David Brent may have been a nightmarish boss in the comedy show The Office, but his style of management is inspiring the next generation of business leaders, a survey has claimed.

Watching the antics of rubbish managers has allowed today's successful leaders to observe and reject their bullying, controlling or autocratic leadership styles, the study by the Manufacturing Foundation found.

While 56 per cent of leaders referred to positive role models both inside and outside work, 39 per cent said negative role models had been just as important a factor in the development of their leadership skills.

The research project, which is published today drew on the experience of several prominent business leaders in the West Midlands.

Three quarters of the respondents, most of whom are running manufacturing companies with a turnover of between £10 million and £300 million, believed their own leadership skills had been give a boost by early responsibility.

They said throwing young managers in at the deep end is the best way to create the next generation of successful leaders.

Whether they succeeded or failed, being pushed outside their comfort zones had been a vital part of their career development.

Manufacturing Foundation director James Bentley said: "You don't become a leader by working in a comfortable office just doing what you're good at. You to have to be stretched and take risks with your career.

"Manufacturing industry must allow our young managers to show that they can lead.

"We need to trust them and support them as they develop their leadership skills.

"They will even learn if they have to work under a terrible boss with the leadership skills of David Brent from The Office, because today's successful leaders are the ones who rise to the challenge.

"Young leaders can also do a lot to help themselves.

" They can get out more, network hard, study other people and look for a mentor.

" And they should invest for the future by spending some money, and a lot more time, on their own leadership development."

The study analysed ten triggers for leadership development in manufacturing.