The new Assessment Centre. General Plastics PLc is located in the north-east of England - an area of high unemployment, страница 2

Note: For smaller groups, roles such as the General Manager and the Senior Executive (Sales) may be omitted.

DIRECTOR OF PERSONNEL

Start by giving a progress report on the Assessment Centre. Be positive. The Centre has been a great success and is popular with executives. It is particularly useful in identifying staff who can fill higher management positions. It has given staff the opportunity to look at their careers, and to plan their future in the company. In your opinion, all executives must attend the Centre. If you make exceptions, there is no point in having a Centre. People like Dennis Paulson must learn to follow company rules and policies. This is the attitude you will have at the meeting.

MANAGING DIRECTOR

You are not so happy about the Assessment Centre as you used to be. The reports and paperwork connected with it take up a lot of your time. The Director of Personnel and the Training Manager seem to spend most of their time at the Centre - they never seem to be available when you want them. Some executives have criticized the Centre - privately. They hate doing the psychological tests. You are not sure what to do about Dennis Paulson. Make up your mind during the meeting.

GENERAL MANAGER

You - and Sir Gerald Harper - think that the Assessment Centre is an excellent training facility, although you have never had to attend it personally, for obvious reasons. Try to find the opportunity during the meeting to praise the Director of Personnel for his/her marvelous idea. You admire Dennis Paulson, but feel he should resign from his job if he refuses to attend the Centre.

HEAD OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

In your opinion, the company must give people like Dennis Paulson a lot of freedom. Brilliant, creative workers are different from other staff. The company must be flexible and understanding with them. You think that Dennis is the ideal person to take your place when you retire. You like Dennis, and you meet him socially quite often. You don't want him to waste his time attending assessment centres.

TRAINING MANAGER

You are in favour of the Assessment Centre. Since it was introduced, you have had many new ideas for training schemes and have already arranged useful courses for executives. Many members of staff have praised your efforts. Last week, you received a letter from Sir Gerald Harper congratulating you on your fine work! You think that all managers - and even ordinary workers - should attend the Centre. If that happened, you would be a powerful person in the company.

FINANCIAL DIRECTOR

You are against the Assessment Centre. You think it is a waste of company time and money. The old system worked well, on the whole. Now, the company has had to hire two psychologists - at great expense. And the Director of Personnel is continually asking senior executives to act as assessors at the Centre. You think that the Director of Personnel has introduced the Assessment Centre so that he/she and the Training Manager will have more power and influence. Make up your own mind what to do about Dennis Paulson.

SENIOR EXECUTIVE (SALES)

You must attend the Centre next month. You aren't too happy - you hate psychological tests. Members at the meeting may decide to make an exception in Dennis Paulson's case. If they do this, make sure that you don't go to the Centre either! Basically, you are sympathetic to Dennis Paulson's point of view.

COMPANY PSYCHOLOGIST

You are in favour of the Assessment Centre. However you feel that the top management - and especially the Chairman are far too tough. Sir Gerald acts like a dictator, expecting everyone to obey him without question. It is time for the company to be more flexible with staff and treat them as human beings. The management must show that it cares about each and every employee. Make up your own mind what to do about Dennis Paulson.