Professor Stephan von Delft
- Professor of Strategic Management (Management)
telephone:
+44 (0)141 330 4409
email:
Stephan.VonDelft@glasgow.ac.uk
Room 505C, West Quadrangle, Gilbert Scott Building, Glasgow, G12 8QQ
Biography
Stephan von Delft is a Professor of Strategic Management at the Adam Smith Business School. His research focuses on three broad questions:
- How do organisations design, grow and adjust their business model over time?
- What is the impact of different business models on organisational performance outcomes?
- What role do stakeholders such as customers and competitors play in the process of developing new business models?
Stephan’s research has been supported by various organisations, including the British Council, the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), Innovate UK, and the Scottish Funding Council (SFC). He is a member of the editorial review board of the Academy of Management Discoveries (AMD).
Stephan teaches courses on strategy, innovation and entrepreneurship at postgraduate and executive education levels. He also consults for high-tech growth ventures, as well as larger firms interested in business model innovation. He holds a graduate degree in industrial chemistry and a doctoral degree with distinction from the Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Münster (Germany). Prior to joining the University of Glasgow, Stephan was a postdoctoral researcher at the Amsterdam Business School, University of Amsterdam (the Netherlands) and a visiting researcher at the School of Business, University of San Diego (USA).
Research interests
Stephan is a member of the Strategy and Technology Management research cluster.
Areas of expertise:
- Business model design
- Platform businesses
- Dynamic capabilities
- Innovation ecosystems
- Circular economy
Grants
- 2020: Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) between the University of Glasgow and BioClavis Ltd (with Neil Hawkins and Karin Oien), Innovate UK, £240,000 (role: Co-Investigator)
- 2018: Newton Fund Institutional Links Grant “Targeting Non-Communicable Diseases through Interactive Health Ecosystems in Indonesia” (with Nuran Acur and Sandosh Padmanabhan), British Council, £85,000 (role: Co-Investigator)
- 2017: University of Glasgow Small Grant Fund on digital healthcare solutions in least developed countries (with Nuran Acur, Jillian Gordon, Sandosh Padmanabhan and Ravinder Dahiya), Scottish Funding Council (SFC), £50,000 (role: Co-Investigator)
- 2017: Impact Acceleration Account – User Engagement “Discovering Future Biotech Business Models: A Design Workshop for Executives” (with Yang Zhao), Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC), £5,500 (role: Principal Investigator)
- 2017: Impact Acceleration Account – User Engagement “Exploring Futures - Open Strategy Workshop” (with J Ignacio Canales), Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC), £5,500 (role: Co-Investigator)
- 2016: College Strategic Research Fund (with J Ignacio Canales), University of Glasgow, College of Social Sciences, £6,500 (role: Principal Investigator)
- 2016: Knowledge Transfer Partnership between the Adam Smith Business School and CCRS Brokers Ltd (with John Finch and Jillian Gordon), Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), £143,000 (role: Co-Investigator)
Supervision
Stephan is interested in supervising PhD researchers in the fields of strategy and entrepreneurship, especially business models and dynamic capabilities.
Current PhD students
Completed PhD students
- Dr Yameng Zhang (Lecturer, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University)
- Dr Yang Zhao (Lecturer, Loughborough University London)
Teaching
- MGT5182: International Strategic Management
Past courses
- International Strategic Management
- Design and Implementation of New Business Models
- Strategic Management
Additional information
Memberships
Stephan is a member of:
- Academy of Management (AOM)
- Strategic Management Society (SMS)
- Association of Chemistry and Business of the German Chemical Society (GDCh).
Research honours and awards
- 2021: Outstanding Reviewer Award, Academy of Management Discoveries (AMD)
- 2020: Shortlisted at the AMBA (Association of MBAs) Excellence Awards in the category Business School Innovation for the Glasgow MBA’s “Emergency and Disaster Management Training”
- 2017: GIKA Legate, Global Innovation and Knowledge Academy (GIKA)
- 2017: Outstanding Reviewer Award, Strategic Management (STR) Division, Academy of Management.
- 2016: Best Reviewer Award, Technology and Innovation Management (TIM) Division, Academy of Management.
- 2016: Best Paper Award, Global Innovation & Knowledge Academy (GIKA) Annual Conference, Valencia, Spain.
Professional experience
In addition to his academic experience, Stephan has been with the German Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW), a civil protection organisation controlled by the German federal government, for more than 15 years. Here, he has served as a commanding officer in various operations, e.g. fighting natural disasters and conducting search and rescue missions, across Germany.