Subordinates Rank 'Lack of Talent Development' at 52.3% as Top Management Dysfunction Issue: Survey of 516 Managers
A survey by Redesign Work Inc. reveals that 53.9% of executives operate as 'Big Section Chiefs'—managers who retain lower-level mindsets. Details will be published in a new book by Hiroaki Hayashi on April 13, 2026.
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- 📰 Published: April 6, 2026 at 20:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 6, 2026 at 11:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 21, 2026 at 02:00 (350h 29m after Collected)
Executives who have been promoted to General Manager or Director but still behave like Section Chiefs are called 'Big Section Chiefs.' It is said that in recent years, this 'Big Section Chief' problem has caused various negative effects to frequently occur in Japanese companies. To understand the emergence rate and the reality of the problems occurring, Redesign Work Inc. (President: Hiroaki Hayashi) conducted a web survey targeting 516 managers. The results showed that the appearance rate of 'Big Section Chiefs' exceeds half at 53.9%. Details are published in Hiroaki Hayashi's book, 'Bosses Only Point Out Risks: The Big Section Chief Problem Destroying Companies' (Asahi Shimbun Publications), to be released on Monday, April 13, 2026.
Within corporate organizations, even when promoted to General Manager or Director, their mindset and behavior remain the same as when they were Section Chiefs. Management at the general manager level or higher whose titles have become grand but whose work performance does not match are called 'Big Section Chiefs.' This term began to be used in the HR consulting industry about 10 years ago.
According to Mr. Hayashi, if three of the following checklist items apply, unfortunately, the company is suffering from the 'Big Section Chief' problem.
■ 'Big Section Chief' Checklist
1. The General Manager or Director cares only about this month's numbers and results.
2. The General Manager or Director takes on the practical work that the frontline should do and interferes with details.
3. The General Manager or Director focuses mainly on running daily tasks and does not have time for talent development.
4. The General Manager or Director talks about the future simply as an extension of the present.
5. The General Manager or Director tries to manage operations using only the current personnel.
Redesign Work Inc., where Mr. Hayashi serves as President, conducted a web survey to understand the reality of the 'Big Section Chief' problem. It was conducted targeting 516 managers, evenly split between section chiefs (258) and general managers or higher (258) working at companies with 300 or more employees (Conducted September 12-13, 2025, by Macromill Inc.). It was designed to calculate both the self-perception of those at the general manager level or higher and the perception from their subordinates, the section chiefs.
In the question 'Behavioral Evaluation of General Managers/Directors by Section Chiefs,' respondents were asked to choose from 'Applies / Somewhat applies / Somewhat does not apply / Does not apply' for 16 items. As a result, the item that the most people answered 'Applies / Somewhat applies' to was 'While the desired future state is ambiguous, they envision the future of the business/department as an extension of the past to the present (or do not envision the future of the business),' totaling 56.6%.
From the perspective of how many items apply to a single manager, when considering a manager who applies to more than one-third (6 or more) of the 16 items as a 'Big Section Chief,' the appearance rate reached 53.9%. Even 6.2% of respondents answered that their boss applies to all 16 items. This survey...
Within corporate organizations, even when promoted to General Manager or Director, their mindset and behavior remain the same as when they were Section Chiefs. Management at the general manager level or higher whose titles have become grand but whose work performance does not match are called 'Big Section Chiefs.' This term began to be used in the HR consulting industry about 10 years ago.
According to Mr. Hayashi, if three of the following checklist items apply, unfortunately, the company is suffering from the 'Big Section Chief' problem.
■ 'Big Section Chief' Checklist
1. The General Manager or Director cares only about this month's numbers and results.
2. The General Manager or Director takes on the practical work that the frontline should do and interferes with details.
3. The General Manager or Director focuses mainly on running daily tasks and does not have time for talent development.
4. The General Manager or Director talks about the future simply as an extension of the present.
5. The General Manager or Director tries to manage operations using only the current personnel.
Redesign Work Inc., where Mr. Hayashi serves as President, conducted a web survey to understand the reality of the 'Big Section Chief' problem. It was conducted targeting 516 managers, evenly split between section chiefs (258) and general managers or higher (258) working at companies with 300 or more employees (Conducted September 12-13, 2025, by Macromill Inc.). It was designed to calculate both the self-perception of those at the general manager level or higher and the perception from their subordinates, the section chiefs.
In the question 'Behavioral Evaluation of General Managers/Directors by Section Chiefs,' respondents were asked to choose from 'Applies / Somewhat applies / Somewhat does not apply / Does not apply' for 16 items. As a result, the item that the most people answered 'Applies / Somewhat applies' to was 'While the desired future state is ambiguous, they envision the future of the business/department as an extension of the past to the present (or do not envision the future of the business),' totaling 56.6%.
From the perspective of how many items apply to a single manager, when considering a manager who applies to more than one-third (6 or more) of the 16 items as a 'Big Section Chief,' the appearance rate reached 53.9%. Even 6.2% of respondents answered that their boss applies to all 16 items. This survey...