2023 年 30 巻 p. 143-156
This study argues that the factors influencing personal ethical orientation and meaningful work differ between middle managers and employees in Japanese companies. To propose hypotheses about the causal relationship between factors making work meaningful, I reviewed previous studies and focused on top managers’ ethical leadership and workplace ethical climate as factors of personal ethical orientation. To verify the hypotheses, I conducted an online questionnaire survey and received 1,030 valid responses from middle managers and employees in Japan. The results of multiplegroup structural equation modeling revealed that while top managers’ ethical leadership and workplace ethical climate influence personal ethical orientation and meaningful work, the effects of top managers’ ethical leadership and personal ethical orientation are stronger on the middle managers’ model than on the employees’ model. In addition, I discussed the relationship between top management and middle managers in terms of ethics management.