Framing Quality 5.0 through purpose governance: a conceptual model for humanizing organizations

Purpose – The transition towards Quality 5.0 requires a profound redefinition of the very meaning of “quality”, no longer confined to technical or functional performance, but extended to the ethical,social and environmental impact of organizations. This paper explores how purpose governance supports the development of quality management systems within a human-centred and sustainability-oriented paradigm. Design/methodology/approach – The study adopted a qualitative research design based on a Grounded Theory approach and comprised two steps. The first step focuses on a desk analysis of a corpus of foundational normative documents, such as PAS 808:2022 (Purpose-Driven Organizations), ISO 9001:2015 (Quality Management Systems), ISO 37000:2021 (Governance of Organizations),ISO 26000: 2010 (Guidance on Social Responsibility) and early public drafts of ISO 37011 (Purpose-Driven Governance). The second step proceeded semi-structured qualitative consultation to a final sample of 13 professionals and academics specializing in quality and purpose. Findings – Five dimensions – “Quality System as Purpose Infrastructure”, “Purpose as Strategic Foundation”, “Purpose as Integrated Governance System”, “Ethical and Performance Enablement” and “Generative and Sustainable Value” – integrate purpose into the design and evolution of Quality 5.0, each activated and reinforced through purpose governance. A conceptual model is proposed to explain how purpose governance humanizes organizations within the Quality 5.0 paradigm through fourinterconnected cyclical phases – defining purpose, establishing purpose governance, deploying the quality system as infrastructure and sustaining generative value and innovation – linked by feedback loops that ensure continuous learning and improvement. Originality/value – The study contributes to the emerging literature on purpose-driven management by integrating governance and quality into a unified conceptual model that positions corporate purpose as a key mechanism of Quality 5.0. It also provides guidance for the advancement of quality standards by encouraging the integration of explicit purpose governance requirements into future ISO updates.