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Special Issue Call for Paper Proposals 

How Methods Can Advance Theory in Management Research  

Proposal submission deadline: 30 April 2026 

Guest Editors (in alphabetical order):  

Donald Bergh, University of Denver, USA 

Marylène Gagné, Curtin University, Australia 

Pursey Heugens, Rotterdam School of Management, The Netherlands 

David Ketchen, Auburn University, USA  

Jane Lê, WHU, Germany 

BACKGROUND 
A series of Journal of Management Studies articles have called for mobilizing methodological tools to drive and improve theorizing (e.g., Alvesson & Sandberg, 2013; Cornelissen, 2017; Donaldson, Qiu & Luo, 2013; Harley & Faems, 2017; Spicer & Alvesson, 2025; Wickert, Post, Doh, Prescott & Prencipe, 2021). However, methodological research has typically been depicted in a supporting role to theory, focusing on measurement precision, testing, rigor, and transparency (Aguinis & Edwards, 2014). Management scholars have devoted less attention to how methodological advancements might facilitate the isolation of underlying mechanisms that could advance theory. Such developments could help scholars keep pace with rapid transformation (Amis & Greenwood, 2021), foster the ability of management science to “break new ground” (Cornelissen & Durand, 2014, p. 995), and generate new insights into increasingly complex issues (Wickert et al., 2021).  

Advances in research methods offer opportunities to explore new research questions and advance theoretical progress. The creation of a new method, introduction of concepts from another field, or evolution of an existing approach can all have significant theoretical implications (Alvesson & Sandberg, 2013; Lê & Schmid, 2022). Substantive methodological synergies, whereby new methods provide novel insights into important substantive issues, abound due to the rapid development of advanced statistical modeling methods to deal with reflective constructs and dynamic multidetermination. Examples of these synergies include the use of computational modeling to develop theories of entrainment and emergence (Ballard et al., 2019), bi-factor modeling to validate the theoretical structure of multilevel constructs (Howard et al., 2018), and growth modeling and location-scale modeling to develop models of dynamic change and convergence over time (McNeish, 2021).  

AIMS AND SCOPE OF THIS SPECIAL ISSUE 

This special issue seeks research on the method-theory relationship that produces theoretical development and improvement. Research spanning qualitative, quantitative, and critical management studies, as well as the micro, macro, and meso traditions of management scholarship, is welcome. Papers focusing purely on methods and methodological innovation, without an explicit link to theorizing, are not well-suited to this special issue. Instead, we seek papers that explicitly address methods and their value for theorizing in the service of advancing the management field.  

Read the full call here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/pb-assets/assets/14676486/cfp/JMS-SI-Methods-CFP-FINAL-1751554316983.pdf