Quality 5.0 in Higher Education: A Literature Review

The world is currently undergoing a process of rapid change in all aspects of human living. The progressive digitalization of the industrial sector is promoting the creation of a sustainable Society 5.0, where humans and machines cooperate to achieve shared production goals. However, this new paradigm is still surrounded by a limited understanding and is yet to be defined, particularly regarding higher education institutions. This paper aims to contribute to the scientific comprehension and definition of the role of Quality 5.0 in higher education institutions, by exploring how the implementation of a social-oriented quality management approach influences the university environment. A literature review was conducted to study previous papers regarding this novel topic. Using the Web of Science, Google Scholar and Scopus databases, articles were obtained based on the following string of keywords present in the abstract: (university OR “higher education” OR “higher education institution”) AND (“smart university” OR “university 4.0” OR "quality 5.0” OR “social-oriented quality” OR “society 5.0” OR quality-centric OR sustainability) considering only articles published from 2018 to 2024. The results outline the main pillars of Quality 5.0, the potential benefits of its implementation in universities, and finally the obstacles that may be encountered in the process. The study is limited by the databases referenced and by the consideration of articles written only in English. This paper's findings can be helpful to university practitioners, managers, and other stakeholders as a guide for implementing a Quality 5.0 approach into the strategic goals of higher education institutions.