The Meta-Business Model: A Systemic Framework for the Orchestration of Business Model Portfolios

Organizations increasingly operate multiple business models across business units, markets, or missions. Yet, existing research lacks a dynamic, systemic framework to explain how these models are orchestrated over time. This paper introduces the concept of a meta-business model -a strategic and ontological system that governs the articulation, transformation, and governance of business model portfolios. Drawing on an action research study involving three organizations, we identify three mechanisms of articulation -sharing, transferring, and transmuting -that reconfigure resources, competencies, organizational structures, and value components across business units. We further show how strategic governance decisions and managerial activation shape the evolution of business model systems. The meta-business model thus emerges not only as a coordination architecture but as a sensing and world-making device that enables strategic coherence and adaptability. Our findings contribute to research on business model innovation, dynamic capabilities, and portfolio strategy, and offer a dynamic framework for managers seeking to orchestrate synergies across diverse business models.