive externalities. In the early 1900s, iodine deficiency was a major health concern worldwide, leading to diseases like goitre. In 1924, the Morton Salt Company began selling iodized salt in the United States. As awareness grew, Americans started buying iodized salt over non-iodized salt, which was priced the same but offered considerable health benefits. Since the introduction of iodized salt, iodine deficiency and the prevalence of goitre have significantly decreased. A 2017 study also found that introducing iodized salt in 2024 increased the IQ of those most deficient in iodine.

Rule 0: Value Empathy (Not Just Intellect)
Empathy is a more crucial skill than ever in a world where AI can automate tasks like data analysis and coding. In a world where leaders lack empathy, crises emerge as stakeholders on the fringes are systematically ignored. Data cannot substitute empathy, as the data generation process is slow and often biased by power. The ability to listen to the stories of others is an essential skill for motivating action. Applying design thinking in strategy that prioritizes empathy and listening helps us better understand systems and create resilient organizations.

Rule 1: Lead from the Ground, Not the Top
Leadership should be grounded in the people, always listening to those who work hard to get things done. Successful organizations have inimitable capabilities embedded in their relational contracts and the trust between different stakeholders. Nurturing this trust takes time and commitment, but once established, it is immensely valuable and hard for others to replicate—especially in an era where business has become more transactional. Successful organizations cultivate leadership at every level, empowering teams to tackle difficult and complex tasks that no single ‘boss’ can direct.

Rule 2: Pursue Innovation, Not Dirty Strategies
Organizations should focus on innovation, not on strategies that create pollution, opacity, and barriers for others to enter the market. Dirty strategies make organizations vulnerable in the long run, as they become targets of market and non-market stakeholders, as well as regulators. Ultimately, the only sustainable strategy is innovation—whether in products or processes. An organization’s long-term goal should be to nurture innovative ecosystems capable of surviving and thriving amidst creative destruction.

Rule 3: Hear the Atypicals (Not Just the Typicals)
All businesses have invisible negative externalities, and atypical voices on the fringes often identify them first. Good organizations do not ignore their core product, but they also do not disregard fringe voices. By consistently putting their products and processes through atypical testing, organizations become more resilient and adaptable.

Rule 4: Nurture Commons (Not Just Win)
Nurturing the commons is essential for a sustainable and prosperous society. Good organizations see nurturing the commons as their true legacy, not just focusing on narrow shareholder interests. Some socially conscious businesses, like the Tatas, are owned by charitable trusts, providing a potential roadmap for the future. The commons that socially conscious organizations can contribute to include scientific innovation and last-mile connectivity. For-profit businesses bring unique capabilities to society, such as production and distribution, and good organizations leverage these capabilities to work with other stakeholders and leave a positive legacy.

These five rules of strategy are a call to action, reminding us that we are, above all else, citizens of the only planet we know as home. We are humans first; our roles as managers of our organizations come second.

In this context, the advice of Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison to her students is highly relevant: “I tell my students, ‘When you get these jobs that you have been so brilliantly trained for, just remember that your real job is that if you are free, you need to free somebody else. If you have power, then your job is to empower somebody else. This is not just a grab-bag candy game.’”

I end this book with Morrison’s words, just as I began: The world is not a grab-bag candy game. It does not need to be a tournament with trophies for a few and uncertainty and insecurity for the rest. The modern world and its challenges afford us no place for a skewed society of haves and have-nots.

None of us can create a positive impact alone. Even the Buddha created a sangha. Our true joy and legacy lie in nurturing organizations that create a freer and more empowered world—one that is empathetic, with grounded and innovative leaders like you, the reader, who listen to everyone and create commons for the benefit of all as their lasting legacy.

To know the recipe for these rules, one must read the book, as there is a lot to learn. Any businessman can apply these small adjustments not only to multiply profits but also to improve the lives of both themselves and their employees.

About the author

Prateek Raj is an Associate Professor at the University College London (UCL) Global Business School for Health and an Affiliate Fellow at the Stigler Center at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Originally from Dhanbad, Jharkhand, Prateek earned a bachelor’s degree from IIT Delhi and a master’s and PhD in Management from UCL During his doctoral studies, he was a visiting researcher at Kellogg School of Management and Chicago Booth, and also taught at the London School of Economics.

Following his PhD, he joined the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, where he led the Inclusive Markets Lab, advancing research, teaching, and advocacy on business models and economic policies that promote inclusive growth. Prateek’s interdisciplinary, impact-driven work has garnered global recognition through prestigious awards and research grants. The MBA course he designed at IIM Bangalore, Strategic Stewardship, serves as the foundation for this book.