Christian Stadler

Professor, Author, Speaker.
About Me
I am a professor of strategic management at Warwick Business School. My new book Open Strategy. Mastering Disruption From Outside The C-suite will help you to adjust to a new and more open world. I share my ideas with executives and students across the globe as well as through TV (e.g. CNN, BBC, Al Jazeera), print (e.g. Harvard Business Review, New York Times, Wall Street Journal), and a regular Blog on Forbes. Thinkers50 – the premier ranking of the most influential living management thinkers in the world – listed me as a future thinker in 2013.
Books
In the ancient Chinese manual The Art of War, military strategist Sun Tzu advised generals to keep their plans to themselves if they wanted to defeat their adversaries. But what if he was wrong?

Get ready for a new and more transparent world. Open up your strategy.

buy on Amazon
"This book shows how a strategy can be shaped around openness. Very insightful." —Francesco Starace, CEO of Enel

"This is the first strategy book I’ve read which seems to know what kind of world we are living in today." —Margaret Heffernan, author of Uncharted
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 The Founder's Mentality
Research
My research examines how organizations can achieve sustainable competitive advantage. I am particularly interested in questions related to diversification, capabilities, and innovation.
For Managers
3 Things Driving Entrepreneurial Growth in Africa (with Klingebiel) Harvard Business Review
A Century of Champions and Unicorns Developing Leaders
Few Companies Actually Succeed at Going Global (with Mayer and Hautz) Harvard Business Review
What Western Investors Want from African Entrepreneurs (with Klingebiel) Harvard Business Review
Why Good Leaders Don’t Need Charisma (with Dyer) MIT Sloan Management Review
Four Principles of Enduring Success Harvard Business Review
For Academics (complete list here)
Transferring knowledge by transferring individuals : innovative technology usage and organizational performance in multi-unit firms (with Helfat and Verona) Organization Science (2021)
International and product diversification: Which strategy suits family managers? (with Mayer, Hautz, and Matzler) Global Strategy Journal (2018)
Africa: the new frontier for global strategy scholars (with Mole and Arino) Global Strategy Journal (2017)
Are product and international diversification substitutes or complements? (with Mayer and Hautz) Strategic Management Journal (2015)
The impact of family ownership, management and governance on innovation (with Matzler, Veider, and Hautz) Journal of Product Innovation Management (2015)
The impact of dynamic capabilities on resource access and development (with Helfat and Verona) Organization Science (2013)
Process Innovation and Integration in Process-Oriented Settings: The Case of the Oil Industry Journal of Product Innovation Management (2011)
Teaching
I teach strategy and innovation. 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).

Previous 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
Check out short strategy videos on my YouTube Channel - for example:
Scenario Planning
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. My three favorite topics: open strategy, enduring success, and Africa. For speaking engagements, please contact Cosimo Turroturro, Director Speakers Associates Ltd., Email: info@speakersassocates.com Tel: +44 (0)1628 636 600

Few companies succeed for 100 years. This is a story about some that did.
Harvard Business Review.
Africa is on the rise. Here is why.
Harvard Business Review
Media
I have been quoted by more than 7,000 media outlets on strategy questions. 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
3 Strategy Lessons From The European Super League Fiasco
Forbes
How can you introduce new ideas?
World Economic Forum
How Boutique Consulting Firms Can Outflank McKinsey, BCG, And Bain
Forbes
More Posts on
Forbes
Fortune
The Conversation
Connect With Me

Twitter
LinkedIn
YouTube

Professor, Author, Speaker.

About Me

Books

In the ancient Chinese manual The Art of War, military strategist Sun Tzu advised generals to keep their plans to themselves if they wanted to defeat their adversaries. But what if he was wrong?

Get ready for a new and more transparent world. Open up your strategy.

Get ready for a new and more transparent world. Open up your strategy.

buy on Amazon

"This book shows how a strategy can be shaped around openness. Very insightful." —Francesco Starace, CEO of Enel

"This is the first strategy book I’ve read which seems to know what kind of world we are living in today." —Margaret Heffernan, author of Uncharted

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 The Founder's Mentality

Research

My research examines how organizations can achieve sustainable competitive advantage. I am particularly interested in questions related to diversification, capabilities, and innovation.

For Managers

For Academics (complete list here)

Teaching

Scenario Planning

Keynote Speaking

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

Harvard Business Review.

Africa is on the rise. Here is why.

Harvard Business Review

Media

I have been quoted by more than 7,000 media outlets on strategy questions. 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

3 Strategy Lessons From The European Super League Fiasco

Forbes

How can you introduce new ideas?

World Economic Forum

How Boutique Consulting Firms Can Outflank McKinsey, BCG, And Bain

Forbes

More Posts on

Forbes

Fortune

The Conversation

Connect With Me

Professor, Author, Speaker.

About Me

Books

In the ancient Chinese manual The Art of War, military strategist Sun Tzu advised generals to keep their plans to themselves if they wanted to defeat their adversaries. But what if he was wrong? Get ready for a new and more transparent world. Open up your strategy.

Get ready for a new and more transparent world. Open up your strategy.

"This book shows how a strategy can be shaped around openness. Very insightful." —Francesco Starace, CEO of Enel

"This is the first strategy book I’ve read which seems to know what kind of world we are living in today." —Margaret Heffernan, author of Uncharted

"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 The Founder's Mentality

Research

My research examines how organizations can achieve sustainable competitive advantage. I am particularly interested in questions related to diversification, capabilities, and innovation.

For Managers

For Academics (complete list here)

Teaching

Scenario Planning

Keynote Speaking

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

Harvard Business Review.

Africa is on the rise. Here is why.

Media

I have been quoted by more than 7,000 media outlets on strategy questions. 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

Forbes

World Economic Forum

Forbes

More Posts on

Connect With Me

In the ancient Chinese manual The Art of War, military strategist Sun Tzu advised generals to keep their plans to themselves if they wanted to defeat their adversaries. But what if he was wrong?

Get ready for a new and more transparent world. Open up your strategy.