[Survey of 300 Managers] 65% of Managers are "Playing Managers" with Less Than 60% of Time Spent on Management - Most Rewarding Aspect is "Team Breakthroughs" at 54.7%

IKUSA Inc. (Headquarters: Toshima-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Daiki Akasaka; hereinafter IKUSA), which revitalizes internal communication through "play," conducted a "Management Awareness Survey" targeting 300 managers aged 20s to 60s and older.

In many companies, managers are increasingly becoming "playing managers" who兼務 (jimu) both practical tasks and management duties. This survey clarified how much time managers can dedicate to management and what they find stressful and rewarding.

Details of this survey can be found here.

Survey Results Summary

65.0% of managers spend "60% or less" of their time on management; only about 10% can focus solely on it.

Most stress comes from "delivering difficult feedback to team members" at 50.3%

Most rewarding aspect is "when the team breaks through a high wall (goal) together" at 54.7%

Areas to strengthen in the future are "operational efficiency/productivity improvement" at 50.7%, "fostering psychological safety" at 41.7%, and "improving the quality of 1-on-1 meetings" at 38.3%

65% of Managers Spend "60% or Less" of Their Time on Management, Only About 10% Can Focus Solely on It

When asked about the percentage of their current work time dedicated to management (training and supervision), 39.0% responded "40-60%," 19.0% responded "10-30%," and 7.0% responded "hardly any time." Combined, a total of 65.0% answered "60% or less."

This highlights the reality that only about 10% of managers can focus solely on management, while approximately 90% are "playing managers" who handle management alongside their practical tasks.

Biggest Stress is "Difficult Feedback" at 50.3%, with Mediation Between Parties Also High at 46.0%

The most stressful situation in daily management was "delivering difficult feedback (evaluations/warnings) to team members" at 50.3%. "Adjusting and translating the intentions of upper management to gain understanding from the field" was also high at 46.0%, revealing the significant burden of being caught between upper and lower levels.

On the other hand, the Most Rewarding Aspect is "Team Breakthroughs" at 54.7%

The moment that brings the most reward and joy is "when the team breaks through a high wall (goal) together" at 54.7%. "When team members show growth beyond expectations" was also high at 42.3%, indicating that managers feel a strong sense of accomplishment from "team achievements and growth."

Despite the significant burden, the joy of management lies in team building.

Areas to Strengthen are "Operational Efficiency" at 50.7%, "Psychological Safety" at 41.7%, and "Quality of 1-on-1s" at 38.3%

To maximize team performance, the most desired initiative to strengthen in the future was "operational process efficiency and DX" at 50.7%. This suggests a desire to move away from the "playing manager" role. Following this, "fostering psychological safety" at 41.7% and "improving the quality of 1-on-1 meetings" at 38.3% were also highly ranked, indicating a desire for enhanced communication.

Analysis: Free Managers from "Practical Tasks" and Create Systems for Them to Dedicate Time to "Team Building"

This survey revealed that while managers are exhausted by the burden of practical tasks and the friction of interpersonal communication, they actually feel a strong sense of reward from "achieving goals as a united team." There is a need to create systems that free managers from practical tasks, allowing them to dedicate time to relationship building and fostering psychological safety. Team building, which cultivates trust among employees, is one effective approach.

As a Step to Support Team Unity Building

Creating opportunities outside of daily work where managers can experience the "team breakthrough" they find rewarding is also effective. Experiential events like mystery-solving escape games or company sports days, where teams cooperate, foster a sense of unity that transcends positions.

In a separate survey of 620 participants in internal events supported by our company, 83.7% responded, "With this team, we could likely cooperate to achieve difficult goals." Our company supports team building that reduces the burden on managers through experiential events and training. We offer over 100 types of services, and we can propose the optimal service tailored to your needs even if you haven't decided on a specific service. Please feel free to contact us.

IKUSA's Comprehensive Catalog is Available Here.

Survey Overview

Survey Name: Management Awareness Survey

Survey Objective: To clarify the actual state of managers' awareness regarding management.

Survey Period: February 2026

Survey Target: Managers in companies

Number of Valid Responses: 300

Survey Method: Internet survey

*The sum may not be 100% due to rounding of the second decimal place.

*When quoting or reprinting the results of this survey, please cite "Survey by IKUSA Inc." as the source.

IKUSA Inc.

IKUSA Inc. is a specialized company for experiential events and training, advocating "Find the challenge, solve it with play." Through unique play activities such as sword fighting battles and mystery solving, we support the resolution of social issues like team building, regional revitalization, and disaster prevention. We plan and execute over 1,400 original projects annually for companies, local governments, commercial facilities, and educational institutions, with over 100 types of services. More than 3,000 companies and 560,000 people have experienced our services.

Mission: To create opportunities, places, and companions for everyone in the world to play. Purpose: To enhance the value of play. Company Name: IKUSA Inc. (English Name: IKUSA Inc.) Established: May 29, 2012 Tokyo Headquarters: Kosensei Bldg. 4F, 3-20-21 Higashi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo Osaka Sales Office: Shin-Osaka Nishiura Bldg. 805, 2-7-38 Nishimiyahara, Yodogawa-ku, Osaka Nagoya Sales Office: 6-1-8 Okutecho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi Tohoku Sales Office: 1-13-32 Honcho, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 302 Fukuoka Sales Office: 1-8-26 Yutaka, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka, Fukuoka Sapporo Sales Office: La Chouette Kita 106, Kita 7-jo Nishi 8-1-11, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido Officers: Representative Director Daiki Akasaka Business Activities: Event Business / Training Business / Business Party Business / Digital Marketing Business / Facility Management Business

IKUSA Inc. Service Site List

IKUSA.jp: https://ikusa.jp/ Chambara Battle: https://tyanbara.org/ Company Sports Day.com: https://shanaiundokai.com/ Mystery Solving Concierge: https://nazotoki-concierge.com/ Play Disaster Prevention Project: https://asobi-bosai.com/ Business Game Training.com: https://business-game-training.com/ Bizmeshi: https://biz-food.com/ SDGs Compass: https://sdgs-compass.jp/ Playful Corporate Training: https://asobu-training.com/ IKUSA ARENA: https://arena.ikusa.jp/

[Contact for Services] TEL: 03-5960-0193 Email: contact@ikusa.co.jp

[Contact for Media Inquiries] IKUSA Inc. Public Relations: Kotsunoya Email: pr@ikusa.co.jp TEL: 03-5960-5193