Challenges and propositions for research in quality management – Relevance gap revisited

Journal article, 2025

This study explores the enduring relevance gap between academic research and practical application in quality management (QM). It assesses how well scholarly literature addresses the key organizational challenges identified by practitioners, aiming to enhance research impact. Employing the Delphi method, the study captures the top practitioner concerns in 2024 and compares them with data from 2012 and 2018. A systematic review of highly cited academic publications is then used to evaluate alignment with these priorities. Findings highlight significant misalignment, especially in areas such as strategic integration, agility, leadership, and co-creation. The research traces the evolution of QM from compliance-oriented models toward innovation-driven approaches, while identifying barriers, including the increasing lag between research production and application. The study emphasizes the need for more timely, practitioner-relevant outputs and advocates for closer researcher–practitioner collaboration. By combining longitudinal practitioner insights with a citation-focused review, this research contributes original evidence on the persistence of the relevance gap and offers strategies for narrowing it. Limitations include the focus on expert input and established literature, which may overlook emerging topics. Practical recommendations involve fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, enhancing knowledge translation, and improving dissemination practices to increase the real-world utility of QM research.