Strategic configurations for quality 5.0: integrating traditional, digital and human-centric practices for high business performance

Purpose Quality 5.0 has been proposed as a human-centric and resilient evolution of digital quality management, yet empirical evidence remains scarce on how its elements jointly create business value. This paper investigates which combinations of digital transformation, human-centric practices and traditional quality management adaptation are sufficient for high business performance. Design/methodology/approach Grounded in dynamic capability, complexity and configuration theories, the study takes an exploratory approach to explore quality 5.0's contribution to business performance. We collected data from quality management professionals across multiple organisations, sectors and geographical regions using an online survey. 126 responses were collected. Following data quality assessment, 117 responses were retained for analysis. Subsequently, we used fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis to identify multiple pathways leading to high business performance. Findings Necessity analysis showed that all the three conditions are necessary for high business performance while sufficiency analysis revealed three configurations that explain high business performance. The overall solution had a consistency of 0.960 and a coverage of 0.959. In all the three configurations, digital transformation acted as a peripheral condition (supportive role) while human-centric practices and adapted traditional quality management practices acted as core conditions (main drivers). Interestingly, three conditions emerged as necessary conditions for high business performance. Originality/value The study contributes to the literature by moving quality 5.0 beyond normative claims, providing an empirically grounded configurational account of how digital, human and quality capabilities interact to explain business performance. Moreover, this is the first study to assess the contribution of Q5.0 to business performance.