John Lewis has used community volunteer work to help with its management training programme.
Some 95 managers from its Peterborough store spent a day at a special needs school carrying out activities such as designing fashion and drama shows, creating activities such as treasure hunts for the children and organising a picnic lunch.
Steve Boast, personnel manager at the Peterborough store, said: "This allowed us to do planning, organisational skills and team work in a different way."
He added that to test these skills staff were only given their brief 45 minutes before meeting the children.