Over half of organisations rate their top leaders as weak at prioritising and spending time coaching and developing others, according to a study by business psychologists.

The survey, by Human Qualities, found leaders were rated as under-performing or performing only moderately on five key leadership success dimensions.

Most organisations cited issues relating to leadership, motivating and engaging people, and talent management as the significant challenge facing top leaders in the next five years.

Leaders in the 21st Century: Building a Leadership Pipeline, a survey carried out by Human Qualities, surveyed senior HR and development directors in over 50 leading UK and international organisations.

Over half the organisations surveyed spent more than £6,000 per head on senior leader development, and over 60% allowed between six and 21 days development time per leader.

However, the feedback in relation to “common complaints about top leaders” confirmed that leadership development investments were not getting the desired results.

Kate Oliver, Partner at Human Qualities said: “Organisational growth and success depends on leaders fully leveraging the talent within their businesses.

"The single best way to achieve this is through embedding a culture of coaching throughout the organisation.”