One name for two concepts: A systematic literature review about meta-organizations

Philippe Coulombel and Héloïse Berkowitz ()
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Philippe Coulombel: IDRAC Business school Lyon - Institut pour le Développement et la Recherche d'Action Commerciale - Université de Lyon
Héloïse Berkowitz: LEST - Laboratoire d'Economie et de Sociologie du Travail - AMU - Aix Marseille Université - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, AMU - Aix Marseille Université

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Abstract: Existing literature on meta-organization is divided into two distinct streams in organizational and management studies, with different definitions and boundaries, potentially leading to inconsistencies and theoretical misalignment. Can we disambiguate the conceptualizations of meta-organizations, and what insights can be gleaned from this clarification? Using a systematic review of the meta-organization literature, we propose a novel classification, distinguishing between meta-organizations as 'meta-level actors', rooted in the organizational perspective, and meta-organizations as 'orchestrated systems', grounded in the management perspective. While synthesizing current knowledge about metaorganizations, we highlight the commonalities, divergences and specificities of both perspectives. We contribute to the literature on meta-organizations by bringing greater clarity to the field, by disambiguating the uses of metaorganization, by outlining a state of the art for both new categories and by providing a detailed research agenda. We also provide fundamental insights about two distinct ways of meta-organizing, that is creating order among and beyond single organizations through collectively decided social orders and orchestrated social orders

Keywords: meta-organization; meta-organizing; social order; meta-level actor; orchestrated system; literature review (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024-11-14
Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-04784644v1
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Published in International Journal of Management Reviews, 2024, ⟨10.1111/ijmr.12385⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04784644

DOI: 10.1111/ijmr.12385

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