CHICAGO, Sept. 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ - The Institute for Health & Human Potential (IHHP) is unveiling a breakthrough discovery that has quietly shaped performance and culture in organizations worldwide: The Last 8%.

The finding, featured in the September issue of Harvard Business Review in an article by IHHP co-founder JP Pawliw, reveals a hidden behavioral gap that costs organizations millions in stalled decisions, failed projects, and lost innovation.

At its core, The Last 8% describes the final, most emotionally uncomfortable stretch of every tough decision or conversation—the feedback left unsaid, the decision delayed, the risk avoided. IHHP's research with more than 34,000 professionals shows people consistently hold back an average of 7.56% of what matters most in high-pressure moments. These avoided moments are where performance, trust, and culture are either built—or broken.

"Leaders often tell us, 'We have the right people, but something is missing,'" said Pawliw. "Our research uncovered what that missing piece is. Naming this hidden gap gives leaders a framework to finally address it. When organizations build the capability to tackle the Last 8%, they transform performance, culture, and connection."

The Harvard Business Review article, "The Secret to Building a High-Performing Team," highlights striking examples: one global automotive manufacturer lost more than $80 million when employees avoided telling senior executives the hard truth, a case of "CEO Disease."

To help leaders address this gap, IHHP developed the Last 8% Culture Map, a framework identifying four workplace culture types—Family, Transactional, Fear-Based, and Last 8% Culture. Organizations that achieve the Last 8% Culture—balancing courage with connection—see measurable results, including:

35–50% reduction in delayed decisions and avoided conversations

Millions saved in retention and conflict resolution

Faster execution with greater accountability

IHHP also launched the Last 8% Leader Assessment, a tool that equips both leaders and their teams with insight into the most important driver of high performance: the ability to take interpersonal risk. It turns cultural dynamics into measurable insights, providing a map of where they are today and the steps needed to build a culture of courage and accountability.

"This is not theory," added Pawliw. "It's neuroscience and organizational psychology applied to the real world. When leaders and teams embrace their Last 8% moments, they unlock the courage and clarity to drive innovation, trust, and results."

About IHHP

The Institute for Health & Human Potential is a global research and consulting company. For more than two decades, IHHP has helped organizations including NASA, Johnson & Johnson, Goldman Sachs, and the U.S. Navy SEALs build courageous leaders and high-performance cultures rooted in behavioral science and emotional intelligence.

About JP Pawliw

JP Pawliw is a New York Times bestselling author, leadership expert, and co-founder of IHHP. He has advised leaders from Olympic athletes to Fortune 100 executives on performing under pressure. His insights appear in Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and The New York Times.

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SOURCE The Institute for Health & Human Potential (IHHP)