Skip to main content
Springer Nature Link
Log in

Quality of Work Life: Theoretical and Methodological Problems, and Presentation of a New Model and Measuring Instrument

  • Published:
Social Indicators Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose: Ever since the concept of Quality of Work Life (QWL) was first used over 30 years ago, a range of definitions and theoretical constructs have succeeded each other with the aim of mitigating the many problems facing the concept. A historical overview of the concept of QWL is presented here. Given the lack of consensus concerning the solutions that have been developed to date, a new definition of QWL is suggested, inspired by the research on a related concept, general Quality of Life (QOL) which, as the literature shows, has faced the same conceptualization and definition problems as QWL. Based on the suggested definition of QOL, a definition of QWL is provided and the measuring instrument that results therefrom (the Quality of Working Life Systemic Inventory – QWLSI) is presented. Finally, the solutions that this model and measuring instrument provide for the above-mentioned problems are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Explore related subjects

Discover the latest articles and news from researchers in related subjects, suggested using machine learning.

References

  • W.R. Ashby (1952) Design for a Brain John Wiley New York

    Google Scholar 

  • L. Bertalanffy (1973) Théorie Générale des Systèmes Dunod Paris

    Google Scholar 

  • M. Boisvert (1977) La qualité de vie au travail École des Hautes Études Commerciales Montréal

    Google Scholar 

  • M. Boisvert (1981) La qualité de vie au travail Agence d’Arc Montréal

    Google Scholar 

  • H.C. Carlson (1980) ‘A model of quality of work life as a developmental process’ W.W. Bruke L.D. Goodstein (Eds) Trends and Issues in OD.: Current Theory and Practice University Associates San Diego, Ca 83–123

    Google Scholar 

  • D.F. Cella (1992) ArticleTitle‘Quality of life: The concept’ Journal of Palliative Care 8 8–13

    Google Scholar 

  • A.B. Cherns L.E. Davis (1975) ‘Assessment of the state of the art’ L.E. Davis R.L. Cherns (Eds) The quality of working life: Problems, prospects, and the state of the art Free Press New York 12–54

    Google Scholar 

  • L.E. Davis A.B. Cherns (1975) The quality of working life Free Press New York

    Google Scholar 

  • A. Dazord P. Gérin C. Brochier M. Cluse J.L. Terra C. Seulin (1993) ArticleTitle‘Un modèle de qualité de vie subjective adapté aux essais thérapeutiques: Intérêt chez les patients dépressifs’ Santé Mental au Québec XVIII 49–74

    Google Scholar 

  • G. Dupuis J. Perrault M.C. Lambany E. Kennedy P. David (1989) ArticleTitle‘A new tool to assess quality of life: The quality of life systemic inventory’ Quality of Life and Cardiovascular Care 5 36–45

    Google Scholar 

  • G. Dupuis M.-C. Taillefer A.-M. Étienne O. Fontaine O.S. Boivin A. Turk ParticleVon (2000) ‘Measurement of quality of life in cardiac rehabilitation’ J. Jobin F. Maltais P. Leblanc (Eds) Advances in cardiopulmonary rehabilitation. Human Kinetics Publishers Champaign 247–273

    Google Scholar 

  • R.L. Duquette G. Dupuis J. Perrault (1994) ArticleTitle‘ ȁ8A new approach for quality of life assessment in cardiac patients: rationale and validation of the Quality of Life Systemic Inventory (QLSI)’ Canadian Journal of Cardiology 10 106–112

    Google Scholar 

  • D. Elizur S. Shye (1990) ArticleTitle‘Quality of work life and its relation to quality of life’, Applied Psychology An International Review 39 IssueID3 275–291

    Google Scholar 

  • C.E. Ferrans (1990) ArticleTitle‘Quality of life: Conceptual issues’ Seminars in Oncology Nursing 6 248–254 Occurrence Handle10.1016/0749-2081(90)90026-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • R. Foucher A. Savoie L. Brunet (2003) ‘ ȁ8Concilier performance organisationnelle et santé psychologique au travail: pistes de réflexion et d’action’ Éditions nouvelles Montréal

