Question: Imagine this scenario: You are part of a team where the most creative person on the team is also the person you dislike the most on your team. In the upcoming project you know that you will need this team member’s creativity to be able to complete the project effectively. What would you do in terms of relationship building with them or getting them to contribute to the project?

Alternative Question Phrasing:

What if there was a person you intensively dislike within your work team, yet you sense that this person is going to be the most creative in bringing the assignment to an effective conclusion. What steps would you take to nurture their contribution and demonstrate that you value their input?

Follow-up questions:

Has this happened to you before? What did you do?
How would you approach a team-member that you dislike?

Question Details:

Question Type:

Situational

Skills:

Social – Coordination (Adjusting one’s own actions in relation to others),Social – Rapport Buiding/Relating and Connecting with others

Abilities:

Cognitive – Category Flexibility (Mental Flexibility)

Other Factors:

Personality-Job Fit,Personality-Team Fit

Work Activity (Task):

Interacting with Others – Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships,Interacting with Others – Innovation Management,Interacting with Others – Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others (Conflict Management),Mental Processes – Judging the Value of Things, Services, or People,Mental Processes – Thinking Creatively (Creativity)

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

Interpersonal Relationships – Coordinate or Lead Others,Interpersonal Relationships – Managing Diversity,Interpersonal Relationships – Work With Work Group or Team (As a member, not a leader)

Work Style (Person-Job Fit):

Achievement/Effort (Action/Result Orientation),Cooperation,Humility,Innovation

Question Frequency

Question Difficulty

What to look for in an answer:

The candidate’s maturity to separate personal from professional issues.
The candidate’s conflict management skills.
The candidate’s objectivity when producing the desired work output.

Red Flags to Watch For:

The candidate’s immaturity in handling personal and professional issues.

Sample Answer:

We must always know when to set aside differences and focus on meeting the goal(s). If this happens to me, I will talk to the concerned team member and make him/her feel that his contributions are valued, regardless of my personal issues with him/her.

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