Prior to starting the program, participants fill out an online personality assessment which uses published and validated scales to measure individual differences and traits. The assessment measures a number of personality factors including extraversion, emotional intelligence, empathy, motivation, and self-awareness, among others. An Individual Feedback Report is created for each participant and implications for leadership and teamwork are discussed.

Midway through the PIXL Program, participants fill out an online team interaction assessment which measures team members’ perceptions of their work process. From this assessment we create a Team Process Report for each team which highlights their strengths and potential problem areas. We also compare teams with one another, and classroom discussion centers on ways to enhance team process and how to fully exploit team potential.

In this intervention, participants learn that one of their manufacturing plants has been plagued by problems, and they have to work as a team to decide on specific objectives to turn the plant around. This exercise is designed to highlight individual styles and personal influence and to help participants understand how their behavior impacts the other members of their team.

In this intervention, participants are presented with a dilemma: a customer wants to place a large order, but only if the company agrees to laser print a custom logo on each unit with specialized indelible ink. The quality of the laser-branding process is not always reliable, so taking this order represents a huge risk. Teams are given data about failure rates for their laser-branding process and have to decide whether or not to accept the order. This exercise is designed to highlight issues in data analysis, dealing with risk, and group decision making and information sharing biases.

Participants play the role of manufacturing purchaser or component supplier and negotiate with one another to buy and sell manufacturing materials. The negotiation involves multiple issues, many of which require tradeoffs to gain the most value. The exercise debriefing discussion focuses on strategies for creating and claiming value in negotiations and issues in relationship management.