A report from consultant providers Accenture has revealed that the UK is failing to employ innovation to drive sales.

Research published by Accenture showed that organisations found it more important to be innovative for employees than customers.

Business leaders who responded to a survey said that reduced IT budgets and the need to focus on employee productivity and cutting costs had led to a reduced focus on innovation.

“A tough economy over the past few years has led businesses to concentrate on cutting costs and improving employee productivity, making the focus on innovation insular”, said Andrew Poppleton, managing director of Accenture's UK and Ireland technology group.