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smj-contribution-framing

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Use when sharpening the contribution claim of a Strategic Management Journal (SMJ) manuscript so it lands as a contribution to *strategy theory*. Frames the "so what"; it does not develop the theory or run analysis.

Strategic-Management-Journal-Skills/skills/smj-contribution-framing/SKILL.md

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# Contribution Framing (smj-contribution-framing)

## When to trigger

- A reviewer could ask "so what?" or "this is management, not strategy"
- Your contribution paragraph lists findings rather than stating a theoretical advance
- The discussion summarizes results but does not say what changes for the field
- You are unsure whether your contribution is theoretical, empirical, or both

## What counts as a contribution at SMJ

SMJ rewards a contribution to **strategy theory** — a change in how scholars understand firm performance or competitive advantage — backed by credible evidence. A finding alone is not a contribution. The test: *after reading this, what should a strategy scholar now believe that they did not, or believe differently?*

SMJ also asks you to make the work relevant to practice via a **separate managerial summary (≤125 words)** alongside the academic research summary. So the contribution needs a defensible "so what for managers" as well as a "so what for theory" — and the theory claim should rest on an **economically meaningful** effect, not just a significant coefficient (SMJ disapproves of p-hacking).
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