Why are aspiring managers continuing to decrease? New proposal addresses structural issues of "Managing Alone"

J.Feel Inc. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Katsunori Takahashi), a consulting firm that supports the transformation of people and organizations, has jointly created and published the proposal document "The Limits of Managing Alone ~Towards Organizations that Share Management~" in June 2026 with the "Management Sharing Study Group" it operates, as a new approach to solve manager burnout and organizational management dysfunction. Aspiring manager ratio ranks lowest among 18 countries (19.8%) - Japan is facing a shortage of people willing to become managers. The cause is not individual motivation, but the very structure of management that requires "handling everything alone." A promising option to solve this structural problem is "Management Sharing." That is, Management Sharing is a system where multiple people share management responsibilities, leading to improved decision-making quality, development of the next generation, and resolution of manager loneliness and burden. When management re-examines the structure, HR acts as a companion, and the frontline makes small trials – the organization truly begins to change when these three connect. This proposal document is a 26-page practical knowledge document created based on practical research with companies during the first and second terms of the Management Sharing Study Group and interviews with leading companies. ■ Background: The Limits of Playing Managers and the Collapse of "Managing Alone" Performance management, supporting member engagement, compliance response, harassment prevention, adapting to diverse work styles, promoting the use of generative AI – Japanese companies have expected a single manager to consistently handle all of these at a high level as a "matter of course." As a result, the following phenomena are spreading across industries and company sizes: - Managers are chronically exhausted and have no time to think strategically. - Talented individuals begin to struggle the moment they become managers. - Young people and women are increasingly avoiding management roles, turning it into a "punishment game." - Relationships with team members become superficial, and the future development of the organization is postponed. A survey by Persol Research and Consulting (2022) compared the proportion of people who want to become managers in 18 countries, with Japan ranking a clear last at 19.8%. This indicates that it is not an issue of individual motivation, but that the very structure of management, which requires "handling everything alone," is no longer suitable for reality. ■ Towards "Sharing," Not "Division." This proposal advocates for "Management Sharing" – the concept of multiple people sharing the management of a single organization. However, this is not simply a division of tasks. What is important is not mechanically dividing tasks, but operating the organization based on a culture of dialogue where objectives, vision, and emotions are "shared." Functional division, if it leaves human emotions behind, leads to siloing where people say, "That's not my job." - From the Proposal (Summary) ■ [Proposal] Towards "Evolving Organizations" Co-created by Management, HR, and the Frontline As a conclusion to this proposal document, we make recommendations to each of the three parties involved in organizational transformation. Organizations are not fixed vessels. The organization truly begins to change when these three connect. This proposal presents an "organizational survival strategy" for shedding the manager's loneliness and excessive burden, accelerating subordinate autonomy and growth, and transforming into an organization that sustainably creates value by having multiple people share management. Furthermore, it concretely outlines the roles that management, HR, and the frontline should each play in implementation, as well as the "crafting" approach of starting small from the frontline. We encourage you to download and read it. ▼ Download the Proposal (Free) Here Proposal Download ■ Announcement: Recruitment for "Management Sharing Study Group, 3rd Term" We will further deepen the content of this proposal and explore the possibilities of management sharing in specific companies. We await participation from management and HR executives who wish to explore new forms of management suited to their organizations while sharing real-life concerns, successes, and failures from other companies. August 2026 - March 2027 Specific proposals and suggestions for companies considering the introduction of management sharing, as well as social dissemination and contribution. Practitioners in companies interested in the practice and introduction of MS, and those willing to address the challenges of Case companies and propose MS practices.

https://www.j-feel.jp/note/ib5c5ob2--b 【Company Profile】 Company Name: J.Feel Inc. https://www.j-feel.jp/ J.Feel defines "Organizational Emotion®" as the emotion and mood that permeates the entire organization, similar to individual emotions, and has provided corporate training on "managing organizational emotion" to approximately 250 companies and over 10,000 individuals. They have published numerous books on organizational revitalization, including the bestseller "The Unpleasant Workplace" (Kodansha Modern Shinsho (1926)), "The Quietly Dividing Workplace," and "Creating an Exciting Workplace" (Jitsugyo no Nihon Sha). Their mission is to increase the number of people who genuinely feel "work is interesting, the workplace is enjoyable, and I like my company," and to have their wisdom and passion spread throughout society. 【For Media and Reporters】 Interviews with the authors of this proposal document, as well as unique comments and data on the themes of "managerial punishment game" and "management sharing," are available. Please feel free to contact the Public Relations representative. 【Inquiries Regarding This Matter】 J.Feel Inc. Public Relations: Momota Email: ms-study@j-feel.jp Keywords: