Pro-Active Approach in the Context of Quality 5.0 Challenges

This study examines entrepreneurs’ awareness and preventive activities regarding the environment and employees as key elements of the Quality 5.0 concept. Quantitative research was conducted among 380 manufacturing companies in Greater Poland that had not implemented or certified a quality management system. Data were collected using CATI interviews using an original questionnaire assessing the importance and implementation of 24 preventive management factors, with a detailed analysis of 10 factors. The findings identify maintaining good relations with the environment (K2), careful supplier selection and continuous evaluation (K3), improving employee qualifications and skills (K7), and ensuring occupational safety and ergonomics (K8) as the most important preventive management factors. The combined IPA and paired analyses identify K7—improving employee qualifications and skills—as the clearest improvement priority: it was the only factor in the “concentrate here” quadrant, had the largest importance–implementation gap (0.34), and the largest rank-biserial effect (rrb = 0.639). K2—maintaining good relations with the environment—and K8—ensuring occupational safety and ergonomics—combined high importance with high implementation and should therefore be maintained, while K5—selection of employees based on their competencies—also warrants attention due to its gap of 0.28. Paired Wilcoxon tests showed statistically significant implementation shortfalls for all ten factors after Holm correction, indicating that the gap between perceived importance and implementation is systematic. Participatory management (K6) received the lowest importance and implementation ratings, although its large paired effect suggests that its relatively low IPA priority should not be interpreted as evidence of low relevance. Associations with company size and years in operation were generally weak and factor-specific. The results contribute to understanding preventive management as a basis for sustainable, human-centered, and proactive Quality 5.0 practices. They suggest that managerial priorities should consider both the relative IPA position and the magnitude of importance–implementation gaps, with particular attention to employee competence development and participatory management. The results emphasize the role of preventive management practices in supporting the Quality 5.0 concept and provide practical guidance for organizations seeking to strengthen sustainable, employee-oriented, and proactive management approaches.