Effects of quality management on well-being at work and performance in a research laboratory: an exploratory study

Purpose Over the past 20 years, more and more research organizations have chosen to integrate quality management into their strategic objectives, the principles and tools of which have long been deployed in private enterprises. The primary objective of quality management is to enhance the value of research activities and to demonstrate the traceability of data obtained and the reliability of published results. But have research laboratories been sufficiently prepared, and are they using quality management to steer their organizations toward achieving the objectives and satisfying the quality criteria of assessment organizations? Design/methodology/approach This research is based on the first author’s professional experience and on a survey of 235 participants from research laboratories to study the links between quality management, well-being at work and empowering leadership. Findings The results confirm that quality management improves the performance of a research laboratory and well-being at work, with managerial know-how being the key factor. Originality/value Organizational and individual levers are proposed to facilitate the involvement of people in the deployment and leadership of quality management.