smj-theory-development
Use when building the theoretical mechanism and hypotheses for a Strategic Management Journal (SMJ) manuscript. Constructs the argument and develops hypotheses; it does not position the literature or run estimation.
Profile →npx skills add brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills --skill smj-theory-development --agent claude-code
Same command for any agent — swap --agent for codex, cursor, copilot.
Weekly change comes from our own snapshots, not the repository page — it measures attention, not adoption.
# Theory Development & Hypotheses (smj-theory-development) ## When to trigger - Your hypotheses read as signed predictions ("X is positively related to Y") with no logical engine - The theory section restates prior findings instead of building a new argument - A moderator is added but you cannot explain *why* it changes the effect - The mechanism connecting strategic choice to performance is implicit or hand-waved ## What SMJ means by "theory" SMJ wants a **causal logic**: a chain of premises that explains *why* a strategic choice or condition produces a performance/advantage consequence, anchored in a recognized strategy perspective. A hypothesis without a stated mechanism is a correlation in disguise. The reviewers expect you to show the logical steps, not just the conclusion. ## Choosing and combining lenses | Lens | Core engine | Typical use | |-------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------|-------------| | Resource-based / capabilities | Heterogeneous, hard-to-imitate resources earn rents (Wernerfelt, 1984, SMJ) | Why advantage persists | | Dynamic capabilities | Sensing/seizing/reconfiguring under change (Teece, Pisano & Shuen, 1997,
- When to trigger
- What SMJ means by "theory"
- Choosing and combining lenses
- Building the argument (mechanism-first)
- Hypothesis craft
- Checklist
- Anti-patterns
- Output format
- Templates & resources
What does the smj-theory-development skill do?
Use when building the theoretical mechanism and hypotheses for a Strategic Management Journal (SMJ) manuscript. Constructs the argument and develops hypotheses; it does not position the literature or run estimation.
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills --skill smj-theory-development --agent claude-code` — it drops the skill into your project so the agent can pick it up. Swap the --agent value for codex, cursor or copilot if you use one of those.
Where does this skill come from?
From brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills, a repository with 984 stars. We read it straight from the repository tree rather than a submitted listing, so what you see here is what is actually published.
Is a popular skill a good skill?
Not necessarily. Stars measure attention, not adoption — a repository can trend for a week and be abandoned. That is why we show the weekly change from our own snapshots next to the total, instead of a single flattering number.