【Joint Research】'Ability to Give Form' Rather Than 'Psychological Safety' Determines New Business Outcomes.
Bridge Inc. and Yamagata University jointly released a whitepaper revealing that 'Tangible Leadership' and a 'Prototyping Culture' are more crucial than 'psychological safety' for new business success, based on a survey of 340 individuals. An event is also scheduled.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 7, 2026 at 21:00
- 🔍 Collected: May 7, 2026 at 12:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 7, 2026 at 13:14 (42 min after Collected)
“Tangible Leadership*1” is a leadership style that encourages decision-making and action from those around by presenting one's will as concrete prototypes*2.
Bridge Inc. (Head Office: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director: Nobuyuki Onaga) has conducted a survey on leadership styles and perceived outcomes in new business promotion, in joint research with Associate Professor Keita Mitomi of Yamagata University's Faculty of Social Co-creation Digital Studies, and will publish the results as a whitepaper.
In the field of new business, it is not uncommon for many projects to stagnate without achieving tangible results. With the spread of generative AI lowering the barrier to giving ideas form, the importance of “Tangible Leadership” communication is increasing even further.
This survey found that “Tangible Leadership” contributed most strongly to perceived outcomes, surpassing collaborative styles. This whitepaper proposes practical guidelines for realizing a self-driven organization along with the survey results.
■ Highlights of the Survey Results
Point 1: “Persuasive leaders who show by doing” achieve results.
The correlation coefficient between persuasive leadership and perceived outcomes was 0.69, surpassing listening and collaborative styles. Leaders who produce results consciously used both “showing by doing” and “listening” from the early stages.
Point 2: Showing form in the initial stages moves the organization.
Teams that presented forms from the idea generation phase tended to have higher perceived outcome scores in all subsequent phases. Form is not for “increasing completeness” but for “starting dialogue.”
Point 3: Psychological safety alone is not enough.
The correlation coefficient between psychological safety and perceived outcomes remained at 0.32, significantly lower than prototyping culture*3 (0.69) and persuasive leadership (0.69). In addition to creating a good atmosphere, actually creating, showing, and acting on forms is key to achieving results.
■ Background of Whitepaper Provision
In this joint research, which scientifically verified the leadership and organizational culture that truly impact the perceived outcomes of new business, it became clear that “Tangible Leadership” and “Prototyping Culture” are critical factors influencing outcomes. This knowledge has been systematized into practical guidelines and is being published as a whitepaper.
Regarding the citation and reproduction of this survey data
① Explicitly state the source: Be sure to clearly state “Joint Research by Bridge Inc. and Yamagata University” in the cited portion.
② Install a link: If cited on a website, please include a link to the URL of this press release (or the special whitepaper page URL).
③ Processing of figures and tables: Resizing and cropping are permitted within the scope that does not impair the meaning of the data, but alteration of numerical values is prohibited.
*Prior notification is not required for media publication or citation, but if you inform us, we will introduce and share it on our SNS etc.
■ How to obtain the whitepaper
Title: Accelerating New Business with “Tangible Leadership”
Contents: Includes detailed joint research data, the overall structure of organizational transformation through path analysis, and details of the Tangible Leadership Program.
URL: https://www.bridgedesigners.com/topics/18796/
*Downloadable without entering personal information.
【Event Information】
Associate Professor Mitomi of Yamagata University x CEO Onaga of bridge
-Tangible Leadership Session- How to make “Tangible Leadership” take root in an organization.
Culture that creates forms rather than psychological safety determines outcomes. Based on this result, revealed by a survey of 340 people, researchers and practitioners will discuss the forefront of prototyping research and hints for rooting “Tangible Leadership” in organizations. We hope to make this a time for participants to find takeaways, not just listen. Please join us.
Date: July 17, 2026, 16:00-18:00 (Doors open 15:45)
Location: NTT DATA INTRAMART Co., Ltd. Head Office 5F Bar & Lounge
4-15-1 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Akasaka Garden City 5th floor Map
Target: Those involved in new business, organizational development, human resource development, or interested in leadership that “gives form and moves people.”
