Designing a Model Influencing the Development of a Customer-Centric Culture among Employees of Ofogh Kourosh Chain Stores Nationwide

Mohsen  Ashkbous; Seyed Reza Hassani; Afshin  Baghfalaki; Saeed  Mir

Authors

Mohsen Ashkbous Ph.D. Student, Department of Business Administration, Ker.C., Islamic Azad University, Kermanshah, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0009-0001-2101-0545
Seyed Reza Hassani Department of Business Administration, Ker.C., Islamic Azad University, Kermanshah, Iran Corresponding author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3933-9533
Afshin Baghfalaki Department of Economics, Ker.C., Islamic Azad University, Kermanshah, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9597-004X
Saeed Mir Department of Business Administration, Khor.C., Islamic Azad University, Khorramabad, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0830-8088

Keywords:

Culture, Customer Orientation, Employee Behavior, Ofogh Kourosh Chain Stores

Abstract

The present study aims to design and explicate a model influencing the development and institutionalization of a customer-centric culture among employees of Ofogh Kourosh chain stores across the country. This research was conducted using a mixed-methods approach with an exploratory–confirmatory design. In the qualitative phase, the process of customer-centric culture formation was examined from the perspective of employees’ lived experiences through in-depth semi-structured interviews with store personnel and data analysis using a phenomenological method. The results of open, axial, and selective coding indicated that this culture emerges not merely as a set of professional skills but as an integral component of employees’ professional identity. It is shaped through a complex interaction among individual customer-oriented discourse, emotions and affective experiences within interactional contexts, organizational enabling and constraining structures, interpersonal and group dynamics, extra-organizational environmental pressures, and experiences of turning points and critical situations. In the quantitative phase, the model derived from the qualitative findings was tested using confirmatory factor analysis and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), based on data collected from Ofogh Kourosh store employees nationwide. The findings demonstrated that construct reliability and validity indices were within acceptable ranges and that the measurement model exhibited satisfactory goodness of fit. Furthermore, the results revealed that the transition from organizational compliance to value internalization plays a central role in sustaining customer-oriented behaviors. Positive intrinsic drivers—such as professional pride, legitimate social identity, and perceived personal impact—contributed more significantly to the formation of authentic customer-oriented behaviors compared with inhibiting drivers. Ultimately, the proposed model may serve as an indigenous and practical framework for human resource policymaking, reward system design, training programs, and customer-oriented leadership development within Iran’s retail industry.

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