Lea STADTLER is an Associate Professor of Strategy and Sustainability at Grenoble Ecole de Management, where she has worked since 2016. Her research focuses on the dynamics and management of sustainability collaborations, particularly partnerships between companies and nonprofit and/or public organizations, as well as collaboration among competitors. She typically employs case study analysis and process studies to explore sustainability and collaboration-related complexities, paradoxes, and strategic responses. She has published around 20 articles in academic journals such as the Journal of Management Studies, Organization Studies, Public Administration Review, Journal of Business Ethics, and Business & Society, and has received international research awards for her work.
In 2025, Lea Stadtler became Deputy Editor of Business & Society, after serving as an Associate Editor since 2019. She also leads the CROSS-PASSE research project (ANR-22-CE26-0009-01), which explores the social effectiveness of cross-sector partnerships.
Lea Stadtler holds a Master's degree in European Business Administration from the University of Bamberg, Germany, and earned her PhD in Management from the University of Geneva, Switzerland, in 2012.
Expertise:
- Sustainability collaborations
- Coopetition
- Paradox management
- Strategic management
- Organization theory
- Case study methodology
- Systematic literature review methods
- Cross-sector partnerships in health and humanitarian sectors
- Cross-Sector Partnerships
- Sustainable Development
- Collaborative Innovation
- Corporate Social Responsibility
- Strategic Management
- Majdalani M., Stadtler L., Rüling C.-C., 2026.Expanding From North-South to South-South: The Evolution of a Twinning Relationship in Global HealthNonProfit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 55, 1: 255-276
- Stadtler L., Van Wassenhove L., 2025.The Logistics Emergency Team. Pioneering and Sustaining a New Partnership Model.The Case Center, 725-0046-1Funding: ANR-22-CE26-0009
- Stadtler L., Hernandez Melgar E., Knight H. H., MacDonald A., Hustad O., Seitanidi M. M., 2025.Removing Rose-Tinted Glasses: Uncovering The Dark Side Effects of Cross-Sector Partnerships86th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management, Academy of Management Proceedings, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Stadtler L., Seitanidi M. M., Knight H. H., Leigh J., Clarke A., Le Ber M. J., Bogie J., Brunese P., Hustad O., Krasonikolakis I., Lioliou E., MacDonald A., Pinkse J., Sehgal S., 2024.Cross-Sector Partnerships to Address Societal Grand Challenges: Systematizing Differences in Scholarly AnalysisJournal of Management Studies, 61, 7: 3327-3357
- Karakulak Ö., Stadtler L., 2024.olitical Embeddedness of Global Innovation Networks: Addressing Health InequalitiesAcademy of Management Annual Meeting, Academy of Management, Chicago, United States of America
- Raza-Ullah T., Stadtler L., Fernandez A.-S., 2023.The Individual Manager in the Spotlight: Protecting Sensitive Knowledge in Inter-firm Coopetition RelationshipsIndustrial Marketing Management, 110, April: 85-95
- Stadtler L., Van Wassenhove L., 2023.Between Intensity and Diversity: Leveraging the Role of Place in Cross-Sector PartnershipsJournal of Business Ethics (The), 184, 4: 773–791
- Stadtler L., Kourula A., 2023.Sustainability PartnershipsIn Corporate Sustainability. Rasche, A., Morsing, M., Moon, J., & Kourula, A. Ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University PressIn this chapter we will... ? examine sustainability partnerships along the questions of ‘what’, ‘when’, ‘why’ and ‘with whom’. ? investigate the different stages of the partnering process, including critical questions to ask and best practices to consider, and see how this process can look like in practice. ? discuss the key challenges involved and look at the potential dark side of sustainability partnerships. ? explore which individual skills will help you successfully engage in sustainability partnerships.
- Stadtler L., Seitanidi M. M., Knight H. H., Et. . A., 2023.Cross-Sector Partnerships to Address Societal Grand Challenges: Scaffolding Diversity in Scholarly Analysis39th EGOS Colloquium 2023, EGOS, Cagliari, Italy
- Stadtler L., 2023.The importance of an anchored design for cross-sector partnerships in the health sectorGiant Review, Winter 2022-2023: 22-23
