Managers in Japan and the United States work within different cultural and organizational environments, and the expectations placed on them can look just as different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yet recent research from both countries points to a shared challenge. Managers are expected to develop capable, collaborative teams while continuing to carry substantial responsibilities of their own. These are two real expectations that require real thought and compromise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The question for me is whether they’re receiving enough support to do this well. Based on my research, it appears we still have a long way to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As part of the development of my Global Team Dynamics program, I’ve been looking into research on what organizations expect from managers and where managers themselves are struggling. The findings reveal a gap between recognizing the importance of people development and giving managers the practical support needed to make it happen. Let’s take a look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What Japanese Organizations Expect From Managers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A 2025 study by Recruit Management Solutions surveyed HR professionals and middle managers in Japan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n More than 70% of both groups reported concerns about the state of middle management. A shortage of future management candidates was a shared concern, while managers were particularly conscious of their increasing workload.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The most revealing finding concerned employee development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n HR professionals ranked developing team members as the most important responsibility of a manager. Managers agreed. However, they also identified employee development as the most difficult part of their work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other areas of difficulty included improving workflows and strengthening teamwork. Managers are being asked to develop individuals while also creating a more effective way for the team to work together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Company expectations continue to evolve. More than 60% of respondents said their organizations wanted to move toward teams that think together and create value more autonomously. Around half were already attempting to operate this way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This requires more than assigning work and monitoring progress. Managers need to decide when to provide direction, when to involve the team, and when to delegate. They also need to create an environment where employees share information and support one another without waiting to be asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n American Managers Face a Different Version of the Same Issue<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Recent research from Gallup shows how the role of the American manager is expanding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The average number of people reporting to a US manager increased from 10.9 in 2024 to 12.1 in 2025. At the same time, 97% of managers reported having individual-contributor responsibilities in addition to leading others. The median manager spent 40% of their time on this individual work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That creates a difficult balance. Managers are expected to deliver their own results while providing feedback, coaching employees, and keeping the larger team aligned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gallup found that meaningful weekly feedback can have a powerful effect on employee engagement. However, providing that kind of feedback takes a significant amount of time, along with strong communication skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A separate US study by Perceptyx found that 81% of managers had received formal management training. Even so, around 60% said they needed more ongoing coaching, and 24% had received no coaching at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Managers who did receive coaching were more likely to feel engaged and better able to manage their stress and workload.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These findings come from separate surveys, so they don’t offer a direct statistical comparison between Japan and the United States. But together, they point to a similar friction: organizations expect managers to play a critical role in employee development, while managers continue to struggle with the practical demands of fulfilling that role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Where the Support Gap Appears<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Japanese survey found that the most common forms of support, individual coaching from a manager or HR, and access to training or e-learning, were each available in only about a third of the organizations surveyed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When HR professionals were asked what additional support they were considering, reducing the burden of management work was the most common response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This raises an important question. If developing people is considered one of a manager’s most important responsibilities, how is that supposed to happen given the manager’s already full workload?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Formal training can introduce valuable concepts and tools, but the harder work begins when managers return to their teams and try to apply them. As a trainer, I’ve seen how much training content gets shelved once real-world time and workload constraints kick in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How do you delegate an assignment that carries genuine risk? How much direction should you provide to someone who is still developing confidence? What should you do when an employee agrees during a meeting but doesn’t appear committed afterward? How can you encourage open disagreement while protecting trust within the team?<\/p>\n\n\n\n These decisions rarely come with a single correct answer. They depend on the employee, the assignment, the manager’s relationships within the team, and the wider communication environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cross-cultural teams add another layer. A leadership behavior intended to create ownership may be experienced as a lack of guidance. An attempt to invite discussion may fail because employees don’t yet feel comfortable disagreeing openly. A manager may believe responsibility has been delegated clearly while the employee remains uncertain about how much authority they actually have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What Support Do Managers Really Need?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The research suggests that many managers understand their organization’s expectations. They know they should develop people, delegate effectively, and create stronger collaboration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Knowing what to do in principle does not always make the implementation phase any easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Managers need opportunities to examine how their leadership is being experienced, practice difficult conversations, and make more deliberate choices about direction and autonomy. They also need a shared language for discussing communication and collaboration with their teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n HRBPs have an important role here too. The question isn’t just whether management training is available, but what happens after it: what support managers need to actually apply what they learned, and to work through doubts about whether the training holds up in practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do managers have somewhere to work through those situations? Can they identify why communication within a team is breaking down? Are they receiving help with the daily decisions that shape employee confidence, ownership, and development?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Japanese and American managers may operate within different expectations, but both are being asked to increase their capacity to build capable teams while carrying demanding workloads of their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Organizations have become increasingly clear about what they expect from managers. The next step is to examine whether the support surrounding them is equally clear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sources<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Recruit Management Solutions, Survey of HR and Management Perspectives on Management, 2025<\/a> (\u30de\u30cd\u30b8\u30e1\u30f3\u30c8\u306b\u5bfe\u3059\u308b\u4eba\u4e8b\u62c5\u5f53\u8005\u3068\u7ba1\u7406\u8077\u5c64\u306e\u610f\u8b58\u8abf\u67fb\uff082025\uff09)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gallup, Span of Control: What’s the Optimal Team Size for Managers?<\/a>, January 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n