    Google Scholar 

  • J.M. George A.P. Brief (1990) ArticleTitle‘The economic instrumentality of work: An examination of the moderating effects of financial requirements and sex on the pay-life satisfaction relationship’ Journal of Vocational Behaviour 37 357–368 Occurrence Handle10.1016/0001-8791(90)90050-C

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • R.T. Golembiewski K. Billingsley S. Yeager (1976) ArticleTitle‘Measuring change and persistence in human affairs: Types of change generated by OD designs’ Journal of Applied Behavioural Science 12 133–157 Occurrence Handle10.1177/002188637601200201

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • D.A. Goode (1989) ‘Quality of life, quality of work life’ W.E. Kiernan R.L. Schalock (Eds) Economics, Industry and Disability: A Look Ahead Paul H. Brookes Baltimore 337–349

    Google Scholar 

  • M.J. Kavanagh M. Halpern (1977) ArticleTitle‘The impact of job level and sex differences on the relationship between life and job satisfaction’ Academy of Management Journal 20 66–73 Occurrence Handle10.2307/255462

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kerce E.W., Booth-Kewley S. (1993). ‘Quality of work life surveys in organizations: Methods and benefits’. In: Sage Focus (eds.), Improving Organizational Surveys: New Directions, Methods, and Applications (Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA), 188–209.

  • W.E. Kiernan K. Knutson (1990) ‘Quality of work life’ R.L. Schalock M.J. Begab (Eds) Quality of Life: Perspectives and Issues American Association of Mental Retardation Washington, DC, US: xii

    Google Scholar 

  • M.L. Kohl C. Schooler (1982) ArticleTitle‘Job conditions and personality: A longitudinal assessment of reciprocal effects’ American Journal of Sociology 87 1257–1286 Occurrence Handle10.1086/227593

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Q.W. Kornhauser (1965) Mental Health of the Industrial Worker John Wiley New York

    Google Scholar 

  • S.J. Lambert (1990) ArticleTitle‘Process linking work and family: A critical review and research agenda’ Human Relations 43 239–257 Occurrence Handle10.1177/001872679004300303

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • E.E. Lawler SuffixIII (1975) ‘Measuring the psychological quality of working life: The why and how of it’ L.E. Davis A.B. Cherns (Eds) The Quality of Working Life Free Press New York 123–133

    Google Scholar 

  • M.P. Leiter M.J. Durup (1996) ArticleTitle‘Work, home, and in-between: A longitudinal study of spillover’ Journal of Applied Behavioral Science 32 IssueID1 29–47 Occurrence Handle10.1177/0021886396321002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • M.F. Levine J.C. Taylor L.E. Davis (1984) ArticleTitle‘Defining quality of working life’ Human Relations 37 81–104 Occurrence Handle10.1177/001872678403700105

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • E.A. Locke (1976) ‘The nature and causes of job satisfaction’ M.D. Dunnette (Eds) Hand book of Industrial Organizational psychology Rand-McNally Chicago 1279–1349

    Google Scholar 

  • K.A. Loscocco A.R. Roschelle (1991) ArticleTitle‘Influences on the quality of work and nonwork life: Two decades in review’ Journal of Vocational Behavior 39 182–225 Occurrence Handle10.1016/0001-8791(91)90009-B

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • E. Mayo (1960) The Human Problems of an Industrial Civilisation Viking Press New York

    Google Scholar 

  • P.H. Mirvis E.E. Lawler SuffixIII (1984) ArticleTitle‘Accounting for the quality of work life’ Journal of Occupational Behaviour 5 197–212

    Google Scholar 

  • D.A. Nadler E.E. Lawler SuffixIII (1983) ArticleTitle‘Quality of work life: Perceptions and direction’ Organizational Dynamics 11 IssueID3 20–30 Occurrence Handle10.1016/0090-2616(83)90003-7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • E.C. Nelson J.M. Landgraf R.D. Hays J.H. Wasson J.W. Kirk (1990) ArticleTitle‘The functional status of patients: How can it be measured in physicians’ offices?’ Medical Care 28 111–1126

