--- name: organization-science description: Use when targeting Organization Science (OrgSci) or deciding whether an organization theory / behavior / innovation manuscript fits this venue. Encodes the journal's fit, framing, method-and-evidence bar, house style, official-submission re-check, and desk-reject heuristics. --- # Organization Science (organization-science) ## Journal positioning Organization Science, published by INFORMS, is a leading multidisciplinary outlet for research on organizations — organization theory, organizational behavior, strategy, technology and innovation, and the science of how organizations are designed, behave, and change. Its hallmark is methodological pluralism in service of a theoretical contribution: it welcomes formal and computational modeling, simulation, qualitative and ethnographic work, lab and field experiments, and large-sample quantitative studies, provided each advances organization theory. The audience spans disciplines, so a paper must speak to a broad organizational-science conversation, not a narrow applied niche. This skill is a **fit / venue-selection / re-framing** tool. It does not replace the journal's current official submission guidelines. Before submitting, re-check the live author instructions on the INFORMS / Organization Science site and the submission system. ## When to trigger - The author names Organization Science (or the INFORMS organizational outlet / FT50 management elite) as the venue. - A paper makes an organization-theory contribution using computational, qualitative, experimental, or quantitative methods. - A modeling or simulation study about organizations needs a home that values formal methods with a theoretical payoff. - The author needs OrgSci's desk-reject risks and a credible `administrative-science-quarterly` / `academy-of-management-journal` / `management-science` alternative list. ## Scope & topic fit - Organization theory and design, organizational learning, knowledge, and adaptation; coordination, structure, and routines. - Organizational behavior, identity, culture, networks, and decision-making within and across organizations. - Technology, innovation, and the organization of R&D and digital work — a long-standing OrgSci strength. - Multidisciplinary lenses (economics, sociology, psychology, computer science) applied to organizational questions. ## Method & evidence bar - A clear theoretical contribution is required; method is chosen to fit the question, and all rigorous methods are on the table. - Computational/simulation papers must justify model assumptions, demonstrate robustness to parameters, and deliver theoretical insight, not just a working model. - Qualitative work needs transparent analysis and a credible data-to-theory path; quantitative work needs sound identification and measurement. - Experiments require clean design and appropriate inference; mechanism and generalizability matter. ## Structure & house style - The front end frames a theoretical problem in organization science and positions it across relevant disciplines. - Method sections are detailed and transparent — for formal/computational work, assumptions and sensitivity analyses are expected up front. - The discussion states the contribution to organization theory and connects it to the broader multidisciplinary conversation. - OrgSci values clarity and rigor; exhibits should make the theoretical mechanism and results legible. ## Official-submission checklist - Before giving submission-ready advice, read `../../resources/source-basis.md` and `../../resources/official-source-map.md`; start from the official source anchors for this journal family, then cite the current journal-specific page you checked. - Search the live site for "Organization Science submission guidelines / author guidelines" (INFORMS) and follow the current version. - Re-check word/length limits, abstract format, anonymization for double-blind review, reference style, and code/data and replication expectations for computational work. - Re-check current open-science, data-availability, and AI-use disclosure policies, and any INFORMS-wide submission requirements. - If the live official instructions conflict with this skill, the official instructions win. ## Pre-submission self-check - [ ] One sentence stating the contribution to organization theory. - [ ] The chosen method (computational / qualitative / experimental / quantitative) is rigorous and fit to the question. - [ ] For formal/computational work, assumptions, robustness, and the theoretical insight are explicit. - [ ] The paper speaks to a broad, multidisciplinary organizational-science audience, not a narrow niche. - [ ] Framing, references, and anonymization match the current OrgSci guide. ## Common desk-reject triggers - A method or model with no organization-theory contribution (a working simulation or a clean effect is not enough). - A narrow applied study with no broader theoretical or multidisciplinary relevance. - Computational work without justified assumptions or sensitivity analysis; qualitative work without transparent analysis. - An operations/optimization or pure-analytics paper with no organizational-theory payoff (belongs at an OM/OR venue). ## Re-routing decision - Sociology-of-organizations craft at the highest selectivity → `administrative-science-quarterly`; theory-driven management empirics → `academy-of-management-journal`. - Pure conceptual theory, no data → `academy-of-management-review`; integrative review → `academy-of-management-annals`. - Strategy/firm-performance core → `strategic-management-journal`; European process/institutional/critical theory → `organization-studies`; interdisciplinary work-and-organization → `human-relations`. - Optimization/analytics with no org-theory payoff → `management-science`; innovation/STI policy → `research-policy`; broad management empirics → `journal-of-management-en` or `journal-of-management-studies`. ## Output format ```text [Fit] High / Medium / Low (one-line reason) [Target] Organization Science [Topic tags] <2–3 closest topics> [Method/evidence] [Top risk] [Official items to re-check] [Re-route suggestion] ```