Perspectives from Resilient Community Enterprise Leaders: Post-Transformation Food Product Innovation Management in Kalasin Province

Abstract

Aim/Purpose: In the context of post-pandemic economic recovery and escalating market competition, community enterprises in Thailand have encountered pressing demands to improve their operational resilience and competitiveness. Food product innovation has become essential for maintaining local economies and ensuring long-term growth. Notwithstanding its significance, there has been limited research on how community enterprises navigate innovation processes in changing contexts. This study sought to identify and analyze the essential elements of food product innovation management as perceived by resilient community enterprise leaders in Kalasin Province, Thailand.

Introduction/Background: The conversion of community enterprises into sustainable and competitive organizations requires incorporating innovation throughout the food production value chain. The paper examined this issue using the Resource-Based View (RBV) paradigm, which asserts that firms can achieve persistent competitive advantage by strategically utilizing valuable, rare, inimitable, and non-substitutable resources. In such settings, internal capabilities—such as knowledge, leadership, cooperation, and localized expertise—are crucial for augmenting product innovation. This research examined how effective community enterprise executives utilize these talents to oversee food product innovation in the post-pandemic period.

Methodology: A qualitative research methodology was utilized to obtain comprehensive perspectives from seasoned practitioners. Fifteen leaders of community enterprises were intentionally chosen for their exceptional practices in food product processing and their registration with the Department of Agricultural Extension. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in the local Lao dialect, audio-recorded with permission, subsequently transcribed, and back-translated into Thai to guarantee linguistic and contextual precision. Thematic content analysis was employed to analyze this data, encompassing coding, categorization, interpretation, and validation via triangulation and member checking to improve dependability and trustworthiness.

Findings: Eight interconnected elements of food product innovation management were identified. First, research and design include market study, creative conceptualization, product appropriateness, safety, aesthetic appeal, and consultation with external specialists. Secondly, new product development entails methodical planning, differentiating tactics, alignment with trends, and preparedness for resources and labor. Third, existing product improvements involve refining flavor, packaging, quality, and nutritional value in accordance with changing consumer preferences. Fourth, value enhancement concentrates on cultivating product distinctiveness, identity, perceived worth, and strategic resource allocation. Fifth, the innovation process involves use of novel technologies, optimized workflows, digital assimilation, and process re-engineering. Sixth, collaboration emphasizes shared responsibility, collective motivation, internal coordination, and reciprocal advantages among organizational members. Seventh, work support encompasses internal consultation, mentoring, opportunity discovery, and procedures for organizational learning. Finally, transportation and supply chain management encompass logistics optimization, quality control in distribution, customer service, and punctual delivery. The effective amalgamation of these elements allows community firms to maintain agility, responsiveness to customers, and competitive differentiation in a swiftly evolving business landscape.

Contribution/Impact on Society: This study enhances the growing dialogue on grassroots innovation and community-oriented enterprise growth. This expands the resource-based view theory by situating it inside a rural micro-enterprise context, demonstrating how internal capabilities and locally embedded resources can be utilized for strategic innovation. The practical ramifications encompass food security, sustainable livelihoods, and decentralized economic growth. The results emphasize that innovation does not require advanced technology to be effective; instead, contextual relevance, stakeholder involvement, and adaptive leadership can produce similarly significant results.

Recommendations: Practitioners ought to prioritize knowledge enhancement, market-oriented innovation, and collaborative platforms that promote idea generation and capability exchanges. Government and affiliated agencies are urged to furnish technical training, marketing assistance, and logistical infrastructure to support local innovation ecosystems. Academics should employ mixed method approaches in future investigations to quantify the causal links between innovation components and corporate performance metrics. Cross-regional comparisons can yield more generalizability and insights into inventive scalability. The principal limitation of this study lies in its qualitative approach and limited geographical reach. Although the purposive sample provided extensive contextual insights, the findings may not be indicative of all community companies or relevant to other industries or regions. Moreover, the analysis of interview data may be influenced by researcher bias or constraints in participant memory and expression.

Research Limitation: Subsequent investigations should analyze the individual traits, organizational dynamics, and environmental elements that influence food product innovation in community companies. Utilizing quantitative or mixed-method research methodologies, such as confirmatory factor analysis, would facilitate the validation of the eight components identified in this work, permit regional comparisons, and elucidate the evolution of innovation capacity under varying policies or market situations. Consideration must also be afforded to the influence of digital technology, sustainability practices, and leadership styles in driving corporate transformation within the post-transformation economy. These methodologies would augment the legitimacy, applicability, and practical significance of findings, providing essential recommendations for policymakers and practitioners to fortify robust and adaptive community enterprises.