ADDING VALUE - Value is added if participants: Understand customer requirements think outside the box, think logically, change, implement decisions. There is an option to introduce negotiation and competition.

NAME YOUR PRICE - The group has to make money gathering information, generating and evaluating options, making and implementing decisions quickly evaluating their efforts. Planning to use time and resources effectively is paramount.

BACK TO BASICS - A short sharp activity which demands: planning, organization, quick work and coping with the unexpected, including very different views about the obvious, 'At first sight it looks so simple’.

IMPROVING PERFORMANCE - This challenging activity builds on either ‘Tunnels’ or 'Name Your Price'. There is nowhere to hide; it demands open and honest views, personal comment and discussion of the group’s performance and provides opportunities to demonstrate the ability to give and receive feedback and learn there and then.

TUNNELS - The brief is not easy to interpret: Besides having to clarify their task, participants need to display a full range of teamwork skills, particularly communicating building on ideas and problem solving if they are to achieve their goal.

MAKING A STAND - What are participants’ real skills, interests and abilities? How can they add value to a business? Participants have to crystallise their knowledge and understanding of themselves, link their strengths together and present their conclusions in a business context.

PERSONAL PIZZAS - A very personal but simple self assessment and planning tool for use in Career Development Workshops but not for Assessment Centres. Through individual and group work participants gain an insight into their life, past and present, and use this to shape their future.

JUST 35 MINUTES - Just 35 minutes is an in-tray exercise that uses computers, 'fax' and paper. The key is to identify the big issues and avoid the detail - but it's so tempting! Participants work on Just 35 minutes as individuals.

• Time: 30 minutes
• Participants: 4 - 8

Assessment centres can be stressful for candidates. Adding Value is designed to get people involved in the assessment process and help them relax as well as providing an opportunity to assess a range of qualities. Adding Value is in two parts, Part 1 sets the scene and is unobserved with 2 groups of 3 - 4 working independently. Part 2 can be run either as a single group (4 - 8) or two small groups (3 - 4) who have the opportunity to interact if they wish. There are some differences between the qualities that can be assessed by these two versions.

The target qualities (mental aptitudes, behaviours and attitudes) for assessment are:

• Awareness of others
• Listen
• Think creatively
• Think critically and logically
• Analyse problems
• Communicate appropriately
• Team work
• Values different perspectives
• Values others and others' contributions

The additional target qualities for participants in the 2-group version are:

• Evaluates and judges
• Influences
• Negotiates
• Optimises
• Big picture orientation
• Results orientated
• Challenging norm and the 'obvious'
• Flexible
• Realise personal potential vs. beat others

Background information

Part 1 is unobserved. However whilst being an icebreaker and ‘settler’, it encourages participants to establish a pattern of working which they need to break if they are to be successful in the observed phase.

In Part 2 (single group) the brief appears to be a simple continuation of the initial phase. However because of; changes to the way the groups' outputs are valued, an increase in the quantity of materials available and the increase in numbers of people interacting, the best approach is to treat the task as a completely new challenge with familiar materials.

In Part 2 (two groups) there are similarly significant changes, but because the two teams have the opportunity to trade materials there is scope for individuals to demonstrate the qualities associated with inter-group working.

• Time: 45 minutes
• Participants: 4 - 7

This challenging activity builds on either 'Tunnels' or 'Name Your Price'. There is nowhere to hide. Effective participants will; observe others, present open and honest views, offer personal comment and guidance, discuss sensitive issues, give and receive feedback, improve their performance there and then!

The target qualities for assessment are:

Improving Performance is particularly demanding because the task is based on developing and exploring ideas, many of which relate to their own skills, abilities and attitudes.

Participants cannot hide behind a task so the effective use of interpersonal skills is vital. Within the task fundamental principles like clarifying objectives and planning are often forgotten: groups dive into answering the questions without considering what they are trying to achieve and how. As the discussion proceeds watch for the way people realise and manage ‘team process issues’, express and receive conflicting ideas, develop ideas that are new to them and handle giving and receiving personal feedback.

• Time: 40 minutes
• Participants: 1 - 8

Just 35 Minutes is an in-tray exercise that uses computer, 'fax' and paper. The key is to identify the big issues and avoid the detail - but it's so tempting! Participants work on Just 35 Minutes as individuals.

The target qualities for assessment are:

Delegating tasks:

Before a task can be delegated the recipient needs to be willing and able to accept the task and understand the context.
Do participants recognise this and put time and effort into planning how they are going to delegate or do they worry about making decisions associated with these tasks?

Setting and keeping to priorities:

Participants need to get an overview of the situation before taking any action. If they do not set priorities and plan, details or incoming information may distract them. Some will make attempts to sort or prioritise the jobs before dealing with them, others will just dive in.

Basic report writing and word processing skills:

Participants have the choice of responding on paper or on a computer. There is scope to produce a well presented summary of their actions and demonstrate basic word processing skills.

Identifying where effort will add value:

Managers never have all the information available. Can participants make judgements when faced with ambiguity?
Participants have to make decisions about what to do with little information and limited time. If they see the big picture and delegate, time is not a problem. If they get into detail they may not complete the activity.