You're Not Failing: Why Managing Larger Teams in Japan Is Harder Than It Looks

A Manager’s Perspective

Reality Check:

Average team size: 10.9 → 12.1 in one year
97% of managers still do individual contributor work
The danger zone: >40% IC work + larger teams = burnout
The perception gap: 50% of managers think they give weekly feedback; only 20% of employees agree
Japan difference: Promoted 10+ years later than Western counterparts

Reading time: 4 minutes

You're Not Alone in This Struggle

If you're feeling overwhelmed as a manager right now, you're not imagining it. The ground has shifted beneath your feet, and nobody really prepared you for it.

Here's what's happening: Organizations are expanding span of control at an unprecedented pace. The average manager now leads 12.1 people, up from 10.9 just one year ago. Your team is getting larger while your own workload isn't shrinking. You're expected to coach more people while still delivering your individual contributor work. And in Japan, you're dealing with dynamics that make this even harder.

You were promoted later than managers in other markets—likely in your late 30s or early 40s, not your late 20s or early 30s like your counterparts in the U.S. or Europe. You spent a decade or more mastering your craft as an individual contributor. Now you're suddenly expected to master management overnight.

But here's the real challenge: You're managing people who were your peers just months ago. Maybe even your friends. You're going to nomikai with people you now have to give performance reviews to. And some of your team members are older than you—perhaps significantly older—with more years at the company, more technical expertise, and deep roots in the organization.

The system has set you up for an incredibly difficult job. So if you're struggling, it's not because you're failing. It's because what you're being asked to do is genuinely hard.

But there are ways to navigate it. Let me show you what actually works.

The Player-Coach Trap (And Why It's Worse in Japan)

Here's what the research shows: 97% of managers globally still do individual contributor work. The critical threshold is 40% of your time. When IC work exceeds that, your engagement drops. And it gets worse as your team size increases.

You're caught in impossible math: more direct reports + same IC workload = something has to break. Usually, it's you.

But in Japan, there's a multiplier effect. You were promoted precisely because you were an excellent individual contributor. The cultural expectation is clear: "Lead from the front" means doing the work alongside your team, not just directing from above. There's an unspoken rule that you can't ask others to do what you won't do yourself.

Your own manager probably spent 50% or more of their time on IC work when they were in your role a decade ago. That's what you saw modeled. That's what feels right.

Here's the problem: What worked 10 years ago doesn't work now. Not when teams are larger. Not when the pace is faster. Not when you have 12 to 15 direct reports instead of 5 to 7.

Gallup's data is unambiguous: Managers spending more than 40% of their time on IC work with teams of 10 or more have significantly lower engagement. You're more likely to burn out. Your team's engagement suffers. And here's the real catch-22: you're being evaluated on both your individual output AND your team's performance.

So the question you're probably asking yourself at night is: "How do I deliver my own work AND effectively coach 12 to 15 people?"

The honest answer? You probably can't. At least not the way you're doing it now. Something has to change.

Critical Reality: "You were promoted because you were an excellent individual contributor. Now you're expected to be both expert and coach—with a team that's doubled in size. The math doesn't work."

The Relationship Minefield: Managing Former Peers and Older Team Members

Challenge 1: From Peer to Manager

Last month you were grabbing drinks after work with your team. You were complaining about management decisions together. You were peers. Now you're supposed to be giving them performance feedback and holding them accountable.

This creates real struggles:

Imposter feelings: "Who am I to tell them what to do? They know I make mistakes too."
Friendship boundaries: "Can I still go to nomikai with them? Will people think I'm playing favorites?"
Awkward dynamics: "They know my weaknesses as well as I know theirs."
Perceived favoritism: "Everyone thinks I'm easier on my friends."

Here's what doesn't work: Pretending nothing changed. Being overly harsh to prove you're "objective." Avoiding difficult conversations because they're uncomfortable. Or completely separating yourself from the team socially.

Here's what does work: Name the awkwardness directly. Have the conversation. "Look, I know this is weird for all of us. We were peers six months ago. Let's talk about how we're going to work together now." Set clear expectations early. Be consistent in how you treat everyone—that's far more important than being distant. And maintain appropriate boundaries while staying human.

