Recruitment consultants looking to start up a business may want to take note of advice given by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) in order to have a productive workforce.

Research from the organisation has revealed that half of the UK workforce is critical of the dominant management style employed by many organisations.

The three most common management styles in the country were identified as authoritarian, bureaucratic and secretive, with only seven per cent of respondents saying their senior staff are empowering.

Commenting on the findings, CMI chief executive Ruth Spellman said that "goodwill and engagement among employees doesn't only improve people's working lives but it adds to the bottom line".

"The key to improving management is knowing what is wrong, and it's time for managers to get serious about their development, play to their strengths and develop any weaker areas."

Companies wishing to concentrate on improving their management style can free up their time by outsourcing agency back office services from dedicated firms.