The awarded work, titled “Continuity with Consequence: Canon Path Dependence and Field-Level Strategizing,” stands out for its contribution to understanding how certain scientific theories maintain their relevance over time despite the emergence of new approaches.
The SMS conference is one of the main international forums for researchers and professionals in strategic management. The award received by García Lillo and Seva Larrosa recognizes research excellence in the field of strategic processes.
The researchers highlighted the special significance of the award, which represents recognition from the international scientific community and an incentive to continue exploring strategic processes beyond organizational boundaries. Furthermore, they believe it enhances the international visibility of research conducted at the University of Alicante.
The research addresses how scientific knowledge fields develop strategic processes without a central authority. They used the evolution of family business research between 1990 and 2025 as a reference, demonstrating that established theories can coexist and incorporate new contributions.
The study also emphasizes the role of scientific journals, researchers, and academic institutions in establishing and reproducing theoretical frameworks. The main contribution is a conceptual framework for interpreting these processes as distributed strategic management.
