Firm Flexibility, Trust and Commitment of Thai Modern Convenience Stores Impacting on Change Readiness with Organizational Learning Capability and Adaptability as Supportive Variables

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Thai convenience store businesses have become one-stop service centers that respond to both purchases and various services amid pressures from technology, e-commerce, and changing consumer behavior, particularly the effects of COVID-19, which accelerated contactless services and higher cleanliness standards. Change readiness is therefore essential, requiring organizations to increase flexibility, adjust processes, train digital skills, promote learning, and build trust and employee commitment. This study aimed (1) to examine the levels of firm flexibility, trust, organizational commitment, change readiness, organizational learning capability, and adaptability among modern convenience stores in Thailand, and (2) to examine the relationships of firm flexibility, trust, and organizational commitment with change readiness, with organizational learning capability and adaptability as mediating variables.
Methods: This quantitative study drew its population from executives or equivalent personnel of modern convenience stores in Thailand, whose exact number is unspecified. Following Hair et al.'s guideline of 10-20 times the number of observed variables (41 variables, requiring 410-820 cases), 615 valid questionnaires were obtained through proportionate stratified and purposive sampling. The questionnaire's content validity was confirmed by three experts (IOC = 1.00), and its reliability, assessed via Cronbach's alpha, ranged from 0.864 to 0.966 across constructs. Data were analyzed using SPSS and AMOS, comprising descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analysis, and structural equation modeling.
Results: (1) Firm flexibility was at a high level, while trust, organizational commitment, change readiness, organizational learning capability, and adaptability were at a moderate level. (2) The developed causal relationship model, comprising six factors (firm flexibility, trust, organizational commitment, change readiness, organizational learning capability, and adaptability), fit the empirical data well (Chi-square/df = 1.992, GFI = 0.906, CFI = 0.967, NFI = 0.936, TLI = 0.961, IFI = 0.967, RMSEA = 0.040), with a predictive coefficient (R²) of 0.36, indicating that the model explained 36 percent of the variance in change readiness. (3) Firm flexibility influenced change readiness only indirectly, through adaptability and organizational learning capability (total effect = 0.057), while trust (direct effect = 0.220) and organizational commitment (direct effect = 0.329) exerted significant direct effects on change readiness.
Application of this study: Practically, organizations can strengthen change readiness by institutionalizing transparent, participative governance and non-monetary recognition to sustain commitment, and by investing in accessible digital learning platforms, such as mobile-based reskilling and upskilling tools, to build learning capability. At the operational level, leaders should build trust through consistent two-way communication, reduce approval bottlenecks for urgent front-line decisions to support flexibility, and encourage experienced staff to mentor colleagues in new technologies, thereby reinforcing organizational learning and adaptability.
Conclusions: This study confirms that change readiness depends not only on structural agility but also on trust and commitment, jointly with learning capability and adaptability. Embedding these human and organizational capabilities into policy and daily management, alongside continued investment in technology and innovation, will be essential for Thai convenience stores to sustain competitiveness in an increasingly digital and volatile retail environment.