Constructing an AI-Driven Meta-Theory of SME Resilience and Strategic Agility: A Computational Synthesis of Global Research

Abstract

In a global business environment marked by digital disruption, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) must integrate digital transformation with strategic agility and organizational resilience. This study addresses the fragmentation of the current management literature by developing an AI-driven meta-theory through a high-performance computational synthesis of 4811 academic publications from the OpenAlex database. Utilizing a theoretically grounded hybrid framework of lexical filtering (TF-IDF), semantic embedding (SciBERT), and a diverse ensemble of five Large Language Models (LLMs), we move beyond descriptive mapping to identify the ontological and integrative mechanisms of SME adaptation. The methodology is validated through a multi-stage expert audit of model reasoning traces to ensure theoretical alignment. Results reveal a clear dominance of Contingency Theory (20.5%) and Resource-Based View (14.1%), which are re-conceptualized here as Regulatory–Technical Brokerage and Internal Fortification. Through Social Network Analysis (SNA) and Aggregate Constraint metrics, the study identifies Innovation Frontiers that are operationally challenging to synthesize through traditional manual reviews at this scale. The research concludes by formulating four meta-theoretical propositions and an integrative synergetic mechanism, explaining how SME resilience emerges as an emergent property of cross-layer alignment between technical, cognitive, and structural logics. By providing this causal roadmap, the study establishes a robust, AI-augmented blueprint for SMEs to function as intelligent, self-regulating nodes within a Post-Normal digital ecosystem.