A New Structural Model of Innovation Resistance in Thailand’s Medical Device Industry

Abstract

Innovation in healthcare rarely succeeds based on technological capability alone. Instead, adoption depends on how organizations interpret and manage uncertainty, workflow disruption, cultural expectations, and trust in suppliers. This study develops and validates a structural model explaining innovation resistance in Thailand’s medical device industry by positioning institutional inertia as the central mechanism linking eight upstream determinants—cost, culture, functionality, brand image, regulatory concerns, service capability, standard compliance, and organizational readiness—to innovation resistance. Using data from 393 medical device professionals and structural equation modeling, results reveal that functionality is the strongest predictor of inertia, followed by brand image, service capacity, standards, culture, and readiness. Cost and legal concerns show no significant effects. Inertia strongly predicts resistance, demonstrating its role as a system-level risk-regulation mechanism that consolidates multi-dimensional organizational concerns. The study advances theoretical understanding of resistance and offers policy, managerial, and ecosystem-level strategies for strengthening Thailand’s capacity to adopt emerging medical technologies.