Despite the recognition of the importance of philosophy-based management in recent Japanese management practices, there has been little effort to systematically examine this topic from a normative view. With a sample of 152 electrical machinery companies, this study attempts to identify the underlying value orientations incorporated in the normative statement of corporate management philosophy and furthermore examines the complex relationships between corporate value orientations and various performance indexes. The article shows that although the adoption of a corporate management philosophy does (...) not contribute to corporate financial performance directly, some value orientations might contribute to non-financial performance and long-term performance potentials. Especially, CSR environmental performance might be contributed by customer orientation and harmony; human resource management performance is associated with partner orientation and harmony; growth potential might be related with global orientation, entrepreneurship, and honesty. Furthermore, the negative relationship between increase of sales effort and CSR environmental performance also implies that it deserves careful consideration and attention for a company to balance the interests of various stakeholders. (shrink)

Previous studies imply that management philosophy has become an essential ethical foundation for a number of mission-driven organizations in Japan. This study examines how management philosophy might be influential to individuals with a sample of 1019 Japanese employees. The article develops a framework for analyzing the adoption of management philosophy and individual attitudinal and behavioral outcomes. Factor analysis shows that adoption of the management philosophy can be categorized into two dimensions, identification with management philosophy, and sensemaking of that management philosophy. (...) Regression results indicate that while philosophy-oriented practice might affect individual adoption of management philosophy, the adoption of the management philosophy is positively related to both job involvement and organizational citizenship behavior. Furthermore, the results of structural equation analysis indicate that both dimensions of the adoption of the management philosophy might mediate the relationship between organizational practice and individual outcomes. The research not only increases our understandings into the effectiveness of the management philosophy as an essential ethical foundation, but also provides intriguing implication regarding the organizational measures required to enhance the mission-driven culture. (shrink)