Journal of Business Ethics https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-018-3929-8 ORIGINAL PAPER Human Dignity-Centered Business Ethics: A Conceptual Framework for Business Leaders William J. Mea 1,2, 3 · Ronald R. Sims 4 Received: 19 December 2016 / Accepted: 18 May 2018 / Published online: 28 May 2018 © Springer Science+Business Media B.V., part of Springer Nature 2018 ABSTRACT This paper is a contribution to the discussion of how religious perspectives can improve business ethics. Two such perspectives are in natural law of antiquity and recent Catholic social doctrine and teaching (CSD/T). This paper develops a conceptual framework from natural law and CSD/T that business leaders can adopt to build an ethos of humanistic management. This “Human Dignity-Centered” framework fills the gap between time-tested Christian norms and contemporary firm-leaders’ concrete needs. “Human dignity” is used as a rhetorical device to convey the idea that firms are composed of dynamic social networks, with an ultimate purpose of serving human needs. Ultimately, the principles and virtues the framework employs have a logic that should inspire excellence, as ethical practices and concern for human welfare lay a foundation for long-term business prosperity. In a one-frame visual representation, this paper portrays: firm leadership challenges; a transforming ethical prism of principles and virtues; and results and feedback mechanisms. The accompanying narrative describes each element and how each affects humanistic management. Finally, illustrative company examples and questions are provided to illustrate how the framework can be used to benefit human flourishing. The framework provides an adjunct to current formulations of improving managerial excellence. Keywords Human dignity · Business ethics · Spirituality · Leadership · Management models The views expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Office of Management and Budget, the Administration, or the United States. The authors have no financial interest in or ownership of any companies mentioned in the article. William J. Mea wm547@georgetown.edu 1 Office of Management & Budget, The White House, Washington, DC, USA 2 Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA, 3 National Defense University, Fort McNair, Washington, DC, USA Ronald R. Sims Ronald.sims@mason.wm.edu 4 Raymond A. Mason School of Business, College of William and Mary, 101 Ukrop Way, Williamsburg, VA 23185‑8795, USA