The Executive Blind Spot: 2026 U.S. Organizational Risk Report

Why You Can't See the Risk You're Managing

Most executive teams believe they have visibility into their organization. The data says otherwise. The Executive Blind Spot: 2026 U.S. Organizational Risk Report examines where organizational transparency breaks down — and what it costs companies when leaders make high-stakes decisions without seeing the full picture.

Conducted together with Prof. Dr. Stephan Fischer, Director of the Institute for Human Resource Research at Pforzheim University, the study draws on a survey of more than 600 U.S. professionals to measure the gap between how leadership sees the organization and how employees actually experience it. The findings show that gap is wider than most leadership teams assume, and it’s already shaping the quality of the decisions they make.

Organization Influences Performance

Key Findings at a Glance

Decisions rest on incomplete data

Only 43% of respondents say organizational decisions are based solely on well-founded data — meaning most strategic calls are made on information leadership assumes is more complete than it is.

Change readiness is overestimated

71% of leaders believe leadership is well-equipped to manage change, but only 40% of employees agree — a 30-point gap that shows up as slower adoption and stalled transformation programs.

Accountability isn't as clear as leadership thinks

72% of leaders say responsibilities are clear, versus just 46% of employees — a disconnect that shows up as duplicated work and decisions stuck waiting on ownership.

Reorganizations aren't landing as intended

Nearly three-quarters of organizations have gone through a major reorganization in the last five years, yet only 41% call the results highly successful.

Download Now for Free

Who Is This Report Most Relevant For?

Built for leaders responsible for organizational structure, workforce decisions, and transformation outcomes at large organizations (1,000+ employees):

CEOs and COOs — weighing structural or strategic decisions that assume a clear view of the organization
CHROs — closing the gap between how leadership sees the organization and how employees experience it
CFOs — quantifying the cost of decisions made on incomplete organizational data
Leaders planning a reorganization — since ~75% of companies restructure within 5 years, and only 41% call the results highly successful