Personal Value Systems of Japanese Managers

Abstract

A personal value system is viewed as a relatively permanent perceptual framework which shapes and influences the general nature of an individual's behavior. Empirical evidence about the nature of personal value systems of 394 Japanese managers and a theoretical rationale for considering the impact of values on behavior are presented. As a total group, Japanese managers' primary value orientations are pragmatic and secondarily they are morally and ethically oriented. Within these major orientations, there is a great deal of variation when one looks at the personal value system of each individual manager. Possible relationships between personal values and related organizational behavior are suggested.