Question: What is your approach to dealing with conflict or disagreements between upper management and yourself?

Alternative Question Phrasing:

How would you handle a conflict between you and higher management?

Follow-up questions:

Question Details:

Question Type:

Skills:

Basic – Critical Thinking,Basic – Monitoring (Making observations of self and environment),Basic – Science and Logic,Complex Problem Solving,Social – Coordination (Adjusting one’s own actions in relation to others),Social – Negotiation,Social – Social Perceptiveness

Abilities:

Cognitive – Originality

Other Factors:

Big 5 – Agreeableness,Big 5 – Neuroticism (Emotion Regulation),Candidate Preparedness,Personal Improvement (Growth),Personality-Job Fit,Personality-Organization Fit,Practical Intelligence (Street Smarts),Self-Awareness

Work Activity (Task):

Mental Processes – Judging the Value of Things, Services, or People

Work Context (Person-Job/Team/Org Fit):

Interpersonal Relationships – Frequency of Conflict Situations,Interpersonal Relationships – Interacting with Upper Management,Interpersonal Relationships – Relationship With Supervisor,Interpersonal Relationships – Work With Work Group or Team (As a member, not a leader)

Work Style (Person-Job Fit):

Achievement/Effort (Action/Result Orientation),Adaptability/Flexibility,Analytical Thinking,Assertiveness/Courage,Attention to Detail,Handling Ambiguity,Stress Tolerance

Question Frequency

Question Difficulty

What to look for in an answer:

You are looking for the candidate’s willingness to speak up against authority figures.
If the candidate narrates a situation which describes their conflict resolution skills and prove that they are amenable to compromise.
If the candidate can handle obstacles well.

Red Flags to Watch For:

If the candidate is trying to persuade you to agree with them.
If the candidate had negative opinion about their higher management and blames them.
If the candidate gets carried away and gets into unnecessary and specific details of the conflict.

Sample Answer:

N/A

Question Source: https://www.jobbankusa.com/interview_questions_answers/