Christian Stadler

Professor, Author, Speaker.
About Me
I am a professor of strategic management at Warwick Business School. For the past decade, I devoted my energy to the investigation of long-living corporations – how they grow, adapt, and consistently beat their competitors. I shared my ideas with executives and students across the globe as well as through articles and interviews for CNN, BBC, Al Jazeera, the Harvard Business Review, Sloan Management Review, The Economist, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Bloomberg Business Week, Fast Company, and a Blog on Forbes. My book "Enduring Success: What We Can Learn from the History of Outstanding Corporations" is the first one with a non-U.S. perspective on long-range success. In a new book (forthcoming in fall 2021) I explore how master disruption from outside the C-suite by opening up their strategy process. Thinkers50 – the premier ranking of the most influential living management thinkers in the world – listed me as a future thinker in 2013.
Book
Few companies succeed for 100 years. This is a story about some that did.

buy on Amazon

"Christian analysis of business history is a source of inspiration for the future." —Jeroen van der Veer, former CEO of Shell

"Christian has a great skill for blending extensive empirical research with interesting case examples and coming out in the end with practical ideas." —Chris Zook, author of Profit from the Core
Research
My research examines how organizations can achieve sustainable competitive advantage. As a strategy scholar I am particularly interested in questions related to diversification, capabilities, and innovation. I also write for a managerial audience. This is based on my academic work.
For Managers
A Century of Champions and Unicorns Developing Leaders (2017)
3 Things Driving Entrepreneurial Growth in Africa (with Klingebiel R) Harvard Business Review (2017)
Few Companies Actually Succeed at Going Global (with Mayer M and Hautz J) Harvard Business Review (2015)
What Western Investors Want from African Entrepreneurs (with Klingebiel R) Harvard Business Review (2014)
Why Good Leaders Don’t Need Charisma (with Dyer D) MIT Sloan Management Review 54 (2013): 94-95.
Four Principles of Enduring Success Harvard Business Review 85 (2007): 62-72.
Changing companies with strong values: Shell, Siemens and DaimlerChrysler.(with Hinterhuber H) Long Range Planning 38 (2005): 467-484
For Academics
Transferring knowledge by transferring individuals : innovative technology usage and organizational performance in multi-unit firms (with Helfat CE and Verona G)
International and product diversification: Which strategy suits family managers? (with Mayer M, Hautz J, and Matzler K) Global Strategy Journal 8(1) (2018): 184-207.
Diversification and Internationalization in the European Single Market: The British Exception (with Mayer M, Hautz J, and Whittington R) Business History Review 91(2): 279-299.
Africa: the new frontier for global strategy scholars (with Mole M and Arino A) Global Strategy Journal 7(1) (2017): 3-9.
Capturing relatedness: comprehensive measures based on secondary data (with Nocker E, Bowen H, and Matzler K) British Journal of Management 27(1) (2016): 197-213.
Are product and international diversification substitutes or complements? (with Mayer M and Hautz J) Strategic Management Journal 36(10) (2015): 1458–1468.
The impact of family ownership, management and governance on innovation (with Matzler K, Veider V, and Hautz J) Journal of Product Innovation Management 32(3) (2015): 319-333.
Empirical research in Africa: opportunities and challenges. (with Klingebiel R) African Journal of Management, 1(2) 2015: 1-7
Macro-Competitive Context and Diversification: The Impact of Macro-Economic Growth and Foreign Competition (with Hautz J and Mayer M) Long Range Planning 47 (2014): 337-352.
Solutions to the exploration-exploitaiton dilemma: networks as a new level of analysis (with Rajwani T and Karaba F) International Journal of Management Reviews 16 (2014): 172-193.
The impact of dynamic capabilities on resource access and development (with Helfat CE and Verona G) Organization Science 24 (2013): 1782–1804.
Ownership Identity and Concentration: A Study of their Joint Impact on Corporate Diversification (with Hautz J and Mayer M) British Journal of Management 24 (2013): 102-126.
Process Innovation and Integration in Process-Oriented Settings: The Case of the Oil Industry Journal of Product Innovation Management 28 (2011): 44-62.
Global integration versus local adaptation: a case study of Austrian MNCs in Eastern Europe (with Berchtold S and Pircher R) European Journal of International Management 4 (2010): 524-549.
Methods and concepts in management: significance, satisfaction and suggestions for further research: perspectives from Germany, Austria and Switzerland.(with Matzler K, Rier M, Hinterhuber H and Renzl B) Strategic Change 14 (2005): 1-13.
Teaching
