MANAGERS with an aggressive, boorish style are less likely to reach the top of their profession than bosses who are more sensitive, new research showed today.

A survey of 140 senior managers across industry found the most successful were aware that their staff wanted to be treated well. They were more likely to be good communicators and ensure that employees' concerns were answered.

Gwyn Rogers, of Bristol-based business psychologists Kaisen Consulting, said there were still some senior managers whose style was formed in the "red braces, table thumping" era of the 1980s.

"There is a legacy of some managers being stuck in the past," he said. "But our research has found that those people with a consistent track record of success have more empathy with their staff.

The better a manager treated staff, the more successful they were likely to be, Mr Rogers said at the British Psychological Society conference in Winchester.