Developing cultures of leadership is important in order for businesses to be successful, an industry body has said.

According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), only 36 per cent of leaders in the UK have confidence in their organisation’s current leadership ability.

This compares to a global figure of 53 per cent.

Commenting on the issue, Linda Holbeche, director of research and policy at the CIPD, said: "Developing leadership cultures is important for the success of any organisation, particularly in times of economic slowdown."

She went on to say that firms need strong figure heads who can assist HR in a number of ways, for example by spotting skills gaps, keeping workers engaged and managing redundancies.

Meanwhile, research published recently by BlessingWhite suggested that while 71 per cent of employees in the UK trust their immediate bosses, only 48 per cent feel the same level of confidence in their senior management team.