Business management, organisational transformation, market orientation and innovation and technology as drivers of sustainable development in social enterprises: evidence from Thailand

Purpose This study aims to examine how business management, organisational transformation, market orientation and innovation and technology contribute to sustainable development in Thai social enterprises and socially oriented ventures and addresses limited organisation-level evidence from a heterogeneous ecosystem marked by variation in registration status, legal form and profit-distribution orientation. Design/methodology/approach An organisational-level quantitative survey yielded 400 usable responses from 600 Thai social enterprises and socially oriented ventures, with one key informant representing each organisation. The data were analysed using second-order confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling (SEM). Findings Business management positively affected sustainable development and organisational transformation. Organisational transformation influenced market orientation and innovation and technology, while market orientation influenced innovation and technology and sustainable development. Innovation and technology also had a direct positive effect on sustainable development. Overall, sustainability was associated with the alignment of managerial, adaptive, market-oriented and innovation-related capabilities. Practical implications Managers should strengthen management systems, adaptive practices, stakeholder and market responsiveness and mission-consistent innovation and technology use. For policymakers and intermediary organisations, the findings support capability-oriented, context-sensitive approaches that recognise organisational variation across the field. Originality/value The article provides organisation-level SEM evidence from Thailand on how business management, organisational transformation, market orientation and innovation and technology are associated with sustainable development in hybrid organisations, offering a contextually grounded explanation of sustainability-oriented capability development within a heterogeneous Thai ecosystem rather than proposing a distinct national model.