Research on leadership capacity under sustained pressure
A study on decision quality, the limits of performance, and what organisations can do.
Leading under Sustained Pressure
How senior executives in German organisations cope with increasing pressure, what impairs their decision quality, and why only 12 percent see their company's leadership capacity deliberately managed.
Charts and report
Summary report
Key findings, hypotheses and methodology on five pages (PDF).
Management Summary (DE)
Condensed findings in German (PDF).
Management Summary (EN)
Condensed findings in English (PDF).
All graphics are free for editorial use. Please credit the source as “MindBright Research, mindbright.one/de/studie” and, online, link to the study.
Our principles
Pre-registered
The hypotheses were registered at OSF before data collection began on 19 August 2026. Confirmation and rejection were defined in advance and cannot be changed.
Open methodology
Sample, data collection period, analysis strategy and any deviations from the registration are fully disclosed.
Limits stated
Self-reported data, correlations and no causality: the study explicitly states its limitations and distinguishes between findings and interpretations.
Research lead
Maik Oliver Ludewig, Mag.
Research lead
Maik Oliver Ludewig, Mag., leads the MindBright Research study series and researches leadership capacity in top management. He is a member of the advisory board of the L3S Research Center at Leibniz University Hannover, teaches Leadership at Quadriga University Berlin, and combines empirical research with more than 25 years of experience in digital transformation and management.
Research series
MindBright Research examines in a multi-year series how leadership capacity in top management can be sustained and strengthened.
Articles
Articles by Maik Oliver Ludewig, head of the MindBright Research study series, in German trade media for HR and leadership.
Personalwirtschaft 11/12 2026 · p. 61 · in GermanFührung unter Dauerdruck (Leading under sustained pressure)Geopolitics, supply chains, the interest rate shift and AI have turned individual phases of change into a permanent state. The article shows why top management above all lacks capacity and where HR can push back at three points.Visit Personalwirtschaft
Human Resources Manager 05/2026 · Focus on time · in GermanDas Zeitparadox (The time paradox)At the top, the next free two-hour block is often days away. Why leadership time stays scarce, and why the time AI saves disappears into day-to-day business without a new calendar logic.Read articleFor media
Press material, graphics, a short biography and a contact for editorial enquiries are available in the press area.
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