Capacity: 20 people
Participation fee: Free
Application: https://forms.gle/gPYHDHt7mA7CGVrZ9
■ Comment from the Joint Research Team
Nobuyuki Onaga (Representative Director, Bridge Inc.)
This data revealed that a self-driven organization requires more than just a safe space. A culture of sharing forms emerged.
Bridge Inc. (Head Office: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director: Nobuyuki Onaga) has conducted a survey on leadership styles and perceived outcomes in new business promotion, in joint research with Associate Professor Keita Mitomi of Yamagata University's Faculty of Social Co-creation Digital Studies, and will publish the results as a whitepaper.
In the field of new business, it is not uncommon for many projects to stagnate without achieving tangible results. With the spread of generative AI lowering the barrier to giving ideas form, the importance of “Tangible Leadership” communication is increasing even further.
This survey found that “Tangible Leadership” contributed most strongly to perceived outcomes, surpassing collaborative styles. This whitepaper proposes practical guidelines for realizing a self-driven organization along with the survey results.
■ Highlights of the Survey Results
Point 1: “Persuasive leaders who show by doing” achieve results.
The correlation coefficient between persuasive leadership and perceived outcomes was 0.69, surpassing listening and collaborative styles. Leaders who produce results consciously used both “showing by doing” and “listening” from the early stages.
Point 2: Showing form in the initial stages moves the organization.
Teams that presented forms from the idea generation phase tended to have higher perceived outcome scores in all subsequent phases. Form is not for “increasing completeness” but for “starting dialogue.”
Point 3: Psychological safety alone is not enough.
The correlation coefficient between psychological safety and perceived outcomes remained at 0.32, significantly lower than prototyping culture*3 (0.69) and persuasive leadership (0.69). In addition to creating a good atmosphere, actually creating, showing, and acting on forms is key to achieving results.
■ Background of Whitepaper Provision
In this joint research, which scientifically verified the leadership and organizational culture that truly impact the perceived outcomes of new business, it became clear that “Tangible Leadership” and “Prototyping Culture” are critical factors influencing outcomes. This knowledge has been systematized into practical guidelines and is being published as a whitepaper.
Regarding the citation and reproduction of this survey data
① Explicitly state the source: Be sure to clearly state “Joint Research by Bridge Inc. and Yamagata University” in the cited portion.
② Install a link: If cited on a website, please include a link to the URL of this press release (or the special whitepaper page URL).
③ Processing of figures and tables: Resizing and cropping are permitted within the scope that does not impair the meaning of the data, but alteration of numerical values is prohibited.
*Prior notification is not required for media publication or citation, but if you inform us, we will introduce and share it on our SNS etc.
■ How to obtain the whitepaper
Title: Accelerating New Business with “Tangible Leadership”
Contents: Includes detailed joint research data, the overall structure of organizational transformation through path analysis, and details of the Tangible Leadership Program.
URL: https://www.bridgedesigners.com/topics/18796/
*Downloadable without entering personal information.
【Event Information】
Associate Professor Mitomi of Yamagata University x CEO Onaga of bridge
-Tangible Leadership Session- How to make “Tangible Leadership” take root in an organization.
Culture that creates forms rather than psychological safety determines outcomes. Based on this result, revealed by a survey of 340 people, researchers and practitioners will discuss the forefront of prototyping research and hints for rooting “Tangible Leadership” in organizations. We hope to make this a time for participants to find takeaways, not just listen. Please join us.
Date: July 17, 2026, 16:00-18:00 (Doors open 15:45)
Location: NTT DATA INTRAMART Co., Ltd. Head Office 5F Bar & Lounge
4-15-1 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Akasaka Garden City 5th floor Map
Target: Those involved in new business, organizational development, human resource development, or interested in leadership that “gives form and moves people.”
Capacity: 20 people
Participation fee: Free
Application: https://forms.gle/gPYHDHt7mA7CGVrZ9
■ Comment from the Joint Research Team
Nobuyuki Onaga (Representative Director, Bridge Inc.)
This data revealed that a self-driven organization requires more than just a safe space. A culture of sharing forms emerged.