Challenge 2: Managing Older and More Senior Team Members

This is uniquely challenging in Japan, where age and company tenure traditionally command respect. You're 38, managing someone who's 52 with 20 years at the company. Every cultural instinct you have is screaming that this feels wrong.

The internal struggles are real:

Cultural conditioning: "Should I really be giving feedback to someone older than me?"
Credibility anxiety: "They've forgotten more about this business than I know."
Authority questions: "What if they don't respect my decisions?"
Self-doubt: "Maybe they should be managing me, not the other way around."

Let me offer you a reality check: You were promoted for a reason. Your role isn't to prove you know more than they do. Your role is to enable their success, coordinate the team's work, and remove obstacles.

Here's the reframe you need: You're not "above" them in value or expertise—you're simply in a different role. Your job is coordination and enablement, not proving you're the smartest person in the room. Their experience is an asset to you, not a threat. Use it. Actively seek their input: "Given your 20 years of experience with this, what do you think we should consider?"

And here's something that might surprise you: Gallup's research shows that meaningful feedback matters regardless of age dynamics. Older team members need recognition, goal clarity, and development conversations too. Often, they're starved for it because previous managers assumed they didn't need it anymore.

They do. Just deliver it with appropriate respect for their experience.

What Actually Works: Evidence-Based Advice for Your Situation

Insight 1: Weekly Meaningful Feedback Matters More Than Team Size

This is the most important finding from Gallup's research: When managers have weekly meaningful conversations—even just 15 to 30 minutes—engagement stays high regardless of whether you're managing 5 people or 25.

What makes feedback "meaningful"? Four elements:

Recognition for recent work
Discussion of current goals and priorities
Focus on their strengths
Collaboration on obstacles they're facing

The Japan adaptation: It doesn't have to be formal or rigidly structured. A quick coffee, a walk around the block, even a focused 20-minute check-in works. High-context communication is perfectly fine—you don't need to adopt Western-style directness. Just make it consistent.

Here's the brutal truth: Only 20% of employees say they receive weekly meaningful feedback, even though 50% of managers think they're providing it. You probably think you're doing better than you actually are. Most managers do.

Insight 2: Know What You Can and Cannot Control

You cannot control:

Your team size (it's probably going to keep growing)
The amount of IC work your role requires
Company restructuring decisions
Global mandates coming from headquarters

You CAN control:

How you structure your time
What you delegate or stop doing entirely
How you have conversations with your team
What you ask your boss to help remove from your plate

This distinction matters. Stop fighting battles you can't win. Focus your energy on what you can actually change.

Insight 3: Not All IC Work Is Equal

The 40% threshold isn't arbitrary—it's about making strategic choices:

What IC work only you can do because of your unique expertise or position?
What can be delegated to develop your team members?
What can be eliminated or automated entirely?
What are you holding onto because you enjoy it, not because it's necessary?

Be honest with yourself on that last one. Many managers hold onto technical work because it's comfortable and they're good at it. Managing people is harder and less immediately gratifying. But that's the job now.

Have the hard conversation with your manager: "I'm currently at 60% IC work with 15 direct reports. Based on the data on manager effectiveness, something needs to change. Can we talk about what IC work can be removed or redistributed?"

Come with data. Come with options. Don't just complain.

Insight 4: Leverage Your Former Peer Status

Being promoted from within actually has advantages:

You know the work deeply and credibly
You understand the team's day-to-day challenges
You have established relationships and trust
You can speak authentically about what's hard

Don't hide this. Use it. "Look, I was doing this job six months ago. I know exactly how frustrating this process is. Let's talk about how we can improve it together."

Your peers-turned-reports often appreciate that you understand what they're going through because you were just there.

Your 30-Day Reset Plan

Week 1: Audit Your Reality

Track where your time actually goes for one full week—be honest
Calculate your IC work percentage (you might be shocked)
Identify which conversations you're avoiding with team members
Ask yourself: "What am I holding onto that I should delegate?"

