A 3-year research project conducted at a new pharmaceutical manufacturing plant was designed to determine whether quality of worklife (QWL) consultation provided to a new plant during its planning, staffing, organizing, and initial operation would contribute to improved job satisfaction and productivity as compared with a long-established, more traditionally managed plant in the same company making the same products, but not receiving QWL consultation. The report describes developmental events, prevailing conditions relevant to consulting efforts, and outcomes of those efforts, and the question of why one major segment of the plant (quality assurance) seemed better able to sustain the QWL effort than the other major segment (production) is analyzed. Implementation of project concepts is reported to be limited by the organization's financial problems (those related to adjustment to new ownership, and technical difficulties); nevertheless, positive outcomes are reported in terms of satisfactorily meeting production goals, ego-involvement of the workforce, comparatively low absenteeism, and the plant's survival of the frustrations of start-up delays. Recommendations are made for future efforts to achieve both enriched quality of worklife and improved business effectiveness/efficiency. (TA)