"[1][2] Born in Strängnäs, Sweden, Berg took an exam as engineer in industrial electronics at Västerås Technical Gymnasium.

Sequentially he did his military service in Uppsala, and afterwards graduated with an MSc in business administration from Lund University in 1970.

In 1990 he was appointed professor in strategic management at Copenhagen Business School (CBS).

[3] Per Olof Berg has also been visiting professor at INSEAD (Institut Européen d'Administration des Affaires) and ISTUD (Istituto Studi Direzionali), and visiting scholar at Stanford University Business School, UCLA, University of Auckland Business School, University of Technology Sydney, Università degli Studi di Siena, and Stellenbosch Business School.

Per Olof Berg has actively contributed to the development of international networks of researchers, among them as chairman of the Standing Conference on Organization Symbolism (SCOS), and as member of the founding board of European Academy of Management (EURAM).