I teach strategy, innovation, and occasionally leadership. Warwick Business School's Executive MBA (where I teach the core strategy course) is currently ranked Nr. 2 in the UK (10th in the world). I am also the Director for our DBA (a doctorate for senior managers). Some of the guest speakers in my class:
Warren East, CEO of Rolls Royce
Ian Davis, Chairman of Rolls Royce and former Managing Director of McKinsey
Mark Moody-Stuart, former CEO of Shell
Chris Zook, Head of the Global Strategy Practice at Bain & Company
Ralf Speth, CEO of Jaguar Land Rover
Martin Reeves, Managing Director Boston Consulting Group
Robert Fry, former commander of the British Troops in Iraq
On my YouTube Channel you can find a series of short videos, covering core strategy topics. Here are two examples:
Resource Analysis
Resources determine which strategic choices are suitable for your company.
Scenario Planning
It is impossible to predict the future but scenario planning allows you to consider alternative developments when you set your strategy.
Keynote Speaking
I passionately belief in the power of ideas. In my keynote speeches I typically tell stories to capture the imagination of the audience and then draw broader lessons from them. I cover strategy and leadership and focus on how companies can succeed in the long run (related to my book Enduring Success). For speaking engagements, please contact Cosimo Turroturro, Director Speakers Associates Ltd., Email: info@speakersassocates.com Tel: +44 (0)1628 636 600
Enduring Success
This is the story of some of the world's most enduring companies. Their approach:
Exploit before exploring
Manage finances conservatively
Remember mistakes
Diversify into related businesses
Change in culturally sensitive ways
Read more in the Harvard Business Review.
African Entrepreneurs
Africa is on the rise. This creates great opportunities for entrepreneurs and investors. (check out my thoughts on Western investors in the Harvard Business Review)
Media
I have been quoted by more than 7,000 media outlets, typically on strategy questions such as the implication of Brexit and Trump's election for business, Shell's acquisition of BG, Volkswagen's emission scandal, or the impact of technology on UK retailers such as HMV.For media inquiries, please contact Ashley Potter, Warwick Business School, Press and PR Executive,Email: Ashley.Potter@wbs.ac.uk, Tel: +44 24 765 73967
Blog
I blog primarily for Forbes (and sometimes for Fortune, The Conversation, etc.)
How Will Megatrends Affect Your Business? Learning The Bain Futures Method
To translate megatrends into meaningful information for your company, use analogical reasoning, examine historic patterns, test hypothesis, and avoid groupthink.
Why Atypical CEOs Have An Edge
CEOs with unusual backgrounds and experiences will do well in an era marked by uncertainty and demand for higher purpose.
Can GameStop Win (In The Long-Term)? Lessons For Digital Transformation In Retail
For digital transformation to be successful, retailers need to integrate physical stores and online, an investigation of different strategic options suggests.
Older Posts
Starting A Business In A Tropical Paradise - 6 Lessons From A Successful Zanzibari Entrepreneur
Creating Breakthrough Ideas: 3 Lessons From The Boston Consulting Group
Why You Can’t Learn From Amazon
3 Lessons Startups Can Learn From Quibi’s Failure
3 Ways To Plot Your Company’s Strategy In COVID Era And Beyond
3 Things Businesses Need To Survive Brexit
Hard Brexit is dead, here's why
Why Wall Street Is Betting on Ford’s New CEO
What Large Companies Can Learn From Successful Unicorns
How To Be A Great Boss
Three Reasons Why Conglomerates Are Back In Fashion
5 Reasons Why Immigrants Make Great Entrepreneurs To Boost An Economy
Should Managers Read Academic Articles?
Four Lessons Firms Can Learn From Family Businesses
How To Become A CEO: These Are The Steps You Should Take
Back To The Future: Four Lessons From The '90s Relevant Today
Companies Ignore History At Their Own Peril
Some Key Lessons For Strategists From Success In Siemens
Africa's Go-Getting Cities Offer An Entrepreneurial Launchpad
Nokia Should Stick To Its Gun On Diversification, Whatever The Analysts Say
Return Of The Mega-Merger As Lafarge And Holcim Turn Cement Into Profits
Connect With Me

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Professor, Author, Speaker.

About Me

Book

Few companies succeed for 100 years. This is a story about some that did.

buy on Amazon

Research

My research examines how organizations can achieve sustainable competitive advantage. As a strategy scholar I am particularly interested in questions related to diversification, capabilities, and innovation. I also write for a managerial audience. This is based on my academic work.

For Managers

For Academics

Teaching

Resource Analysis

Scenario Planning

Keynote Speaking

Enduring Success

African Entrepreneurs

Media

Blog

I blog primarily for Forbes (and sometimes for Fortune, The Conversation, etc.)

How Will Megatrends Affect Your Business? Learning The Bain Futures Method

Why Atypical CEOs Have An Edge

Can GameStop Win (In The Long-Term)? Lessons For Digital Transformation In Retail

Older Posts

Connect With Me