Dentsu Inc. Conducts the 3rd “Employee Attitude Survey on Corporate Transformation”—Amid a Sense of Stagnation in Corporate Transformation, the Key to Driving Change Lies with “Positive Middle Managers” and the Approximately 15% of Employees Driving Transformation

Dentsu Inc., in collaboration with the “dentsu Japan Human Capital Growth Center” —a cross-organizational body within the five domestic Dentsu Group companies that supports growth in the human capital domain—conducted the third“Employee Perception Survey on Corporate Transformation” (survey period: November 20–21, 2025), targeting a total of 900 respondents, including 600 employees aged 20–59 working at companies nationwide, 100 executives, and 200 middle managers.“Survey on Employee Perceptions of Corporate Transformation” (Survey Period: November 20–21, 2025).

Since the first survey in 2021, this survey has aimed to clarify how employees perceive the corporate transformations that various companies have been undertaking in recent years, with the goal of contributing to the realization of corporate transformation through the unified efforts of executive leadership, middle management, and frontline employees.

This survey revealed that employee attitudes toward and engagement with corporate transformation are at a turning point, and that the very approach to transformation—including the relationship between companies and employees—is being called into question. Meanwhile, when the survey focused on middle management—the group responsible for propelling corporate transformation to the next stage—it suggested that “positive middle managers” may be the key to helping employees build bonds with their companies and participate in transformation.

The main findings from this survey are as follows.

[Key Findings]
① The “Change Drivers”—the core talent for corporate transformation—increased by 3.6 percentage points from 2023 to 15.3%, while the “Change Followers” saw a slight decrease; however, overall awareness of the need for change is trending toward recovery.On the other hand, the “Change Is Someone Else’s Problem” group—the largest cluster, consisting of those who “understand the need for change but cannot internalize it”—accounted for 26.5%, while the “Passive Employees” group accounted for 22.2%, meaning that groups passive toward corporate transformation accounted for approximately half of the total.

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② While about 70% of respondents said their company “provides information” regarding its transformation, only about 20% have actually taken action themselves. Among the approximately 40% who are negative toward transformation, the reasons cited—following “transformation proposals are not understood or accepted within the company”—include an increasing number who say “it does not lead to performance evaluations,” indicating that the presence or absence of personal benefits is a key factor.

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③ Regarding contributions to corporate transformation, “middle management” is highly regarded by executive leadership and others, but receives low marks from rank-and-file employees. This reveals a clear discrepancy between the roles that frontline staff and management believe they should play.

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④ Approximately 60% of “middle management” utilizes AI in management tasks, raising expectations for improved efficiency in these operations.

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[Commentary by the Survey Coordinator]
This survey revealed that employees’ attitudes toward corporate transformation remain polarized, and “transformation fatigue” has become entrenched.The reason why information is reaching employees but failing to translate into action lies in factors such as insufficient internal understanding and acceptance of transformation proposals, as well as a lack of perception that their actions are linked to performance evaluations. On the other hand, it is noteworthy that the “Transformation Advocates”—whose numbers had declined from the survey before last to the previous one—have increased this time. Amid accelerating changes in the business environment, such as the widespread adoption of AI, it can be said that more people are taking the initiative to act on their own.

In this context, “middle management” is drawing attention as a central force supporting corporate transformation. The survey also highlighted a disparity: while middle management receives high praise from senior leadership for their contributions to corporate transformation, they are rated lower by rank-and-file employees.

Middle management plays a crucial role in connecting corporate transformation to the front lines and integrating it into daily operations. On the other hand, from the perspective of rank-and-file employees, there appears to be a tendency not to place such expectations on middle management. At our company (Dentsu Macromill Insight, Inc.), we define middle managers who proactively engage in transformation within this environment as “Positive Middle,” and we believe that their active contributions and the spread of their enthusiasm will lead to further advancement of corporate transformation.We hope that efforts to create an environment where Positive Middles can further demonstrate their capabilities within the organization will continue to progress.

[Survey Overview]
Purpose: To understand the attitudes toward transformation among employees (particularly middle management) and executives at large companies
Target Area: Nationwide in Japan
Eligibility Criteria: Ages 20–59 (employed by large corporations, at the department head level or below); executives (employed by large corporations)
Sample Size: 600 employees of large corporations
　　　　　 276 middle managers at large corporations (including 200 from the Boost survey and 76 from the group above)
　　　　　 100 executives at large corporations (Boost responses)
Survey Method: Online survey
Survey Period: November 20–21, 2025
Research organization: Dentsu Macromill Insight, Inc.

■Click here for the press release regarding this matter
■Click here for the digest report on this survey