Those in larger companies (more than 2,000 employees) are even more likely to hold this view (85%). But less than 4% of managers surveyed felt improving the quality of leadership in their organisation was a top priority, and nearly 40% said it was not a priority, according to the report published this morning.
This paradox is surprising in light of two other findings from the research: only 40% of managers were positive about the future prospects for their organisation and only 36% believe their business is in safe hands.
The research involved interviews with 201 managers in medium-to-large UK-headquartered companies.
Feedback from managers showed almost half (45%) believe that over the past three years their leaders have become more task-oriented and 61% believe their leaders have become more short-term in their thinking.
The results also showed a distinct lack of confidence in the ability of companies to improve leadership.
Only 17% of managers questioned said they were confident their organisations' leadership improvement plan would work.
Jon Cowell, director at Edgecumbe Consulting Group and associate fellow at Oxford University's Saïd Business School, said: "UK business is missing a trick when it comes to its senior leadership. UK managers are clear in their view that better leadership would lead to a better business, and research consistently supports this view. Senior leaders must take heed of this message: they must work harder to create more effective senior management teams, and to build confidence in their ability to tackle the challenges they face.
"It is of real concern managers have so little faith any steps being taken to improve their company's leadership will actually make a difference. These are the people charged with the day-to-day running of our businesses and are therefore extremely well placed to understand what will help the business be more successful.
"The challenging economic climate looks set to continue, and companies need to move from a short-term survival mentality, to one where they show more interest in creating a better future – and a greater focus on the people who can deliver it. Better leadership really can make a difference to the bottom line and the managers we have interviewed are crying out for it," said Cowell.
