Effects of entrepreneurial orientation, market orientation, learning orientation, organisational commitment and trust cooperative performance

Cooperatives play an important role in Malaysia’s socioeconomic development, yet the performance of micro and small cooperatives remains inconsistent and below potential. Weak governance, low member participation, and limited strategic capabilities persist, while the COVID-19 pandemic has intensified these challenges. Although entrepreneurial orientation (EO), market orientation (MO), learning orientation (LO), organisational commitment (OC), and trust are recognised drivers of performance in other sectors, their combined effects in Malaysian cooperatives are not well understood. Addressing this gap is vital for improving competitiveness and aligning with national transformation plans such as DaKoM 2030 and TransKoM 2021 to 2025. This study examines the influence of EO, MO, and LO on cooperative performance (CP), the mediating role of OC, and the moderating effect of trust on the OC and CP relationship. Using a positivist paradigm, a quantitative method was applied with 230 board members of Malaysian micro and small cooperatives. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS SEM) tested eleven hypotheses based on Dynamic Capabilities Theory (DCT) and Social Exchange Theory (SET). The results show that EO and MO have significant positive effects on CP, highlighting the importance of strategic agility and market responsiveness. LO does not directly affect CP but enhances OC, which improves CP, confirming OC as a mediator between LO and CP. No mediation effect of OC is found for EO and CP or MO and CP, and trust does not significantly moderate the OC and CP relationship. The study advances theory by integrating DCT and SET, identifying EO and MO as externally oriented dynamic capabilities and LO with OC as an internal relational pathway to performance. Practically, it recommends that cooperative leaders strengthen entrepreneurial and market focused strategies, build member commitment through engagement and education, and align capacity building initiatives with national policy frameworks to close performance gaps