Americans can't agree on whether leaders or employees make a company succeed
Core finding
Verasight surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults from August 12 to 18, 2026. 38.5% of Americans say leadership has the biggest impact on an organization's success, while 34.7% point to employees. Just 10.4% credit the marketplace.
Another 13.3% are not sure and 3.1% name government regulations. The 3.8-point gap between leadership and employees is too small to call either one the top answer.
Topline distribution
Americans can't agree on whether leaders or employees make a company succeed.
Which factor has the greatest impact on organizational success?
n = 1,000 · Aug 12–18, 2026 · MoE ±3.2%
Methodology
Full methodology →| Mode | Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting |
|---|---|
| Population | US adults age 18+ |
| Field dates | Aug 12–18, 2026 |
| Base (unweighted) | 1,000 |
| Margin of error | ±3.2% |
| Module | AOM Survey #2026-152 |
| Sponsor | Verasight |
| Weight variable | weight |
| Weighting targets | age, race/ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, metropolitan status |
Sources
- reports.verasight.io/r/aom-2026
Which factor has the greatest impact on organizational success?
Cite this question
AOM Omnibus, fielded August 12-18, 2026, N=1,000 US adults age 18+, +/- 3.2%.