Week 2: Have the Hard Conversations

With your boss: "Here's my current reality. I'm managing 15 people while spending 60% of my time on IC work. What can we solve together? What can be removed?"

With your team: "Let's talk openly about how we work together now that I'm in this role. I want to hear what you need from me."

With older or former peer team members individually: "I want to understand what you need from me as your manager. How can I best support your work?"

Week 3: Implement Weekly Touchpoints

Schedule 15 to 30-minute check-ins with each direct report
Start simple: "What's going well this week? What obstacles are you facing?"
Focus on listening, not immediately solving or directing
Keep it consistent—this is a habit you're building, not a one-time project

Week 4: Start Saying No

Identify one IC task to delegate this week
Identify one thing you can stop doing entirely
Practice saying: "That's not the best use of my time as a manager anymore"
Track the results: Did your team engagement improve? Did you have more time for coaching?

What to Tell Your Boss

If your span of control keeps expanding without additional support, you need to advocate for yourself. Here's how to do it effectively:

Don't say: "I can't handle this" or "This is too much for me."

Do say: "I want to be effective in this role. Here's what I'm seeing in the data about manager effectiveness. To manage 15 people well while maintaining the IC work this role requires, I need help. Can we discuss removing X, Y, or Z?"

Bring evidence:

Your actual time breakdown for the past two weeks
Specific examples of what's slipping (missed coaching conversations, delayed projects)
Concrete requests: "Can we redistribute this IC work to senior team members as development opportunities?" or "Can I stop attending these three recurring meetings?"

Remember: Good leaders want to solve this problem. They may not see it clearly unless you show them with data and specific requests. Don't just complain—come with solutions.

Permission to Be Human

You're navigating something genuinely difficult. You're managing larger teams in a culture that still expects significant IC contribution. You're managing former peers while building managerial authority. You're managing people older than you while respecting cultural norms around age and seniority. And you're learning to manage for the first time in your late 30s or 40s, without the years of practice your Western counterparts had.

You're going to make mistakes. You're going to have awkward conversations. You're going to struggle with the balance. That's okay. That's normal. That's part of learning.

What matters isn't perfection. What matters is consistency in a few key areas:

Having weekly meaningful conversations with your team
Being clear about what you can and cannot do
Being honest with your boss about constraints
Being willing to adapt your approach based on what works

The bottom line: You don't have to be a perfect manager. You just have to be a consistent one.

Start with one weekly conversation this week. Just one. Build from there.

You've got this.

Key Takeaways

Three Things to Accept:

You can't do everything you did as an IC and manage well—something must change
Former peer relationships will be awkward initially—and that's completely normal
Managing older team members requires humility and respect, not displays of authority

Three Things to Do:

Have weekly 15-30 minute conversations with each team member
Track your IC work percentage and advocate for reducing it below 40%
Name the awkward dynamics directly rather than pretending they don't exist

The Bottom Line: Focus on consistency in a few key behaviors, not perfection in everything.

About the Author:

Karin Wellbrock is Partner and Head of Leadership Effectiveness at Kay Group in Tokyo. An ICF-PCC accredited leadership coach, she was identified as a Top 15 Coach in Tokyo in both 2024 and 2025. Karin is deeply passionate about filling organizations with leaders who know what they do and create environments and organizations where people can thrive.

Contact: karin.wellbrock@kaygroup-asia.com

References

Harter, J. (2026, January 14). Span of Control: What's the Optimal Team Size for Managers? Gallup. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/700718/span-control-optimal-team-size-managers.aspx

Gallup. (2025). State of the Global Workplace Report. Analysis of 92,252 teams across 104 organizations in 46 countries.

Wigert, B. (2024, May 28). The Strengths, Weaknesses and Blind Spots of Managers. Gallup. Study of 2,729 managers and 12,710 individual contributors.

Gallup. (2024-2025). Manager Engagement by Team Size and Individual Contributor Work Analysis. U.S. Working Population Study.

Karin WellbrockFebruary 3, 2026