The growing complexity of today's business world puts increasingly higher demands on managers in the realm of strategic thinking, problem solving, decision-making and change management.

Cognitive skills are often underestimated when it comes to leadership selection and development - although they are of decisive significance for any kind of managerial success. Leaders need to have the ability to

• rapidly identify relevant data from a variety of inputs,
• analyze problems,
• prioritize
• and develop appropriate strategies and actions.

Decisions in complex environments are usually not made by individuals, but are rather the outcome of an effective interaction of many decision-makers – hence, people and management skills are of equal importance in problem solving and decision-making. This involves the integration of others in the brainstorming process, effective exertion of influence, facilitation of a joint decision making procedure and the solving of factual and emotional conflicts. Furthermore, the ability to solve complex problems is linked to emotional competencies. In complex situations leaders need to see the big picture, overcome stress and maintain their own ability to act.

In today’s leadership environment, selection and development, tools which reliably measure the relevant competencies and enable their systematic development have become indispensable. Our business games and complex problem-solving scenarios – developed on the basis of scientific theories and research results – meet all these requirements. Not only do they place high demands on the participants’ cognitive skills, but they also call for pronounced emotional as well as social and managerial competencies through their inherent complexity and dynamics.

Business games and complex problem-solving scenarios should not be used in isolation but rather in the context of aptitude-diagnostic measures and trainings Our business games are designed to be highly flexible and can be configured to suit your specific needs. We would be happy to advise you in optimally embedding a business game in your particular context and environment.

All of our scenarios have been developed by experts particularly for practical use with leaders and executives. Thus, these tools find high acceptance with end users.

Our business games and complex problem-solving scenarios:

• COSMETICA (pdf)
• AGRI MAN (pdf)
• PROFIT CENTER (pdf)
• BIG PICTURE (currently being developed)

Your benefits:

• Using scientifically based reliable tools, you measure success critical competencies of your high potentials and leaders
• You promote systematic, continuous development of your high potentials’ and managers’ leadership competencies
• You offer leaders and high potentials a unique, meaningful learning experience, which will demonstrate sustainable long-term impact

The atrain advantage:

• You have access to our know-how and the competence of acknowledged experts on the subject of problem-solving and decision-making
• You can implement business games which show high practical relevance and can be flexibly adapted to your requirements
• You use innovative state-of-the-art tools that reflect the current state of research and technology and are continuously updated