    Google Scholar 

  • W.T. Powers (1973) Behavior: The Control of Perception Aldine Chicago

    Google Scholar 

  • L.C. Quilty M. Ameringen ParticleVan C. Mancini J. Oakman P. Farvolden (2003) ArticleTitle‘Quality of life and anxiety disorders’ Journal of Anxiety Disorders 17 405–426 Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0887-6185(02)00225-6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • D.M. Rousseau (1978) ArticleTitle‘Relationship of work to nonwork’ Journal of Applied Psychology 63 513–517 Occurrence Handle10.1037/0021-9010.63.4.513

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • M. Sashkin W.W. Burke (1987) ArticleTitle‘Organizational development in the 1980’s’ Journal of Management 13 IssueID2 393–417 Occurrence Handle10.1177/014920638701300212

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • N. Schmitt A.G. Bedian (1982) ArticleTitle‘A comparison of LISREL and two-stage least squares analysis of a hypothesized life-job satisfaction reciprocal relationship’ Journal of Applied Psychology 67 806–817 Occurrence Handle10.1037/0021-9010.67.6.806

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • N. Schmitt P.A. Mellon (1980) ArticleTitle‘Life and job satisfaction: Is the job central’ Journal of Vocational Behavior 16 51–58 Occurrence Handle10.1016/0001-8791(80)90037-8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • S.E. Seashore (1975) ‘Defining and measuring the quality of working life’ L.E. Davis A.B. Cherns (Eds) The Quality of Working Life Free Press New York 105–118

    Google Scholar 

  • H.L. Sheppard (1975) ‘Some indicators of quality of working life: A simplified approach to measurement’ L.E. Davis A.B. Cherns (Eds) The Quality of Working Life Free Press New York 119–122

    Google Scholar 

  • G.L. Staines (1980) ArticleTitle‘Spillover versus compensation: A review of the literature on the relationship between work and nonwork’ Human Relations 33 111–129 Occurrence Handle10.1177/001872678003300203

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • M.J. Sirgy D. Efraty P. Siegel L. Dong-Jin (2001) ArticleTitle‘A new measure of quality of work life (QWL) based on need satisfaction and spillover theories’ Social Indicators Research 55 241–302 Occurrence Handle10.1023/A:1010986923468

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • M.-C. Taillefer G. Dupuis M.A. Roberge S. Lemay (2003) ArticleTitle‘Health-related quality of life models: Systematic review of the literature’ Social Indicators Research 64 293–323 Occurrence Handle10.1023/A:1024740307643

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • J.C. Taylor (1978) ArticleTitle‘An empirical examination of the dimensions of quality of working life’ Omega 6 IssueID2 153–160 Occurrence Handle10.1016/0305-0483(78)90023-3

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • E. Trist W.A. Westley (1981) La qualite de la vie au travail dans la fonction publique federale Travail Canada Ottawa

    Google Scholar 

  • P.R. Turcotte (1988) QVT: La Qualité de Vie au Travail: Une Voie vers l’Excellence Agence d’ARC Montréal

    Google Scholar 

  • R. Walton (1975) ‘Criteria for quality of work life’ L.E. Davis R.L. Cherns (Eds) The Quality of Working Life: Problems, Prospects, and the State of the Art Free Press New York 12–54

    Google Scholar 

  • N. Weiner (1948) Cybernetics John Wiley New York

    Google Scholar 

  • InstitutionalAuthorNameThe WHOQOL Group (1995) ArticleTitle‘The World Health Organization Quality Of Life assessment: position paper from the World Health Organization’ Social Scientific Medicine 41 1403–1409 Occurrence Handle10.1016/0277-9536(95)00112-K

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. De Psychologie, Université du Québec à Montréal, Succursale Centre V, Montréal, Québec, Canada, H3C 3P8

    Jean-Pierre Martel & Gilles Dupuis

Authors
  1. Jean-Pierre Martel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

  2. Gilles Dupuis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gilles Dupuis.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Martel, JP., Dupuis, G. Quality of Work Life: Theoretical and Methodological Problems, and Presentation of a New Model and Measuring Instrument. Soc Indic Res 77, 333–368 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-004-5368-4

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-004-5368-4

Keywords