The validity of a nine-factor career anchor model, proposed as an alternative to Schein’s (1990) original eight-factor model, was examined on a sample of 1,083 employees from large Japanese firms. Employing a four-step procedure, the study introduces three types of error covariance into the model while evaluating its goodness of fit. Our findings indicate that Technical/Functional Competence, General Managerial Competence, Security/Stability, Service/Dedication to a Cause, Lifestyle, and Entrepreneurship can be applied to the Japanese context.
However, the concept of a Creativity Anchor may require reassessment, considering the belief that creativity is cultivated before embarking on a career, potentially conflicting with Schein’s theory of career anchors. Moreover, there was a recommendation to modify the wording “I would rather leave my organization than” specific to the Career Orientation Questionnaire. Additionally, this study highlights error covariance from Schwartz’s (1992) twopole dimension and demonstrates the benefits of incorporating theoretically relevant error covariance to improve model fit. The absence of Autonomy/Independence could be a characteristic unique to large Japanese firms, suggesting a need for further investigation by expanding the sample size to include independent workers.