Lack of good leaders holding back UK businesses

Mar 24 2005 by Nic Paton Print This Article

British firms are being undermined by a lack of highly effective leaders, a survey has suggested.

A survey of 664 training managers by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development found two thirds of organisations were suffering from a lack of leaders and 85 per cent were having to invest in leadership development activity.

The situation was not being helped by 40 per cent training managers complaining they were being hampered by a lack of support from senior managers, with 38 per cent saying they found it hard to convince people about the direct impact of activities on business performance.

Almost half of those polled - 47 per cent – said their organisations did not believe leadership development training was an essential business activity.

Jessica Jarvis, CIPD adviser on learning, training and development, said: “This leadership deficit could undermine the ability of UK organisations to adapt to change and achieve their business strategies.

“Although many organisations are investing in leadership development, it appears that many leaders lack the skills to successfully lead and manage organisations during times of change.”