What drives an innovative behaviour of sustainable community-based enterprises? Insights from a qualitative case study

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore the drivers of innovative behaviour of sustainable community-based enterprises (SCBEs) in the Mahasarakham province, Thailand. Design/methodology/approach: Drawing on insights from a qualitative case study method, this paper uses a purposive sampling technique with 30 SCBEs from December 2019 to December 2020. This study uses in-depth interviews and applied content analysis (e.g. theme, categorisation, quotation and coding), using the ATLAS.ti software. Findings: This case study shows that transforming the community into an enterprise is related to creation, venture and innovative management, sustained in community-based enterprises. The findings reveal that innovative behaviour is associated with intention, thinking, orientation, product development, service, collaboration, competition and technology, which drives SCBEs. Originality/value: This study contributes to the understanding of community-based group and cooperative community-based enterprise with innovative behaviour, which can drive SCBEs growth.