An inner quality approach to reducing stress and improving physical and emotional wellbeing at work

This exploratory field study examined the impact of an Inner Quality Management program (IQM) on a group of Motorola employees. IQM is a training program designed to help people increase productivity through improved health, communication, goal clarity, positive mood and job satisfaction, and through the reduction of tension, burnout, physical symptoms of stress and negative mood. Both psychological and physiological measures were assessed in the 6-month study. The study involved three groups: managers, engineers and factory workers. Results showed that contentment, job satisfaction and communication significantly increased after the training, while tension, anxiety, nervousness and physical symptoms of stress significantly decreased. Blood pressure in hypertensive individuals decreased, and there was a reduction in sympathetic nervous activity. Implications for workplace wellbeing are discussed. (C) 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.