Dale Carnegie Report Finds Organizational Health Improving, but Gaps in Key Areas Persist

New State of Organizational Health report highlights progress in communication and engagement, while exposing risks tied to burnout, uneven experiences, and AI integration

NEW YORK, Jan. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Dale Carnegie today released its inaugural State of Organizational Health Report, a global study designed to help leaders benchmark their company's health against global and regional trends. The report is based on responses from more than 3,300 individuals across industries, roles, organization sizes, age groups, genders, and 18 countries. Designed to support leadership development, workforce planning, and culture initiatives, the research highlights where organizational health is improving and where strategic action is still required.

The findings show measurable progress in key areas such as communication, employee engagement, and job satisfaction for some. The data also reveals warning signs tied to inconsistency in the workplace experience and employee well-being.

The 2026 report shows that overall, many organizations have strengthened aspects of the human foundations of work, including empathy and psychological safety. Results also point to widening gaps in how employees experience these and other key workplace priorities, affecting readiness for ongoing disruption, particularly as technology adoption accelerates.

"Our research shows that organizations are making significant gains in how people connect and communicate at work," said study author, Robert Coleman, PhD, director of research and thought leadership for Dale Carnegie. "But progress is uneven. When trust, leadership consistency, and employee support struggle to keep up, those gains are fragile. Using the insights from this report, organizations can strengthen the systems that make progress and long-term success possible."

Key Global Findings

• Overall progress is steady but divides are deepening. Scores for communication, learning, engagement, empathy, and work-life balance saw modest gains over 2024, with leaders and hybrid or remote workers expressing the strongest confidence in their workplace experience.
• Communication is central to organizational health. Globally, 22% of employees say workplace communication is highly effective, but a gap exists between intention and experience.
• Empathy is the cultural connector. Only 17% of respondents say their organizations are deeply empathetic, while across roles, 62% of leaders perceive supportive levels of empathy compared to 41% of managers and only 21% of individual contributors, reflecting a perception disconnect between executives and employees.
• Flexibility is normalizing. Hybrid and remote workers show consistent gains across numerous workplace topics, but organizations risk inequity for onsite employees if divides are not addressed.
• Employees are more decisive about workplace experiences. Most areas saw growth at the high and low ends of the spectrum, signaling a workforce that is less complacent and more resolute about what is working and what isn't.
• Engagement and retention signal improvement. The number of deeply engaged workers increased to 23% and intent to stay indicates a slightly more positive sentiment than the previous year with fewer employees reporting uncertainty about their future.

Regional Insights 
In addition to global findings, the State of Organizational Health report includes detailed regional analysis highlighting how cultural norms, leadership practices, and workplace expectations differ across North America; Latin America; Europe, the Middle East, and Africa; and Asia Pacific regions. Results show significant contrasts in areas such as empathy, innovation, and work-life balance, underscoring that organizational health challenges, and opportunities, are not one-size-fits-all.

The full State of Organizational Health Report is available now.

About Dale Carnegie
Dale Carnegie's principles in leadership, communication, and personal development continue to empower people and organizations globally through Dale Carnegie Training, which has become the industry leader in professional training and development. Today, Dale Carnegie operates across 200 offices in over 80 countries, offering courses in 35 languages. To learn more, visit www.dalecarnegie.com.

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SOURCE Dale Carnegie